Brainstorming Session Bullet Points

• Welcoming
• Consistent friendliness and great friendships/ Comradery
• The sermons
• Worship/ music
• Liturgy
• Community/ the people of the congregation
• Strong Parish
• Warm
• Casual
• The feeling that it feels like “family”
• No big building
• Episcopal Worship
• The outreach to the community
• Fellowship
• Coffee Hour 

• Politics
• Small congregation
• Small percentage of the parish (25 people) are actively doing the work of the parish
• Lack of people
• No children
• No young people
• Need more activities that include community
• Bulletin too long
• No use of Prayer Book
• The church is too far
• Bad power struggles 
• Not easy to donate money online
• Vestry that does not take action & responsibility/ incompetent
• The “tight ship”
• Uncertainty about future financial stability
• Uncertainty about future priest
• Communication
• Too “uniform” in its “membership”
• Lack of pledges
• Repeating mistakes from the past
• Need better guidance for “New Comers” to be able to sing the service music that is sung on a weekly basis. 

• Christian Education – Bible Study after church (1/2 hour)
• Saint Day Talks
• Record Keeping – Vestry minutes posted in a timely manner
• Social activities – Potluck dinner every 3 months
• Welcome gift for newcomers
• Restore the “Invite, Welcome, and Connect” ministry (as the Bishop recommended to do)
• Contact and invite back those who have fallen away from St. Patrick’s
• Restore having parishioners host an open house at their home for new people – targeting new comers
• Offer more diverse education not just Bible Study
• Continue to explore why membership is declining
• Accept that members might not attend every Sunday but are still accepted
• Book Group
• Welcome community activities like vacation Bible School, St Patrick’s Dinner
• More films on environment – Need a person to just be in charge & produce brochure for public
• Invite public to get together and sing
• Workable email system to all non-parishioner events
• Cooking Classes – “Farm to Table” “Red Barn Toler” Pick veggies, cook with chefs,  invite community to monthly classes
• Fly Fishing Classes – appreciate and conservation of water -enjoyment reach out to community
• Follow-up calls to local visitors, welcome them back
• Small groups for dinners – Foyer Groups used to do before
• Invite youth choirs for special events, i.e. Christmas, etc.- Maria Carrillo

• Fund for dishwasher in kitchen
• Spending bulk mail permit
• St Patrick’s notecards to all households in Oakmont and Kenwood
• Rent front of church property to strawberry growers
• Rent the Parish Hall
• Rent the church to another congregation of any religion 
• Increase funding to music program
• Repair front of church (stained glass window)
• Divide bulletins with standard one piece so that readings, (NT/OT, Psalm, & gospel) are included as an insert – saves paper and goes green
• Organize drivers to pick up people in Oakmont & Spring Lake
• A working budget
• A timeline for goals & monitoring them
• Prioritize money for ministries like music and Outreach
• Making sure that donated money can be used in special ministries
• Be more open about where the funds go, then cut back on non-necessities
• Fundraise rather than asking for money
• Save & budget when possible
• Share specifies of rental property – what impact on finances, taxes, is it going to be rented
• Identify/ list all options for rector
• Make sure all heating & cooling systems work
• Strategic spending
• Clean carpets
• Makes Determine: share with congregation actual cost of rector options
• Set forth plan & timeline for action regarding rector replacement
• Share results of Finance Committee report (least June) with congregation
• Do survey of congregation of what they want to support financially

• Pew Buddies – Assign a “Buddy” to a newcomer, have the Buddy invite newcomer to sit with them so that they may show/ demonstrate the structure of a Eucharist service and invite/ bring to Coffee Hour
• St. Pat’s Dinner and others throughout the year
• ECW start again
• Advertise more, Saturday breakfast for women
• Identify why people should try St Patrick’s
• Identify who are target audience – Spring Lake Village, Oakmont, Kenwood, Glen Ellen
• Bible Groups, Episcopal, Non - ?/  Name Tags Social Connection
• Offer program in Oakmont
• Activities Free/ paid
• Introduction to Faith Classes
• Parishioners Encouraged to bring a friend to church each week
• More films, speakers for the public
• Provide more services like Nomadic Shelter
• Game nights
• More welcoming/ Graphics on Banners
• Larger sign from street with announcements
• Changing banners regularly
• Using local vendors for printing & plants (Swede’s Feeds) 
• Local advertisement (Kenwood Press) (Oakmont News) (Kenwood Press) Others?
• Focus on Sundays such as Blessing of the Animals
• Dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead)
• Groups highlighted in that sun’s readings (farmer, mother, etc.) and invite those people specifically 
• Ballroom dance classes/ Dance night
• Fundraising events for charities
• Story time for local children can use stories with topics for moral/ ethical discussions that are also good books.
• Movies
• Craft fair
• VBS
• Music festivals/ concerts/ Jazz/ Sunday service musical events
• Better advertising for things St. Patrick’s can offer so whoever we are targeting can be interested in coming/ participating
• New songs/ more instruments
• Open mic night
• BINGO night
• Transportation for church services and activities for those who cannot drive
• Healthcare clinic
• Continue to invite diverse clergy
• Bring back the Bell Choir
• Writing invitations for All Saints/ Advent/ Christmas to all households in Oakmont/ Kenwood
• Develop specific plan for increasing membership and monitor the plan
• More community discussion, i.e. Christian, Muslim, Jewish
• Allow St. Patrick’s to be a community center
• Mailings to Oakmont folks about services
• Newcomer socials, i.e. dinners/ lunches
• Weekly pot lucks for community
• Spaghetti feed and charge money
•  Have children’s play day/ Carnival/ or a one day Bible School using front lawn
• Sponsor a local children’s sports team with church’s logo on their uniforms
• Invite young adults to brainstorm what we need to do and how we can support one another
• Christian education for evangelism
• Offer Christian education after church on Sundays
• Invite people from other faiths to share out space
• Pastoral care
• More contact with other parishes, deanery, doing things together
• Do real assessment of why people are not coming to church and address that on our “mission” statement
• Help those who deal with turmoil in the world
• Are we a church of service & charity?
• Are the needs of our congregation and community a basis for our planning?
• Develop a finance/ growth plan
• Set timeline

