Categories: Faith Formation, Outreach, Youth
Simple outreach to new residents increases young parishioners' involvement in parish activities
"It’s a lot of fun. We see young couples, families, singles, older people. They’ve all been welcoming to us and appreciate the gesture.” Margaret DeLargy, parish coordinator for welcoming team
The need it meets
Young Catholics moving into an area for the first time look for a place to belong, a church where they feel at home. At the same time, Catholic parishes need young people in their 20's and 30's to participate in parish life and ministry. This outreach ministry brings them together.
Where it came from
Father John J. Johnson saw a demographic change in his parish. The location is both affordable and “hip,” so many young people were moving in. Some contacted the parish because they were engaged and wanted to be married; others were simply searching for a place to go to Mass. Father Johnson came up with the idea of a parish outreach to contact, welcome, and commit new parishioners. The program began in 2006.
How it works
Current parishioners look out for and meet potential parishioners who have moved into the area. Their contact info is sent to the parish office, which in turn sends a welcome letter to the newcomers. A welcome team from the parish makes a visit at the newcomers' home with a welcome basket. When appropriate, the parish pastor will follow-up with a personal invitation to the new parishioners to get involved in some parish ministry.
The results
In just one year, over 70 gift baskets have been given out and dozens of new, young parishioners have gotten involved in the parish. One success story is a youth fellowship group that has since become a place for young professionals and married couples to get connected.
Key elements
- A lay person or couple to head up the welcoming team.
- A reliable means to find new arrivals: This can be done by inviting the parishioners themselves to pass on the information.
- Parishioners’ participation in putting together the gift baskets.
- An organized presentation (on CD, on a web site, or in printed form) with all of the necessary information on the parish and its ministries.
How to implement it
Contact potential parishioners. The pastor asks current parishioners to send contact info to the parish staff when someone new moves into the neighborhood.
Fellow parishioners welcome the newcomers.
- The outreach begins with a welcome letter including a listing of upcoming parish events.
- A parishioner from the welcoming team phones them to say hello and ask if there is a convenient time to drop by.
- A pair of parishioners visits with a welcome basket full of bread from a nearby bakery, gift certificates from area businesses, a bottle of wine, and an Irish blessing from a nearby shrine. Parishioners donate these gift baskets. The visits may take 5 minutes to an hour, depending on the person. Simply make them feel welcome and to show a friendly face. The welcome team also takes care to greet them after Mass and to help them feel at home in parish activities.
The pastor follows up by personally inviting them to participate in a parish ministry. He explains the available opportunities and gives them a parish CD showing its various ministries. Then he invites them to get involved in whatever interests them most.
Submitted by Julia Bergman on September 6, 2007.
Fr. John Johnson is pastor of St. James the Greater.