Invitation Includes Connecting through Events
As congregations consider Invite-Welcome-Connect and work through the resources at invitewelcomeconnect.com, one key part of invitation comes through events that take the congregation out into the community or bring the community to the church grounds.
A Case Study – St. Luke’s Festival
For four years, St. Luke’s Rincon has held both a monthly yard sale and an annual St. Luke’s Festival. The two events coincided this past weekend, bringing hundreds of people to the church grounds, including 100-150 children. Neither event is designed to make money, but instead to connect the community to the church. The church sells chicken meals during the festival which cover the costs of the the bouncy house and the band, so hosting the large gathering does not cut into the church budget.
The church’s second Saturday of the month yard sale is open to people in the community or community groups to have free table space to sell their goods. The church always sells concessions at that monthly event. The Rev. David Rose, Vicar of St. Luke’s notes that one of the vestry members started coming to the church because of the yard sale.
To make sure there was a connection, among the nearly 40 parishioners putting on the festival, several church members’ only role was to meet people at the festival, and hand out invitation cards together with a personal invitation to worship. Rose also said, “Beyond bringing new people to the church grounds, the festival helps connect those who do attend the church and to one another even as we connect with Effingham County.”
A Case Study – Dogtoberfest and the Scarecrow Stroll
While King of Peace Kingsland just held a Holiday Bazaar that brought a crowd to the church, the Rev. Al Crumpton also named two recent events that has kept the church and its preschool visible out in the community. King of Peace took its Blessing of the Animals out into the community, partnering with a local business that boards pets to hold the liturgy away from the church. The event coincided with a heavy rain, and yet about 30 pet owners and their pets took part. Crumpton noted that the attendance might have been better if it hadn’t been raining cats and dogs, but still people enjoyed taking part in a liturgy where their pets were welcomed and blessed.
For King of Peace Day School, Crumpton and the preschool director Gillian Butler handed out candy during the Scarecrow Stroll presented by the St. Marys Downtown Merchants Association. Kids dress in costume to trick or treat along the route from 5-7 pm as the town kicks off October. They allow a group to put a display up for the Scarecrow Stroll that stays in the median of the main road leading into the historic downtown through Halloween. The two gave out roughly. 3,000 pieces of candy and only one person thought Crumpton’s clericals might be a costume.
Crumpton also starts one of the two the Kingsland City Council meetings each month with prayer. That connection is helping the church as city officials know Crumpton and just offered to work with him in creating a solution to alleviate a traffic headache that a Department of Transportation Plan for widening the road in front of King of Peace was about to create. The median being added in front of the church would require westbound traffic to pass the church and go about a quarter mile further before making a U-turn to go back to the entrance. A new plan is now in the works that could bring church and preschool traffic through the neighboring high school entrance more directly to the church. If he were not out in the community, Crumpton feels sure the city officials would not have even considered the issue.
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Many of our congregations similarly use signature events to connect to their community, A signature event is something people in your area associate with your church and make part of their plans. What is working in your community? Share it with me so other congregations can be inspired to consider connecting to their town.
Frank
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary
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