In the fall of 2014 Chapter commissioned a diverse group of parishioners to develop a five year strategic plan for the Cathedral. We decided to call it the Vision for Mission or V4M.
Energized by the mission statement, “Love Christ, Serve Others, Welcome All”, we are creating objectives and strategic actions under six goal areas: Worship, Music and the Arts, Formation, Community, Cathedral for the City & Diocese, and Outreach & Justice. The committee has drawn in a large number of parishioners to help form these objectives and actions, and we have referred back to the congregational survey conducted in 2013. Our hope is to implement the final plan at the beginning of 2016.
This is one of a series of blog posts, each of which gives a concise description of the draft objectives and strategic actions under each goal area. We welcome feedback and comments at www.stpaulcathedral.org/vision-mission.
Vision for Mission Objectives: Outreach & Justice
St. Paul’s Cathedral will be known for reaching out with love and compassion, advocating and working for all that is just. We have made great strides in our community outreach programs in recent years, and we want to continue expanding that ministry as we seek to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in our community. The V4M committee worked hard to come up with three objectives that are achievable, measurable, and appropriately ambitious.
First: we will further develop coordinated outreach leadership to facilitate collaborative programming of a wide variety of ministries to and with the marginalized. This will be measured in periodic reports. The strategy to support this objective will be to establish an outreach and justice leadership team or steering committee, that nurtures outreach leadership through retreats and publishes an annual calendar of activities.
Second, we will pursue a program of advocacy in partnership with other non-profits, developing at least 20 congregational leaders, and involve at least 50 parishioners in justice and poverty-related advocacy campaigns by end of year 2020. Our strategies for this objective will be to develop ways to serve as agents of reconciliation through various organizations, and to develop a signature outreach program with the homeless that involves both on-campus opportunities to serve and community partnerships. We can envision our Showers of Blessing program growing and evolving through our work with ECS, for example.
Finally, we will actively pursue effective stewardship, encompassing physical plant, environmental awareness, and financial resources. Our strategies will include becoming a LEED-certified campus, changing our investment policies to reflect a more environmentally sensitive philosophy, and increasing our education about, advocacy for, and employment of Fair Trade practices.