• Focused Painting doors, etc. 
• Reestablish landscape committee
• Education sessions regarding what the different funds the church has
• Maintenance/ Repairs
• “Green” approach to future including switch to “native” plants & xeriscape landscaping
• Consider an assessment in addition to pledges to satisfy urgent needs
• Explore status: is the church viable or should congregations combine?
• Advertise in the Oakmont News
• “Dress up” our entrance areas of our property
• Be mindful of waste, over landscaping
• Fundraise through live and silent auctions, i.e. include at the St. Patrick’s Day dinner
• Develop & monitor a specific fiscal plan
• Promote & charge for use of our hall/ property
• Promote Planned Giving now that we have achieved some stability
• Revise Financial policies to include guidelines as to when the finance committee and/ or the Diocese should be alerted/ included (avoid Doyle’s situation)
• Strawberry patch needs land to grow berries. Front lawn?

Contact Information:

    St Patrick's Weekly Calendar

Dear fellow parishioners,
 

Things are happening around St. Patrick's!

As we move forward into the fall season, a "Pledge Campaign Luncheon" is planned for Sunday Oct. 22nd, during which we will hear from the Stewardship Committee @ pledging our support for 2024.

At the ANNUAL MEETING in January 2024, there will be an election of several new Vestry members, as SIX members will have completed their terms by the end of this year, including Jackie Senter, Sarah Phillips, Sandy Keith, Marilyn Ganz, Merle Holtzen, all of whom were elected in 2021. Leslie Clark will have completed Ann Schneider's term. Chuck Wood, Wendy Wood and Minerva Haddad will remain.

Due to many factors, the usual rotation of choosing three new members each year has been disrupted. There will be a difference in the length of the terms served by the six new members as follows: Three will be elected to serve 3 years; two will be elected to serve 2 years; one will be elected to serve 1 year. 

If you are interested in serving on the Vestry, please contact Jackie Senter, Sr. Warden or Father Ed Howell.

Thank you for your attention and for showing your love of St. Patrick's!

Blessings and God's peace to all,

Jackie Senter, Sr. Warden


 

A Message from the Planned Giving Ministry

Preparing an estate plan is good Christian stewardship – 

saying thanks to God, expressing your love and concern 

for family and showing charity toward others. 

Excerpt from the Episcopal Foundation's Planned Giving Guide, 

"Let's Get to It".

Choir will have its first rehearsal on Thursday, August 17th from 6:30 to 8:00 in the Sanctuary. The first choir Sunday singing at service will be Sunday, September 10th. We are returning a bit earlier to get a few more weeks of practice in, so we can start our Holiday Concert rehearsing earlier than last year!

We invite anyone who is interested in singing with us to come check out a rehearsal throughout our first few weeks of practice to see if it is for you!

We particularly encourage male voices, which would even out our choir!

If you have any questions, please contact Mark Kratz or Doug Richardson.

The Pastoral Care Committee at St. Patrick’s is is all about tending to our “flock”! We are here to serve the various needs of our parishioners. Some of our services include providing Eucharistic Visits, phone visits, arranging rides to church or appointments, Special Prayers by the Daughters of the King, grief support, memorials, counseling, and home visits, just to name a few! If you need more information, please contact co-chairs Leslie Clark (707-483-1513) or Sandy Keith (707-539-3871). Want to be a part of this very important committee, we would be glad to hear from you.


 

PO Box 247, Kenwood, CA 95452