Advancing Our Church

Published: September 22, 2020

How does a college basketball career turn into lessons about life and faith, and why doesn’t God play Zone Defense? On today’s podcast Jim Friend, Managing Director at Changing Our World, goes one on one with Jeff Balistrere, author of the popular book, “God Doesn’t Play Zone Defense” available on Amazon.

Jeff Balistrere was born into a coaching and teaching family. He played college basketball under coaching legend Jim “Bow Tie” Phelan at Mount Saint Mary’s University, where his team made the NCCA and NIT tournaments. After basketball, Jeff continues to enjoy a business career in information technology for both start-up and Fortune 500 companies. Jeff, his wife Margot, and their children live in Vienna, VA. For more information about Jeff and his book, please visit his website.

This session was recorded on video using Facebook Live. We invite you to view the recording by visiting the Advancing Our Church Facebook page.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: September 14, 2020

In early 2020, Changing Our World began partnering with St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in East Patchogue, NY, on a parish-wide capital campaign in support of improving the accessibility of the church hall and performing capital improvements. On today’s podcast, Shawn Trahan and Joe Jennings from Changing Our World join Jim Friend to discuss the very successful campaign and how the parish adapted to this crisis.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: September 09, 2020

We’re back after our summer break with more episodes to advance the mission of our Church. Today, we kick off our new series entitled, +Increasing Generosity. The focus of our series is to share our experiences and best practices of Stewardship and Philanthropy with our listeners through conversations with our incredible team and with the occasional special guest.

This week, join Jim Friend, Thomas Farrell, and Fred Roberts for a conversation on how Catholic Schools, Colleges, Parishes, and Dioceses have successfully raised funds during this crisis.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: July 24, 2020

The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, H.R. 6800, passed the House on May 15, 2020, and in its current format, denies our Catholic Schools access to the proposed $200 billion budget for education funding, putting our Catholic Schools at risk of closure. Join us for this panel discussion to learn more about this important topic and what you can do to help.

Our Panelists Include

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: July 01, 2020

Catholic School resilience passed the test throughout the COVID-19 crisis through the care, compassion, and attention to the unique needs of every student. This episode is a recording of webinar number four of the “Advancing Our Church Through Challenging Times” series. Our panelists discuss a document that was created by three of our panelists on the unique value proposition of Catholic Schools. Click here for a link to the document.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: June 17, 2020

We continue with session three of our series, “Advancing Our Church Through Challenging Times,” with our host, Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend leading another experienced panel of experts on the topic of the financial and pastoral implications of re-opening parishes and schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. How are dioceses thinking about the metrics required for a successful 2020-21 financial plan? What additional funding strategies will be needed to create that plan for next year? These topics and more will be discussed in this podcast. This panel discussion aired live on our webinar on June 4, 2020.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: June 04, 2020

We continue with session two of our series, “Advancing Our Church Through Challenging Times,” with our host, Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend leading an incredible panel of Diocesan Foundations leaders. This week, the panel discusses how Foundations are providing service to donors, parishes, Catholic schools, and ministries in the COVID-19 crisis. What new services are they providing, and what unique fundraising opportunities are available in this challenging climate? All this and more on today’s podcast. This panel discussion aired live on our webinar last week, May 28, 2020.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: May 27, 2020

Join us as we kick off our mini-series “Advancing Our Church Through Challenging Times” with our first session, “Engaging Young Adults.” The impact of COVID-19 has been felt by all ages, but how has the pandemic affected young adults? What will be the impact on Church engagement? Can we build a bridge between generations as we protect those who are most vulnerable? We discuss these questions and much more with our expert panel.

Join our expert panel of ministry leaders for this critical discussion, featuring: Peter Blute, Vice President for the national office of Young Catholic Professionals, Paul Edward Jarzembowski, Director for Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Nicole Perone, Archdiocesan Director of Adult Faith Formation, Archdiocese of Hartford and Fr. Ryan Lerner, Chaplain of the St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center at Yale University.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: May 19, 2020

How are pastor’s thinking about COVID-19 through the global pandemic? What are some of the best practices that are being developed in parishes to reach out to the faithful? Today, Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend talks with Fr. Don Zeiler, Pastor of St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Community in McKinney, Texas. Fr. Don talks about how his parish has adapted their services to meet the needs of their community throughout this crisis.

In 1996 a new Catholic parish in McKinney was established, with word came that Fr. Greg Kelly (now Bishop Greg Kelly) had been assigned as pastor. Regular weekend Masses began on July 28, 1996, meeting in various MISD schools. In December 1996, the community received its official name, St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Community. Fr. Don Zeiler was welcomed as the second Pastor of St. Gabriel during the Masses on January 20, 2008.

The fundraising campaign, “Raising the Walls,” kicked off in the fall of 2013, led by Changing Our World. With input from parishioners and the Executive Committee and guided by the vision of Fr. Don for the church to be a teaching and evangelizing tool, the drawings and plans for our Permanent Worship Space were designed. The parish officially broke ground for the new sanctuary on May 15, 2016.

The new church home is now a reality! They dedicated the church and altar on February 23, 2019. The founding pastor, Bishop Greg Kelly, celebrated the Mass, and it was a truly special moment for the parish.

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: May 06, 2020

Catholic Schools are leading the way through COVID-19 with the use of technology, training, and support. Today, Changing Our World‘s Jim Friend talks with Bill Brannick, the Director of Technology for the PreK – Grade 12 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Bill discusses how his team prepared for homeschool learning and then quickly transitioned to this new reality after the stay-at-home order became effective. Learn how the Archdiocese has been making steady progress over the years to improve educational technology, provide learning support and coaching for their teachers, and how some benefactors have gotten involved in recent months.

Professional Goal: To leverage technology to provide the effective and efficient delivery of enhanced student learning outcomes, innovation, and student creativity while also streamlining the day-to-day operations of the 122 elementary schools, 17 high schools, and four schools of special education.

Experience

Education

Personal Note: Bill is an avid (four-for-four) Philadelphia sports fan and a previous 10-year Eagles season ticket holder. Married since 2011 to Dana, with whom he has three children, Will, Layla, and Luke

Don’t miss Changing Our World’s FORGING FORWARD

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country who are leading through the COVID-19 crisis.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.