This year marks our 15th celebration of Christmas Eve at the Maryland State Fairgrounds. Each year has looked a little different but, over time, a true tradition has emerged from what was once an audacious experiment. A tradition that many of our parishioners have grown to cherish. There are many dedicated devotees out there who […]
This week we begin one of my very favorite seasons of the year. To mark the season we are launching a new message series called “Light,” all about … light, which will also be the theme of our Christmas Eve celebration this year. As an Advent gift to our parishioners, we are distributing a little […]
Let us come before the LORD with thanksgiving. Psalm 95 This week we celebrated Stewardship Sunday, reflecting on the blessing our parish is to our members and in the life of the community. As part of the celebration, we invited members and “regulars” to make a financial commitment to the parish for 2020. And I […]
We usually say that “Kick-Off” weekend is the best weekend of the year, but “Stewardship” Weekend is a close second. That’s right, one of our staff’s (and our parishioner’s) favorite weekends of the year is the weekend when we ask for money. This coming weekend is Stewardship Weekend, the only weekend of the year that […]
Often, parish leaders have a major weakness when it comes to keeping their church campus and space attractive for guests. It’s the same problem you have with your house: when you spend so much time in a place, you become blind to its flaws and imperfections. You stop noticing: the dead shrubs along the […]
It seems like the fall season is a sprint. It just moves so quickly. And then, of course, the holidays are upon us, ready or not. In fact, we have a saying around here that beginning on the day after Halloween we need to be thinking and acting like Christmas is here. That’s why this […]
This week our early bird registration for our amazing church conference in April comes to a close. In talking to church leaders I’ve heard incredible excitement about Rebuilt 2020. I’ve also heard push back from others. Take a look… 1) “I’ve already attended a Rebuilt Conference in the past.” We know what it’s like to […]
Recently, the Pew Research Center released an update to an ongoing study of religious identification and engagement among Americans. The results should sound familiar at this point: an increase in the number of people identifying as unaffiliated with any particular religion, increasingly infrequent church attendance, and declining religiosity among younger generations. Data like this should […]
At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus brings together the eleven remaining loyal apostles and gives them a mission. He says: “All remaining authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” This isn’t a friendly invitation to maintain the status quo. It’s […]
When Tom and I started writing our recently released book ChurchMoney, we thought it had the potential to really strike a chord in the American Catholic Church. In our travels across the country, we have observed that money is one of the biggest – if not the biggest – causes of stress and worry among […]
