Our primary focus is on welcoming newcomers to our parish and transitioning them into fully integrated members of our congregation. The congregation (all unofficial members of this ministry) has evolved into a very welcoming group of believers, taking it upon themselves to greet and shepherd those visiting with us. It is heartwarming to watch our church family intentionally engage visitors during Coffee Hour.
Visitors are contacted by Mother Mary and sent notes of welcome written by the office volunteers. A major goal is to direct those who are new to our faith into Mother Mary’s Inquirers’ Class. It seems that going through that class is a reliable predictor of future involvement. It is more difficult to keep up with and guide those who are already familiar with the Episcopal tradition. The Evangelism ministry continues to look for effective and differentiated ways of welcoming and engaging those who seek to be part of our parish.
To help facilitate that ongoing discussion, this fall a number of parishioners attended a workshop entitled Invite, Welcome, Connect at St. David’s in Roswell. The group was inspired and came home with many practical tips to help us in our ongoing process.
As we move into 2020, we look forward to recruiting more people to be members of the Evangelism Ministry and to further defining our mission and best practices.