This is the Parish Assembly season in the Diocese of Penang where various parishes evaluate their events and activities for the year and see their Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and then plan ahead for the following year. As a member of the DPT or rather Diocesan Pastoral Team or the Bishop's Think Tank, to impress you a bit, we are to drop in at various churches as observers to their assembly and to report to the DPT.
Well, it was an arduous but rewarding and enriching experience. I, not only observed a lot but also learnt from them, both negative and positive things. Of course, you cannot fall asleep during the long sessions which were normally held at ungodly hours and some in oven-like single storeyed classrooms like the one in St Louis in Taiping, for the simple reason that you will be called upon to round up the session. Those at the Risen Christ Sg Petani and Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Ipoh were blessed. Their halls are air-conditioned.
For those of you who are Catholics in the Penang Diocese and you care about your church, I can assure you that our churches are toeing the line and moving in the same direction guided by the Diocesan Pastoral Thrust, although at different speeds and with differrent gaits.
One glaring observation is the ageing element in most churches. Where are the young people? They are in the bigger towns and cities like the Klang Valley. So, for churches in the Klang valley to say that they have grown and bursting at the seams and with worshippers following the masses on the LCDs, a simple question begs asking : " Is your growth mainly through conversion or migration???"
Some pictures of the various assemblies for you to see.
