Ministry Archives

Rest and Renewal in Ministry, Eucharistic Congress 2024

August 28, 2024 by Deanna Bartalini Leave a Comment

On July 17 to 21, we celebrated the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana. I was able to go with my husband and a friend. It was an amazing time, filled with learning, prayer, music, excellent talks, and seeing friends. We picked a track ahead of time and it was the Ministry track, for those who work in service to the Church in some way or another. Since my husband is a deacon and I am a spiritual director, this seemed like a good fit.

A few highlights:

standing outside our hotel, when all of a sudden, the people I know from CatholicMom.com are walking by and Allison Gingras, calls out, “Deanna, is that you?’
Praying in Adoration every night in a stadium with 50,000 Catholics and the only sound was the hum of the air conditioner running.
Also, the priests who led us in Adoration were amazing. The reverence and awe for Jesus was present on their faces.
Hearing Fr. Boniface Hicks pray the Litany of Healing and Repentance in the Eucharist.
Matt Maher leading us in worship on Saturday night.
And the closing Mass with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle

All of this was amazing and gave me a renewed sense of mission and purpose.

What did we do all day?

Each day we went to Mass at Lucas Oil Stadium. Then we went to a specific track for 3 days. John and I went to the Renewal sessions geared toward those in ministry. And those are the takeaways I want to discuss today.

Day 1, Danielle Brown from the USCCB

Instead of working in ministry, first pray, fast, and be purified.
Activities in ministry can become false idols.
Ministry not nailed to the cross will be blown away at the first storm.

Day 2, Damon Owens

God reveals things to us that are delightful and painful.
No one likes healing, but we like to be healed.
Holiness is being fully human.

Sara Kaczmarek

Work with God, not for him.
Find God in the quiet and stillness

Day 3, Julianne Stanz, author with Loyola Press

Bread that does not rest does not rise and neither can you.

Thanks to all who listen, comment, share it with friends and leave reviews.

If you’d like to have me speak at your parish or group, you can use this link!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Podcast Index | RSS | More

Filed Under: Not LukeWarm Podcast Tagged With: care of ministry leaders, Eucharist, Eucharistic Congress, Ministry, spiritual director

The Working Women of Ministry-Pt. 2

January 21, 2020 by Deanna Cauthen Leave a Comment

Episode 18-The Working Women of Ministry Pt. 2

On episode 18 of The Working Woman Radio Show, we’re going to continue our conversation about women who work in the ministry with Jillian Palmiotto, Pastor and Director of the Unlimited Special Needs Ministry at Mt. Paran Church of God, and Stacy Georges, the founder and CEO of Special Needs Respite, a childcare service for families with children who have special needs.

More about Stacy Georges

Stacy Georges is the founder and CEO of Special Needs Respite, a childcare service for families with children who have special needs.

Stacy holds a B. A. in Therapeutic Recreation from Purdue University, but she says that her real education began when her two children were diagnosed with a cluster of neurological challenges.

As the founder of YourRespite special needs child care, Stacy founded Special Needs Respite to help meet the needs of even more parents of children living with special needs.

Stacy does speaking engagements for churches and civic groups to further community understanding of how to minister to special needs families. She and her husband, Tom, reside in Roswell, GA.

Special Needs Respite/Special Needs Childcare

As parents of a special needs child, you know how difficult it is to find time for yourself. Time to run errands, or to spend time with your spouse for a night or a weekend, or just time for yourself to relax. As a group, parents of special needs children are more stressed, and even more at risk for divorce, or worse . Respite is something that parents of special needs children desperately need, and YourRespite can help make it happen. YourRespite provides childcare for your special needs children, in your home, up to age 19.

More about Jillian Palmiotto

Jillian Palmiotto is the Pastor and Director of the Unlimited Special Needs Ministry at Mount Paran Church in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s degree in Interrelated Special Education.

Before becoming the ministry director at Mount Paran, Jillian taught in the public school system for 12 years. In 2014, she utilized her education, experience, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, to envision and launch the Unlimited* ministry. Since its inception, the ministry has grown from 20 families to approximately 175.

In 2016, Jillian founded the Together Conference, an annual event designed to equip ministry leaders and volunteers to launch or improve their special needs ministries. She has consulted with numerous churches across the United States, helping them to welcome people with disabilities.

Mount Paran Unlimited Special Needs Ministry

The Unlimited* ministry is open to all children and youth who have a disability, developmental delays, or children who just need some extra TLC. We partner with you as parents to build strong, committed disciples of Jesus who are capable of discipleship and service.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio | Podcast Index | RSS | More

Filed Under: The Working Woman Radio Show Tagged With: Ministry, respite care, special needs, women in ministry

The Working Women of Ministry -Pt.1

January 14, 2020 by Deanna Cauthen Leave a Comment

Episode 17–The Working Women of Ministry

On episode 17, we discuss the roles of the working women of ministry.

Many of our modern day churches, encourage women to serve in certain positions as Sunday school teachers, nursery workers, children’s church leaders. However, when you read the scriptures about women who work in ministry in the scriptures, we see them serving in a much broader way.

Emily Tellez, a pastor’s wife and ministry leader, discusses the joys and challenges of being a woman who works in church ministry. She shares how she and her husband work to balance family life with their ministry work, and about what a woman can do if she feels that the called to serve in the ministry.

More About Emily Tellez

Emily Tellez grew up in Bogota, Colombia. She and her husband, Carlos, have four children. Carlos and Emily have been married for eighteen years. Carlos is currently the pastor of a house-based church the Tellezes helped plant three years ago in North East Atlanta.

Emily has served in a variety of ministries over the years, including youth and college ministry, children’s ministry, English as a Second Language for adults, curriculum development and teaching. She is currently the interim children’s ministry coordinator for their church. She has her BA in Counseling and her MA in Ministry Studies.

Emily is passionate about empowering others to reach their full potential. Although she considers herself an introvert, Emily loves to host people in her home. She would also choose an evening at home with her family over a party, any day. In the margins of her life, Emily trains for half marathons, reads good books, and enjoys deep conversations over coffee with close friends.

Helpful Resources

Grace Church NE Atlanta Campus

At Grace Church we think the story of Jesus is the single most life-changing thing we can share. We want to ignite a gospel-centered movement to Know It, Live It and Give It Away. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ.