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December 8, 2008: Feast of the Immaculate Conception:
The Holy Family Pastoral council, at its monthly meeting (following the 7 PM Mass), discussed immediate needs of members of our parish community who were facing devastating economic situations in the current business & industrial climate. Key to the discussion were a few significant points: (1) Ensuring Holy Family School parents had the support they need to be able to keep their children in Holy Family School through these difficult times, and (2) Enabling parishioners to share their goods, their time, and their talent in new ways for these new times. A group of council members volunteered to form a task force to discuss these issues further. December 11, 1008:
Core team member Lori Jones suggests the name for this effort: MARTHA, an acronym for "Merging Available Resources Together, Helping All." December 18, 2008:
The initial task force, consisting of Clarence DeGonia, Terry Dickinson, Michael Halbrook, Lori Jones, and Michael Halbrook, met and discussed the priorities and initial ideas for MARTHA in the community. At the end of the first meeting, an outline for a formal propsal to Father Larry (our Pastor) and the Pastoral Council was ready. December 23, 2008:
The task force delivers the initial MARTHA proposal & outline to Father Larry and the Pastoral Council as a "Christmas Gift" to the parish. Christmas, 2008:
In his Homily, Father Larry alludes to MARTHA and the needs of the community in th current economic climate as a sign of the HOPE of Christmas. He suggested that in 2009, we look to a method of HOPE meaning "Honest, Open, Present, and Engaged." January 5, 2009:
At the monthly Pastoral Council meeting, the council discussed the MARTHA proposal and decided to focus first on opening the MARTHA Room as a physical sign of the effort to help inspire participation. With the room open as the "Heart" of MARTHA, the rest of the parts will fall into place. Efforts to prepare the MARTHA Room began. January 19, 2009:
The MARTHA task force evolved into the MARTHA Core Team, grew with the addition of 3 new members (Lynn Byrd, Steve Jansen, and Carolyn Nelson), and met to discuss and work on execution of various MARTHA components. |
