Pastor's Page: January 10, 2011
Dear Parishioners,
“So if I your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14) .The Christian concept of ‘authority’ means service. Losing one’s life for the sake of another’s, dying to self, and taking up the cross of sacrificial love are repeated themes in the teaching and example of Jesus. “The greatest among you is the one who serves the rest.” (Matt.23:11)
As Pastor, I see myself as a ‘servant-leader’, modeled after the One who did not come to be served but to serve. The parish community doesn’t exist for me, rather I live for the community. Seeing and accepting the fact that other people in the parish are better than I am in many ways, more gifted or talented, frees me from the impossible burden of trying to do it all myself. In fact, we can do it together and get far better results.
There is power in involving others. The sum is so much greater than the parts.
The Pastoral Team and the Pastoral Council are the visionary leadership groups for the parish. Our names are listed on the inside front page of the Bulletin. Although the Pastoral Team has the primary responsibility for the spiritual development of the parish, the Council, made up of lay parish members, supports and expands the Team’s perspective on parishioner needs, concerns and dreams. We work and pray together as collaborative leaders, trying to rely on the power of God and not our own power.
Collaborative leaders are inclusive rather than exclusive. They are willing to listen to and understand those whose ideas may be different from their own. They try to bring out what is best in others, by affirming their giftedness and encouraging them to use the distinctive talents that God has given them.
One of the most powerful images in Scripture, is that of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles. Leadership is evidenced in service.
Shared power and shared decision-making, cooperation and affirmation, unleash the energy of the Holy Spirit. Individualism and destructive competition do not. Community, people working together, is more than just a value. It is an absolute need. Isolated leaders see the world from a limited vantage point.
Alone, I have tunnel vision and shortsightedness. I cannot grow without proper feedback from supportive co-workers who challenge me and broaden my horizons. Working in a vacuum will lead me toward depression and burnout. While working with others, difficult as it sometimes is, promotes enthusiasm. There’s a lot of joy and pride in working toward agreed-upon goals and objectives. Shared dreams become reality as Team and Council pull together in mutual respect and understanding.
The Pastoral Team and the Pastoral Council want to serve you. We want to be available to you. Contact us personally. Our email addresses are in the Bulletin and on our website www.saintspeterandpaul.org. Through surveys, questionnaires, telephone calls, informal conversations, and personal appointments, we hope to get to know your hopes, dreams, and needs as our parish meets the challenge of the 21st century as the year 2011 begins.
Father Bruce
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