In an effort to provide formation that helps us all to answer this question, on July 1 of 2012, Bishop Gerald Barnes realigned the Office of Development and named it Mission Advancement calling us all to the new evangelization that engages people in a lifetime of faith!
The vision of Mission Advancement is to provide for the future of the Church of San Bernardino in a way that helps us all to commit to a real and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ, making God a priority in our life ... so that our hearts are filled with hope!
The first crucial step in this process is to increase our sense of belonging in the Church, to strive to be formed in the fullness of what it means to be a disciple. Our journey ... moving toward Christ, will give new meaning to our lives, enhance our willingness to become engaged in the Church; and, open our minds and hearts to the depth of God’s love for us and all that His love calls us to be.
The ongoing process of formation will intentionally and strategically lead us to the wisdom that we seek. The popular image of the guru hidden in a mountain monastery or of the sage out in the wilderness is intriguing, but is not the biblical pattern. Wisdom is always lived in community, in the connection we have to each other. God has gifted His people with interdependent gifts. It is in the sharing of these gifts that we become a body of believers.
What does the body look like? It’s the body of Christ, His physical presence in this world, so it should look like Him. A community that is rich in the Word, one that is: Inviting to us and to our brothers and sisters, one that leads us all toward the fullness of what it means to be a disciple of Christ ... Serving, that utilizes our God given gifts to help those in need in our parish or community ... Thanking, that recognizes God for the graces He has bestowed to the whole of our lives and that is reminded that our individual contribution to the great work of restoring all things in Christ is important because we were born to fulfill it ... and, Giving of what we have to others, including the gift of our faith that has the Eucharist at its center and that leads us to a living relationship with Christ.
God has entered the context of this broken planet to show mercy and love. The community that really believes, is one that lets Him show those things within that builds His Church. We must strive to cultivate this kind of community. It simply must begin with individuals, and we might as well be those individuals. Has God been gracious? Be gracious! Has God forgiven? Forgive!
We, the Church of San Bernardino, need to strive to mirror the Savior—the Bible calls it a reflection of His glory. The result is a community of grace. It lives grace, breathes grace, speaks grace. And, it begins with parishes that are communities of people who know themselves to be members of Christ’s body and who live as Christ’s people in our world, drawing others to Christ or more deeply to Christ.
In other words, we strive to build a Church in which people turn their hearts to Christ. We are called always to continue the mission of Christ in the world. We are His Body in the world. We advance His Mission.
Theresa Montminy is the diocesan director of Mission Advancement in the Diocese of San Bernardino.