Parish Hospitality - Is Yours a Hit or a Swing and a Miss?

If you're new to this blog, welcome! Hope you visit us frequently and come to be an admired acquaintance. Hospitality goes much further than welcoming new people doesn't it? It involves, among other things, good communication, well-maintained buildings, flower beds and lawns, directional signs posted in highly visible places for ease of finding the parish office, restrooms and meeting rooms, and plenty of accessible parking and seating in the church. These factors are inviting to people and helps them want to be there and want to come back.

Great hospitality doesn't happen by accident. It takes a conscious effort and strategy. Be sure to consider all parishioners (ages, ethnicities, physical abilities, emotional needs, etc.) in your planning! One weekend while visiting friends in Minneapolis, my husand and I attended Mass at a parish that offered cloth bags in the vestibule for use by parents of small children. In the bags were religious coloring books and a few crayons, snack packages, toddler picture books of Bible stories, rosaries with very large beads, and other items to occupy the little ones during Liturgy. Parents repackaged the items as neatly as they could and returned the bags to a special rack in the greeting area after Mass.

When I discussed this with our friends, they told me there is a committee of parents and grandparents who meet once a week to cleanse the beads and books, wash the bags, replenish snacks and broken crayons and get the bags ready for Masses again. I have to confess that during Mass I was so amazed about how well behaved these children were (and there were a lot of them,) I kept looking around to see what they were doing, and totally forgot why I was there, i.e. worship! This hospitality ministry keeps little ones content and occupied, their parents feel welcomed and encouraged to bring their children to Mass, and attendees, except me, can focus on Liturgy with fewer child eruptions.

Does your parish have a hospitality committee? Do you have lots of different endeavors in order to involve as many folks as possible? What are you doing to foster the feeling of belonging in parishioners? What efforts could be done better? What would you never do again? If your parish hospitality needs a boost, what are two or three new practices you could easily implement within the next few months? Then in six to eight months, implement two or three additional ideas, and so on. Be sure to measure your results too! Is what you're doing working? Why or Why not?

Well, I'm heading back to the vineyard. Please share your "vineyard" stories; I'd love to read them...you go, too.

My introduction to the ICSC

I remember my very first ICSC, International Catholic Stewardship Council conference, (then the National Catholic Stewardship Council). It was October of 1995 in Chicago, and I was excited to meet and learn from representatives from parishes and dioceses across the country! I was born and raised Catholic, attended Catholic grade and high school, and yet was very curious about this word "stewardship" that I certainly didn't remember hearing about before.

After setting up our exhibit booth for Our Sunday Visitor, I went to a presentation given by Monsignor Joseph Champlin and a couple named Dutch and Barbara Schultz to learn more about this term. I was astonished to discover that stewardship, the way of life, is how I was raised, how my husband and I strive to live, and I didn't have a clue. We were "unconscious stewards" I like to say. This was definitely a turning point in my life...one of those "Ah Ha!" moments.

At the conference, I was most impressed with the people; they were warm, spirit-filled, giving, welcoming, eager to learn and happy to share their knowledge and experiences with others. That's true today too! I remember in particular, the folks from Christ the King Parish in Jacksonville, Florida. Hospitality is one of the keys to a solid parish stewardship foundation, and this parish had it down pat. Since this was our first time attending and exhibiting at the conference, the Christ the King contingent adopted my co-worker, Sharon Kaiser, and I, checked on us often to make sure we were ok, and brought us candy from the other exhibit booths. To this day, I still fondly think of that group when I attend the annual ICSC conference.


What grade would you give your parish stewardship efforts? Need to inject some new ideas and enthusiasm into your committee? There are LOTS of good resources, opportunities for networking and workshops on hospitality and other important stewardship topics at the 2011 ICSC conference in Orlando. I hope you'll join me and the over 1,000 other stewards from around the world who will be there. The dates are October 23-26 and you can find more information at http://www.catholicstewardship.com/. Please be sure to stop by the Our Sunday Visitor booth so I can meet and personally thank you for following the blog. In fact, I'll even be blogging from the conference, so be sure to check back frequently for live updates from me and some of my co-workers about what's new and exciting, and what we learn each day.

Well, back to the vineyard. You go too...how about the vineyard in Orlando in October?

You lift and restore

I always find myself renewed and restored after meeting with people who are focused on stewardship for themselves and for their parishes. The positive energy certainly helps, but I think the greater impact comes from the genuine desire to make our parishes better by addressing challenges and sharing successes as a team. Rather than talking about “returning to the Lord with increase”, you are living it and doing it. This attitude and group energy is the reason I look forward to International Catholic Stewardship Council (ICSC) conferences and events.

Last year at the ICSC conference in San Diego I had the opportunity to meet with many parishes and dioceses. It was enervating to see Fr. Andrew Kemberling and Mila Glodava during their book signing at the OSV booth. Fr. Andrew and Mila, along with the broader team at St. Thomas More parish in Centennial, CO have fostered an active and engaged community through their work. And last year at ICSC they were excited to be able to help others based on what they had learned.

Candelario deLeon and Ethel Dulak from the Diocese of Corpus Christi talked about the work they had been doing with each parish to help them create plans, then start very basic efforts to engage the parishioners at the parish. This process evolved over several years and has helped to bring the Catholic community in the diocese together .

Rick Fersch and Scott Bader from the Archdiocese of Seattle provided guidance for both parish and diocesan work. They also shared information about their exciting new program for leadership development.

These examples and many more individual meetings are the type of information that people share. And they are excited about the energy at their parishes and organizations.

My wife and I have been members of many different parishes as we have moved to different locations in the country. The impact of parishes and dioceses who focus on engagement and hospitality is dramatic. When I participate in regional stewardship events and at ICSC I am reminded that I have a responsibility to help. I also am reminded that there is a strong community available for support and that as a community we can advance our parishes and the Catholic faith.

What about your experience? What have you heard at past events? What are you hearing this year?

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I hope you find it helpful, educational, possibly inspirational, but hopefully NEVER boring.

Like it or not, we are all stewards. And we strive for those "good and faithful" adjectives, don't we? I'd love for you to share your thoughts, experiences and questions with us in this blog as we, together, contemplate and share the experiences of the life we're entrusted with. We can trade ideas and thoughts about what's working (or not), pray, praise, and imitate Christ's love through our service to others. I hope you'll visit again soon, and often.

As in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 20, I'm going into the vineyard. I am the one in the pink veil! You go, too.