And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mt. 2:9-12

Imagine traveling to an unknown land, no map, no GPS. Just a star and a whole lot of faith. And it worked!

Our faith communities are a lot like these wise men. We have faith, but often are a little fuzzy on where we are going and how to get there. That’s where a Parish Mission Statement comes in.

Most parishes have their mission statement on their website and their bulletin. But people get so used to seeing it there, they never really SEE it. And that mission statement is important! It tells your parish family where they are going and how to get there.

One way to draw attention to your parish mission statement is to send it out as a Message in myParish App. Maybe you can send it out once a month, or once a quarter. It’s a good way to remind your faith community: This is where we are going. This is how we are going to get there.