Creating and nurturing a
culture of welcoming is crucial to the success of a parish on mission. At Notre Dame we are blessed to have a strong spirit of welcome and hospitality which has touched the lives of many souls the Lord has sent our way.
So, as some who received the invitation to the workshop wondered, "Why do we need a workshop if we're already such a welcoming parish? What more could could possibly be covered at a workshop that we don't already do??
"I will admit I came into the session thinking, how much more welcoming can we be?? We have greeters at the entrances (even at 7:30); there is a gathering space with coffee and treats after Mass -- I don't see that at many other churches I have visited..."
On Saturday morning, November 16, close to 60 participants gathered in Room 201 for a Welcoming Workshop which included compelling testimonials from folks who have recently joined our parish, inspiring and challenging content from Divine Renovation, and lively discussion. Below are portions of the content shared at the session.
What have four people who recently arrived at our doorstep encountered?
What are we missing? What are we taking for granted? What are key factors that would make someone new to our church come back, or not? This 16-minute excerpt from Divine Renovation provides some insights...
As the session closed it was noticeable that many had been both inspired and challenged, realizing that as good as our spirit of welcoming and hospitality is, there is room to grow.
"... I left Saturday knowing that we can all do a better job; and personally, I will pay more attention, especially after Mass!"
"We are blessed to be part of such an amazing faith based family of amazing people. We look forward to to aiding in becoming Great at Welcoming ."
"Thank you so very much for including us in this spiritual workshop with such amazing parishioners. We walked out of the church with so much love in our hearts. We had the honor of sitting next to Father Paddy. He is amazing! Love our parish family."
Key Takeaways From the Session:
Our Lord calls each of us (not just our priests, staff, or "welcoming/greeting" ministries), to respond to welcome and be hospitable.
The "welcoming" experience before Mass is just as important as the "farewell" (what happens after Mass) experience.
We can easily be drawn to those we already know, at the risk of ignoring (even unintentionally) those looking to have contact.
Welcoming initiatives, such as Nametag weekends, are not just for those who feel a sense of belonging, but for those do not (see testimonials above).
Radical welcoming and hospitality are not just for the weekend. A sense of belonging might begin with a weekend Mass experience, but will need to continue through other parish experiences (i.e. how we welcome -- or not -- people into ministry or other parish events, and also, how we behave outside of our church space, etc.)
How do we influence others to joinus on join us in extending radical welcoming and hospitality?
If you would like to be an active part of creating and an
impactful welcoming presence here at ND, please contact any of us in the parish office (click
HERE for email addresses).
November 18, 2019Creating and nurturing a culture of welcoming is crucial to the success of a parish on mission. At Notre Dame we are blessed to have a strong spirit of welcome and hospitality which has touched the lives of many souls the Lord has sent our way.
