Tag : church

IPS Alumna Leads Church in Giving $500 Checks to Parishioners

Rev. Laura Truax graduated from IPS with a Master’s of Arts in Pastoral Studies and a Master’s of Divinity. She is currently the senior pastor at LaSalle Street Church.

Spearheaded by Rev. Truax, LaSalle Street Church distributed checks to its parishioners in hopes that they use it to give back to the community over the Christmas season. The full story was featured in a Chicago Tribune article (below).

Loyola IPS is proud to call Rev. Truax an alumna and hope her work inspires others to think outside the box and do great things.

Read more about Rev. Truax and LaSalle Street Church here. 

Chicago Tribune article reads:

Church gives congregants $500 each to do good

“Christmas came early for people in the pews of LaSalle Street Church the first Sunday in September. That morning their pastor handed them $500 checks.

The Rev. Laura Truax, pastor of the evangelical church in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood, told worshippers that the money came with no strings attached, only encouragement to do good works and an early December deadline to either spend, cash or deposit the checks.

The money, totaling $160,000, came from a windfall of more than $1.6 million — proceeds from the sale of Atrium Village, a racially integrated housing development that was the collaboration of four neighborhood churches: Fourth Presbyterian, St. Matthew United Methodist, Holy Family Lutheran and LaSalle.

While each church has managed the income differently, LaSalle began by setting aside the traditional tithe — 10 percent of its share — for about 320 of its worshippers.”

To find out her inspiration behind the checks and what the parishioners did with the money continue reading on Chicago Tribune.

 

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Speakers Bureau Workshop Series Continues Success

The latest event of the series, titled “When Task and Ministry Collide,” explored Western culture, along with the call of the Vatican II which describes the goal of communion for the Church.

Presenter: Carole Veronesi, IPS Parish Consultant (licensed organizational development professional)
Presenter: Carole Veronesi, IPS Parish Consultant (licensed organizational development professional)

During the workshop, the 150 plus attendees were given time to discuss issues and how they impact ministry. For instance, the participants:

  • Gained understanding about the culture of their teams
  • Identified the practices that get in the way of communion
  • Explored new ways of being with each other in order to fulfill the call to communion
Attendees discussing communion in the Church
Attendees discussing communion in the Church

Proving to be beneficial, the event created a platform for important discussions and critical thinking about communion in the Church. The workshop ended asking, “What can be done to more fully answer the call to communion?” Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

The IPS Speakers Bureau Workshop Series is presented through IPS Parish Leadership and Management Programs in service to the Church.

The next event will be “Administrando Resultados en un Mundo Diverso,” featuring a discussion in Spanish about managing results in a diverse world. It will be held on Saturday, November 8th at St. Donatus Parish. For more details or to register, contact Dina Carr at dcarr1@luc.edu. Hope to see you there!

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Speakers Bureau Explores Hospitality in the Church

One of the biggest factors that affect a person’s experience of a church is whether or not they feel welcomed. But what does it truly mean to be welcoming, and what difference does hospitality really make?

Loyola IPS explored answers to those questions and more during its first Speakers Bureau Workshop Series event held last week.

Carol Knoerzer, director of liturgy at Mary Seat of Wisdom parish, came to the event to acquire new ideas on how to improve her parish’s usher and greeter ministry.

“The workshop was just terrific on many counts,” proclaimed Knoerzer. “The presenters… were full of ideas, enthusiasm, energy and successful stories.”

When asked what she will bring back with her to Mary Seat of Wisdom, Knoerzer said she learned the importance of making good eye contact and asking newcomers to help with tasks or inviting them to a parish event. In addition, she noted that it is good sit in different pews to encounter new people and be aware of those standing by themselves, so someone can reach out to them.

Loyola IPS is both proud and grateful to be able to create these events as platforms for parishioners to learn how they can continue improving the church community experience.

Hospitality2  Hospitality1
There were more than 50 attendees representing 16 different parishes and diocesan organizations who were able to bring back new ideas and thought-provoking dialogue back to their community.

Here at Loyola IPS, we believe that it is important to provide innovative learning experiences in leadership, outreach and inter-parish discussion. The IPS Speakers Bureau Workshop Series certainly fills those criteria.

Christina Bax, pastoral associate for Saint Clement Parish, and Tim Weiske, chair of the Stewardship Council and co-chair to the Young Adult Community Board in Saint Clement Parish, facilitated the evening with their effective and knowledgable presentations.

 

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