It always amazes me to see just how much is going on here at Saint John, and how many people dedicate so much of their lives to the ministry of our Parish Family. Some of you may not realize the opportunities you have to get involved in such amazing and rewarding functions of the church, from supporting the Masses to assisting the local community. The following series will give you all a snapshot on some of these programs, along with some stories of how wonderful it can be to engage our faith through action.
Saint John is blessed with so many talented and experienced individuals that Father John and I would be remiss to not ask for their guidance and support to lead our Parish Family. As such, we have developed a renewed structure for advisory efforts. We now have three long-term Councils, each of which has a Charter which directly relates to our Parish Mission, To Know, To Love, and To Serve God, in His Church and Our Community. These Councils have parishioners that provide advice and recommendations in their particular areas of expertise, for a three-year term. The Councils are: The Pastoral Stewardship Council, the Finance Council, and the Buildings and Grounds Council. The Councils will also be responsible for creating and operating Committees, short-term groups that will be focused on particular issues, sometimes with recommendations for the church and for our Parish Family. With this open and transparent structure, we will be able to illustrate how decisions for our parish are made and who each of you can engage to ensure we are including your thoughts and plans into our community.
I would like to introduce Rick Beebe as the President of the Pastoral Stewardship Council here at Saint John the Evangelist Catholic Church. Rick was born and raised in Orlando where he earned his undergraduate and M.B.A, with a concentration in finance, from the University of Central Florida. His diverse professional background is in organizational operations management, investment analysis and portfolio management. Rick and his wife, Karen, moved to Naples in 2002 and have since been members of St. John. They have two boys, Jackson (12) and Carter (9) who have been active in all Faith Formation Programs. Rick is very active in both the community and parish. He serves on the Student Advisory Council for both Veteran’s Memorial Elementary School and North Naples Middle School. At Saint John, Rick is a current member of the Capital Budget Committee, past member of the Finance Council, assists his wife to construct Vacation Bible School and many of you may recognize him as he helped organize the Ministry Banner Parade and Ministry Appreciation Day this past year.
I humbly appreciate the opportunity to serve the parish to the best of my abilities as President of the Pastoral Stewardship Council (PSC). Our mission as a council is to “Create awareness of God’s gifts of time, talent and treasure and to encourage their use to the best of one’s ability for the good of the Parish.” As part of the “New Wineskin” of Saint John’s programs and efforts, the Pastoral Stewardship Council will leverage its members and their expertise to support and assist all Ministries with their valuable foci. We will work to increase visibility for all Ministries and support their efforts to increase their ability to serve the Parish and community. The mission of Saint John is simple “To Know, To Love, To Serve God, in His Church and Our Community.” The most direct and impactful way to accomplish this mission is to become active in the various Parish Ministries via your time, talent and treasure.
God Bless,
Rick Beebe