As Christians – followers of Christ – we are called to live all our life experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly – with the belief that God is with us because God loves us; we have His promise of salvation and mercy. This truly is the “Good News” that we are all called to share and celebrate with each other. This is the mission that we have been entrusted to share with the world. But how do we go about this?

With Jesus’ promise of help and guidance from the Spirit, we find strength and wisdom together, just as the first Christian communities did two thousand years ago: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship… to the breaking of bread and to prayer; they gave to anyone as he had need…” (Acts 2:42 ).

• Proclaims and meditates on its foundational stories - faith formation
• Celebrates its essential rites and common prayer - liturgy
• Lives brotherly solidarity - fellowship
• Seeks justice for the poor - transformation of society

These four practices must be present in every Christian community. That is our responsibility, but God entrusts this mission to us (“Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” – Matthew 28:19) ultimately for our happiness (“that they may have life and have it to the full” – John 10:10 ).  *

By the activities of the community, by its very life and the quality of its faith, God is calling all humankind to be gathered together in Jesus Christ. The community is the instrument of God’s great desire for the salvation of all humankind in Christ Jesus. *

So it is with our whole lives centered around Jesus that we are brought closer to God – and we bring the world with us.  This is what the four areas of Parish Life is about; real lives conjoined and firmly rooted in Christ our Saviour by God’s Grace and Love, not for only one hour on a Sunday but every day of every week and to all the worldly places we go; in all of life’s pains and joys that we each experience.