Most People Are Only Waiting to Be Asked

The Christian Stewardship invitation begins with every parishioner understanding that he or she is important; that everyone has something of deep significance to contribute to God’s Kingdom. The smallest act of kindness, Jesus told us, will not go unnoticed. A Stewardship invitation in your parish reminds people that opportunities for prayer and service to God and neighbor are all around us.

Just as the members of a family come together to help one of their own, a Stewardship parish family comes together ready and eager to wrap their arms around their brothers and sisters when they suffer in trial and/or celebrate special events in their lives. They have a need to serve their community, Diocese and the Universal Church; giving for the common good of all.

Most people are only waiting to be asked.

Committee Action Items:

Discern, as a committee, what initiatives need to be implemented in your parish.

Hospitality:

Do you have a parish “welcome” committee, can this process be enhanced? Encourage all ministries to have a welcoming procedure for new volunteers.

·  Welcome Packets for new families:

o  Facts/figures about the parish (Annual Parish Report)

o  Schedule of Mass times and other sacraments

o  List of parish activities

o  List of parish ministries with contact information

o  Stewardship brochures and commitment card

o  Parish newsletter and/or most recent bulletin

o  Parish giveaway, holy card or a blessed crucifix

·  Welcome Letter from the Pastor – within a week after new members have registered.

·  Pastor or Welcome Committee Member:

o  Drop off a welcome packet to new families and answer any questions

o  Invite the new family to an upcoming church event

·  New Parishioner Welcome Event (monthly or quarterly) – schedule a periodic event for new parishioners and send an invite to each family. Have nametags, new member introductions, history and tour of the church. Set member expectations, ask them to get involved, allow for Q&A, take pictures and post on website/FB.

·  Feature the names of the new parishioners each month in the bulletin.

·  New family recognition-have all new families stand for a blessing (once a month).

·  Is the weekend Mass a welcoming event?

o  Friendly greeters before and after Mass

o  Ushers walk people to their pews (especially people they don’t recognize)

o  Priest greets parishioners as they are leaving

·  For guests/first timers at your parish-is it easy for them to follow along with the Mass and know what is going on? A hospitable parish is one that makes people feel at home.

·  Reach out to members, who are not actively involved, with a personal phone call.

·  Annual volunteer appreciation dinner or event, give a “Steward of the Year” Award.

·  Do parishioners feel invited to share their thoughts, comments, and suggestions?

Prayer:

Stewardship calls us to build our relationship with God.

Those who hear and understand the message begin to spend more time in Mass, Eucharistic adoration, scripture reflection, private prayer and faith enrichment activities. As they grow closer to God, they can more clearly hear how God is calling them to give more fully of their time, their talent and their treasure. They give out of deep love for God and find joy in that giving.

·  Determine where the parish stands in terms of prayer life.

·  Start or evaluate adoration, can perpetual adoration be started?

·  What are the prayer ministries offered, do you have enough, do you need more?

·  Are retreat opportunities available, adult education and small group bible studies; where can your church improve spiritually?

·  Are Stewardship related scripture quotes in the parish newsletter, website, Facebook and the bulletin?

·  Ask the elderly and home bound to pray for Stewardship as a way of life throughout the parish and Diocese.

Formation:

·  Recruit and train individuals to share their personal testimonies about Stewardship.

·  Stewardship reflections could include profiles of parishioners who are examples of good stewards, questions and answers or thoughts and commentaries on Stewardship.

·  Consider adding a special page on your web page that focuses only on Stewardship.

·  Provide continued education for the Stewardship Committee (i.e. the Bishop’s Pastoral Letter, Grateful and Giving, Spirituality of Stewardship).

·  Coordinate with Religious Education to ensure that calendars are aligned with the Stewardship weekends. It is great to have kids involved in the ministry fair, etc.

·  Plan and prepare a parish wide Stewardship retreat (get creative with the title) to be held in August or September of 2016.

Consider:

·  Is the “mission” work of the parish adequately publicized so parishioners can see that they are investing in God’s work and not just in the maintenance of a "private club”?

·  Do parishioners understand that a parish exists to help them serve God or do they think the parish exists to serve them? Do parish leaders also understand this?

·  Prepare and regularly update a list of parish activities and organizations (Ministry Booklet).

·  Evaluate all ministries, is the ministry still active? Are they teaching our Catholic faith? When was the last time the ministry leader was contacted, evaluated and given support?

·  Ensure that those who respond about volunteering are invited to get involved.

·  Plan a Stewardship ministry fair or gifts celebration.

·  Include one-time volunteer opportunities (e.g., Feast Day cleanup crew, retreat set-up).

·  Add a children’s Stewardship component to the Stewardship effort

·  Are there parish activities available for everyone including the elderly, the handicapped, the single, married, those with and without children and young adults?

·  How do the pillars of hospitality, prayer and formation manifest themselves through the service ministries offered in your parish?

Other Duties:

·  Establish parish goals. Vibrant parishes have shared goals that support the vision of the Church. Goals should be set for all ministries. They should be challenging yet realistic and, when possible, measurable. It is important to note that goals should be communicated clearly to the parish and the ministries need to report on the progress made toward reaching their goals.

·  Preparation of Annual Parish Report (examples found online, under Starter Kit Tab). The purpose of this report is to help parishioners understand the priorities, goals and accomplishments of their parish by thanking, informing and inviting participation.

·  Evaluate Stewardship communication across all media channels and written materials. Are they consistent? Are they regularly updated? Are they inviting?

·  Host a Will Seminar at your parish.

·  Ensure that the parish database is up to date.

Special Mass Ideas:

January: Invite those who have had a baby baptized in the last year.

February: Near Valentine’s Day, personally invite all couples who were married at the church.

Easter Season: Mass for everyone who became Catholic in the parish over the years.

May/June: Invite recent high school and college graduates.

Ask each parish ministry to plan an annual Mass for their members.

Appreciation Mass for all parish volunteers.

Other ideas:

-Annual parish picnic -Lenten Fish Fry/Soup Supper

-Parish Garage Sale -Ice Cream Social

-Family movie nights or Bingo nights -Coat Drive, Bedding Drive, etc

-Monthly birthday celebration for all parishioners celebrating birthday’s in the current month

-Neighborhood picnics: Divide the parish into neighborhoods. Ask one family to host an ice cream social or something simple. Provide the host parishioners the contact information of all the registered families in their neighborhood and invite them to a social with the pastor.

·  This will provide a forum for the pastor to meet parishioners in small settings.

·  Parishioners get to know the fellow Catholics that live in their neighborhood.

-Holiday Fair: Ministries sell various items, baked goods, baskets and raffles to raise money and support fair trade projects. This is a great substitution for a traditional ministry fair.

RCIA

·  Remind the parishioners of the number of people in RCIA, publish names in the bulletin.

·  Have students create a poster of the catechumens so the parish family can pray for each of them or have teens/young adults create a YouTube clip with each catechumen’s story.

·  Encourage the pastor to call each of the Neophytes after Easter to offer congratulations and ask them to get involved.