Our Life Together at St. John the Baptist

As Episcopalians at St. John’s, we believe our life together must be shaped by and reflect the values revealed in our baptismal promises: to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ; to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself; and to strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being. The Baptismal Covenant—Book of Common Prayer, p. 305
Norms

A pattern for living our baptismal values provide the foundation for norms that govern the ways we will strive to live and work together. Our goal is to live out these principles in our work together in the Parish and Diocese, making them a pattern of living in prayer, word, and action, with individuals being consistently invited and challenged to live into the larger vision of our congregation rooted in the Baptismal Covenant.

Common Life - What do we have in Common?

• Love for Christ and Community
• Desire to Grow
• The Breaking of the Bread
• Commitment to Serve (Minister)
• We are Family

Common Prayer - What do we Pray for?

• Relationship/Fellowship/Communion/Connection – Through fellowship, membership and stewardship. We will strive to foster new and enhance existing relationships in our parish. Through the membership and stewardship ministries we will organize activities to bring the parish together breaking down barriers of two services.
• Welcoming – Ways to welcome, identify and getting to know newcomers, seekers and returning members to our parish.
• Evangelism – Explore evangelism and implement strategies to welcome the Washington Shores community first, working our way outward to the Great Commission. Long range and short term plans.
• Growth – Parish, personal and community together. Young families and our families. Spiritual journeys of members to enable us to relate to one another.

Common Worship – How do we express ourselves?

• Worship/Culture – Shared and different. Anglican, Afro-American and Caribbean cultures.
• Music
• Fellowship and Family
• Sheepfold Ministry – Care of souls by congregation
• Small Groups
• Vitality
• Relevance


What YOU can do as one individual…

• Pray, we are asking for you to spend time in prayer concerning our common life, prayer and worship.
• You can contribute to responsible and assertive problem solving in your individual relationships by:
o Being open, honest and discussing what is bothering you only with those who can do something about it.
o Listening thoughtfully to other’ concerns and ideas and then asking “How might I/we help you think of ways to do something about your concern?” or asking/challenging others with “What do you propose to do about this matter?”
o Allowing someone to complain to you only when you can do something about the matter or redirecting complaints to appropriate decision-makers when you can do nothing to change the situation.

What WE can do together in Group Settings…

• Pray, lead each other in prayer at the beginning and ending of each gathering
• Vestry meetings, church committees/ministries and groups should work to encourage effective outcomes and the use of our time in determining appropriate courses of action are promoted when we:
o Develop and distribute an agenda/time table in advance.
o Volunteer responsibly
o Start and end on time and Come prepared
o Attend regularly Notify the chair when we are unable to attend
o Participate actively and are sensitive to others by not monopolizing time
o Work together to agree on actions
o Distribute minutes and to-do lists in a timely fashion, possibly in advance

Group Process


Listen attentively - Honor the ideas and concerns of others by listening with care.
Practice courtesy - Observe relaxed courtesy in every gathering.
Respect all opinions - Respectfully include all opinions, even when there is disagreement.
Speak for self only - Listen and speak from an “I” position (but do not speak for anyone else).
Model transparency - Act with honesty, openness, directness.
Honor confidentiality - Respect private or personal confidences when appropriate
Share decision-making - Share the power with all persons affected by the decision making.
Refrain from judging - Resist speculation about the motives or spiritual maturity of others.
Communicate consistently - Make careful, consistent communication a priority.
Challenge in love - Challenge when we are not living up to our norms, speaking the truth in love.
Forgive generously - Forbear and forgive each other’s failings, with God’s help.
Admit responsibility - Be publicly accountable for errors, seeking to learn from mistakes.
Be open to the new - Be receptive to exploring new ideas and possibilities.