BUILDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD THROUGH DEVELOPMENT

“The greatest challenge we face today in our Catholic schools and parishes is to create the avenues, roadways, and vehicles to invite, involve, and engage people.”  Now hanging in my office, this message is a focal point on the horizon for where we plan to take Incarnation, and will greatly influence the initial vision and mission statement for our development effort. In order for Incarnation to continue to grow and evolve into the parish and school that God calls us to be, and ultimately help in the preparation and implementation of the Beacons of Light process. We have to create the opportunities to better engage our present parishioners and school families, while also looking to find new and creative ways to invite and involve those not engaged presently.  Catholic development is about bringing people closer to Christ and Christ closer to people, which is why the mission of the Incarnation development team will be concentrated on meaningful involvement of people in our mission and vision for the future.  Catholic Development is first and foremost a ministry, and if done the right way, is as spiritual as giving a sermon, entering into prayer, visiting the sick, or feeding the hungry: it is helping to build the Kingdom of God. It helps us to understand where we place the importance of money in our lives, and leads us to reflection in how we can thank God for the many gifts we have been given. We all have resources, and the ministry of Development gives us the opportunity to put our resources at the disposal of God’s Kingdom. What I plan to do here at Incarnation is to create a culture of belonging that helps us all to open ourselves to whatever God is calling us to do, and how he is calling us to use our resources. For some it will be monetary donations, for many it will be a donation of time, but for all of us it will be joining in prayer and trusting in God to use whatever resources we can give to help build His Kingdom. I am looking forward to this new opportunity that God has blessed us with, and I look forward to what he has planned for all of us in these new exciting opportunities. Let us all open our minds and hearts for what God has in store for the Incarnation Parish, the School, and our new Beacons of Light family.

God Bless, Mike Hoendorf
Development Director