Ministries:
Parish Life:
Altar Decorations -
Description:
Assistance is needed during Holy Week Easter and Christmas to help plan and decorate the altar.
Requirements:
- Attend requested meetings.
- Plan and purchase flowers and plants for the altar.
- Arrange decorations.
- Remove and put away decorations.
Building and Grounds -
Description:
Church property covers over 14 acres of land and is composed of the church, community center, rectory, cemetery, parking lots and garage. It falls upon the Building and Grounds Committee to maintain these assets and ensure that they do not fall into disrepair or become an eyesore. A knowledgeable group of parishioners is needed to inspect and identify existing and potential issues. Many parishioners have talents that can be used to assist in normal maintenance, major needs and problems are contracted out for repair.
Requirements:
- A desire and time to assist (mostly at your convenience) in keeping the church a viable entity. Assistance of all ages is needed for routine upkeep from replacing light bulbs to watering plantings.
- Provide a wish list of projects we would like to see accomplished.
- Participate in a spring and/or fall cleanup day.
Care Ministry -
Description:
Visit home-bound parishioners, including those in nursing, assisted care, and retirement facilities. Distribute Holy Communion to those parishioners and perform other task that may be useful to them. Participate in visits to parish families who have lost a loved one. Provide a listening ear and suggestions for resources in counseling or assistance is needed. Assist in funeral planning. Provide suggested reading music, and service format in keeping with Catholic tradition. Specific details to be coordinated by family and parish priest or deacon. The initial Care Ministry role is to provide meaningful condolences from the parish family.
Requirements:
- Monthly training meetings for six-months consisting of handouts, videos, discussion.
- Training as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion in order to distribute the Eucharist.
- Assignment to one or more home-bound parishioners.
- Assist in bereavement ministry.
- Participate in Care Ministry meeting / continuous learning.
Giving Tree Project -
Description:
During the Christmas season gifts and food are collected and distributed to needy families within the community. Gift tags requesting items for families are put on a gift tree for parishioners to take and purchase the items. The items are then sorted and handed out to the families along with food items to prepare Christmas dinner.
Requirements:
Many volunteer opportunities are available.
- Purchase requested gifts and return them to the church as specified.
- Donate food items during time specified.
- Sort gifts before distribution.
- Sort and box food items.
- Shop for additional needed food items.
- Distribute gifts and food items.
Dinners -
Description:
Dinners are held at the church hall and proceeds subsidize the church operating budget. In past years, dinner proceeds provided early payment of the church hall and rectory mortgages. Two dinners are held annually, requiring much coordination to prepare and serve food and beverages, hall logistics to seat hundreds of guests, and clean up following the event. A very organized coordinator is needed to orchestrate various volunteers performing numerous tasks.
Requirements:
Many volunteer opportunities are available.
- Planning Committee participation.
- Food coordination (order and take delivery).
- Food preparation prior to dinners.
- Hall set-up (tables, chairs, centerpieces, etc).
- Food preparation during dinners.
- Food service during dinner(wait tables, reset tables, etc).
- Baked goods area coordination.
- Kitchen and church hall clean-up.
- Parking lot attendants.
- Sell dinner tickets, raffle tickets, baked goods and carry-out orders.
Family Camp -
Description:
Family camp offers families and members of St. George Church family an opportunity to get away for a weekend of fun and fellowship. We spend one weekend (usually in september) at camp Letts near Annapolis, MD. Lots of activities and games are planned to keep us busy, including a nightly campfire, songs, and skits! The committee holds a kickoff meeting after Easter This is followed by two or three more meetings during the summer to finalize all the details.
Requirements:
- Member of St. George Church (or the friend/family member of someone who is!)
Finance Committee -
Description:
The committee assists the pastor in planning for the financial health of the parish. Members discuss maintenance, fundraising, and charitable contributions and help in preparation strategic plans for future parish needs. Membership os limited to six people, all of whom serve at the invitation of the pastor. Committee members should possess business, financial, or other related skills or knowledge.
Requirements:
- Appointment by the pastor.
- Participation in quarterly meetings.
- Willingness to work on projects related to the committee's discussions.
- Knowledge in business, finances, or other related skills.
Hospitality -
Description:
Newly registered parishioners experience a warm welcome when attending services at St. George Catholic Church. The hospitality Ministry extends that welcome by visiting the family at home where they introduce the parish family and services offered in the parish.
Requirements:
- Work with parish staff to identify new parishioners.
- Visit with newly registered parishioners.
- Devise programs to welcome new parishioners.
Knights of Columbus -
Description:
The Knights of Columbus ia an organization fortified by its past and driven by its goals for the future.
It's through five areas of services - faith, community, family, youth, and fellowship - that the Knights truly make a difference. St. George Church is currently in the process of forming a council.
Requirements:
- A practicing Catholic.
- At least 18 years of age.
- Committed to making the community a better place, while supporting the Church.
Legislative Committee -
Description:
Together with other parishes in Maryland, members work to support the policy of the Archdiocese on legislative matters concerning Maryland.
Requirements:
- Members are invited to attend a Lobbying Night in Annapolis one or two times a year.
- Additional training and information is offered by email and periodic workshops sponsored by the Legislative Office of the Archdiocese.
Library -
Description:
The Library is a small room located in the church community center. Books dealing with Bible history, interpretation, theology, Christian living, and general reading are housed in the library. It is a delightful place to read as is the small enclosed garden off the community center auditorium. The library is open Tuesday mornings from 10:00 until 11:00 during Bible Study sessions and when the community center is open for other activities.
The parish needs volunteers to help maintain the library.
Requirements:
- Contribute one to two hours a month to catalog and reshelve books.
- Provide light cleaning in the library.
Parish Council -
Description:
The Parish Council acts as a "board of advisors" for the pastor on all matters of interest to the parish. The main objective of the parish council is "to promote pastoral activity" that will help the parish achieve its goals. This work is always concerned with the overall good of the parish and its mission. The work can include reflection, prayer, planning, setting goals and priorities, coordination, motivation, support, and evaluation.
The council is made up of a president, vice president secretary, parish staff the Finance Committee chairperson, Religious Education representative, Buildings and Grounds chairperson and nine additional council members. These nine council members along with the council officers represent a cross-section of our parish and are elected by the parishioners. Each serves a term of two years, with six new members elected every year.
Requirements:
- Participate in quarterly council meetings.
- Anyone interested in joining the council must be a parishioner, and be elected by the parishioners.
Stewardship Committee -
"Stewardship has to do with our willingness to be a part of the Church universal through our local Church. It encompasses our willingness to combine our efforts, to share generously as our hearts and minds will permit us. Stewardship is a sharing our time and talents, our material goods, our very humanity to help our parishes and our Church fulfill their mission." (Catholic Stewardship, by Colleen Smith)
Description:
The Stewardship Committee helps the pastor encourage the parishioners of Saint George Church to give more freely of their time, talents, and treasures so that the ever increasing need of the parish and the local community can be met. The Committee is composed of the parish clergy and six parishioners.
Requirements:
- Committee members are appointed by the pastor.
- The Committee meets on a quarterly, or more frequent, basis to discuss the status of the Stewardship Program in the parish.