Holy Guardian Angels Mission Statement:
Holy Guardian Angels Parish strives to facilitate a journey of spiritual renewal by working with the Holy Spirit in new and creative ways to make disciples, build community, and inspire witnesses to the Gospel.
A new mission statement for our new parish amplifies the signal to each of us, the parishioners of Holy Guardian Angels Parish: we are called. We are called upon to answer the voice of God each and every day. We are not all called in the same way, but we all hear clearly the voice that asks us to renew ourselves and so make our new parish. Doing this in communion with Christ and with one another, we have confidence that we perform the will of God and so fulfill our mission.
Together, we can expect our work, our mission, to take on three separate forms. These identities will constitute the way in which our parish community is renewed.
The first form of spiritual renewal will be making disciples. The goal of our parish, and of the whole church, is to have as many people as possible experience the saving power of God’s love. As a parish community, we should constantly be striving to invite those who have not yet known Jesus Christ to experience the joy of the Gospel.
How do we do this? How do we make disciples?
First, we need to renew our own relationship with God. Recommitting ourselves to God is a necessity if we are to live out Christ’s mandate to spread the Gospel to others. Once we have opened our own hearts, we can trust that the Holy Spirit will be our guide. When we ourselves are driven by love and joy, we will have the courage to invite others to respond to their own calls. Through our witness, we allow our friends to hear clearly the voice of God speaking to them.
Making disciples begins with each of us answering God’s call. From there, the Holy Spirit will guide each individual.
The second form of spiritual renewal we can expect to experience in our parish is the building of community. Not only does this mean that the foundations of our churches are strong, but that the parish is able to support itself as a loving community modeled after Christ’s preaching. Christ teaches that we must love our neighbor as we love ourselves. In a parish community, to love our neighbor is to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure to ensure that all parish needs are met.
Christ is again speaking to us, this time not only for us to recommit ourselves in faith to Him, but to recognize the divine spirit that lives in each of our parish members. The word that best encapsulates such an idea is vitality. Our commitment in action to our parish is vital not only in a sense of necessity, but also in a sense of liveliness. By our collective action, we make sure our parish has adequate resources of time, talent, and treasure. We carefully plan the vision for our parish. Our needs are met. Our initiatives are met with enthusiasm. Our efforts are sustainable. Our parish feels alive, fueled by the joy and hope of the Gospel and Christ’s promise of salvation.
When we have renewed our commitment to Christ and solidified our actions in faith, we will make disciples and build a strong parish community. At that point, we will begin to inspire witnesses in the community beyond our own parish. This is the third form our mission will take on. The cycle will begin again somewhere new, and we will have fulfilled our mission.
The call, which we may hear so urgently now, will have been answered with our own “Here I am, Lord.” We are called to act with justice, love tenderly, and serve one another to walk humbly with God. Now, with confidence in Christ, we can begin.