St. John the Evangelist Church
510 Jackson Ave.  ¦  Defiance, OH  43512  ¦  419-782-7121
email: stjohncath@embarqmail.com

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Pictures from VBS 2008!

Letter from the Bishop concerning Hurricane Gustav

Friends,
     It is with great joy that we announce that the position of Director of Generations of Faith has been filled for the Defiance Catholic Community. Sr. Mary Dean Pfahler, SND has accepted the full-time position offered her by Fr. Tim and myself. Sr. Dean, a Sister of Notre Dame, (the same religious order as Sr. Maria Sally Willitzer and Sr. Jennifer Marie Zimmerman) has worked in parish ministry in our Diocese for many years and brings a wealth of talent and experience.  She has been trained in the Generations of Faith model by the program's founder, John Roberto of Communications Ministry Development (CMD). She understands the principles of life long learning and is convinced of its value for parish formation programs. She brings fresh ideas that will help build on the strengths of the program and help address areas where growth is needed.  Sr. Dean (she usually does not use the "Mary" part of her name) will most likely be living with at least one more Sister of Notre Dame. They will be getting settled in the Defiance community over the next few weeks. There will be many opportunities to introduce her to you in the coming months, but for now, if you see a new face... introduce yourself! I have had the pleasure of working with Sr. Dean at Delphos, St. John - she was a Pastoral Associate, I was an Associate Pastor on my first assignment as a "baby priest". She is a capable leader and fun person to be sharing ministry with no matter where and I look forward to many great days ahead!
     Along with Sr. Dean's acceptance of the Generations of Faith position come some other staff position shifts for our parish community. My thanks to Mrs. Janice Elliott who has served our parish as interim youth minister since mid March. Janice has accepted a part-time Pastoral Associate position with St. John Parish having her areas of responsibilities being Director of Sacramental Preparation and Formation: First Reconciliation/First Communion/Confirmation and Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. Janice has been a life-long member of St. John Parish having served as a CCD teacher, Principal and teacher for St. John Catholic School. She has the organizational and communication skills needed to direct these ministry efforts. Janice also has a firm understanding and appreciation for Catholic identity that will benefit all our programs. Janice comes from the "Weber" clan (Fran, her father - her mother Alice recently passed away after a long illness and brother, Tom have been and are very active
members). Janice is married to Ron and they have three sons, John, Mark, and Peter.  Janice has been a welcome addition to our Pastoral Staff. I know she will bring new energy and direction to her ministries.
     Mrs. Connie Moffitt no longer has the responsibilities for these sacramental preparation programs as a primary area of responsibility for her ministries. She continues, however, as a full-time Pastoral Associate with her areas of responsibility being Director of the R.C.I.A as well as Director of Parish-Family Life/Marriage Enrichment/Bereavement Ministry/Befriender Ministry/Welcoming. She will also be responsible for coordinating our parish efforts as we share the Centennial Celebration of the Diocese of Toledo in 2010. Connie, a life-long member, has served St. John Parish for over twenty years in different capacities. She continues to be a valuable asset for our mission to build the Kingdom of God. She is married to Rick, a familiar person to many of us. My thanks to Connie for her willingness to take on ministries that have needed some attention and new energy.
     Ms. Sheila Fredrick has accepted a part-time, one day a week position to assist me with our parish stewardship efforts. She works with Wells-Fargo as a leadership development specialist helping Wells-Fargo to develop teams among co-workers and management. Her responsibility is to help me direct and drive the annual stewardship plan that is to be developed by our Stewardship Committee along with myself. Deacon Nick Varano continues to coordinate the efforts of the Stewardship Committee or Team (as I like to call them). Between Sheila and Deacon Nick and the Stewardship Team our parish will continue to be noted as living our stewardship as the most fundamental way we respond to Jesus Christ's invitation to follow him.
     In addition, Sheila and Mrs. Novell Meyer are coordinating our Gallup Organization-
Strength Finders parishioner engagement efforts. St. John Parish has been affiliated with the nationally known Gallup Organization (the research and statistic group) since the beginning of the year (2008). We began this relationship to enhance our efforts to "engage the people of our parish" in a deeper way in the life and ministry that we experience. The goal is to enhance the "self-knowledge" of the people of our parish. With this enhancement we will become more engaged in life and ministries of the parish. Identifying a person's "strengths" or “God given talents” according to the Gallup Organization's research will help us feel a greater sense of belonging. It opens up a willingness to serve the community based on our identified "strengths".  The outcome is a greater satisfaction and meaning when involved in parish life. Over 70 parishioners have taken the Strength Finders assessment online and over 50 have been personally coached by either Sheila or Novell who are Certified Level Two Strengths Performance Coaches by the Gallup Organization. Strength Finders was introduced to our core-leadership groups: Pastoral Staff, Pastoral Council, Finance Committee, and Stewardship Team.  As we are at mid-summer we are ready to invite more and more people to participate. I hope you will be willing to accept this opportunity to grow in your discipleship.
     Finally, with all these changes comes the reality that we are truly blessed by God! I am reminded of the words of the prophet Jeremiah (29:11) – “For I know well the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Sincerely,
Fr. Todd

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