Tonight, our Baptism-Preparation team hosted the last in our four-part preparation process with a Reflection session for 10 families who've recently celebrated the sacrament of baptism for their babies. Just so you know, the babies were all there, and were welcomed. That's a key part of the process.
I made it known that now that they are baptized, they are full members of the community of faith, and that they had a right to join us each Sunday for Mass and to take part in the life of the church in our parish. No cry-rooms here!
The most important part of our baptism process is to make known to the new parents that they are now part of a community of faith, and that they are welcome. So, we put a lot of emphasis on welcoming people, introducing them to other parishioners, introducing them to the activities and ministries of our parish, and inviting them to take part in reaching out to others. Right from the start, we emphasize that baptism is initiation into the community of faith that does good works. We invite young parents to take this opportunity to get more involved in the life of the faith community.
We also had a special invitation tonight to bring the babies, and their siblings to the Parish Picnic/Barbecue/Kegger we'll have on Sunday afternoon to celebrate my 15th annivesary.
Hey, whatever works!
I remember way back in my college days, when we had a regional meeting of college campus ministries, and campus ministers....we had a discussion of "best practices" for getting new members....and I distinctly remember one of my comrades talking about having a "kegger" after mass to attract new folks. It worked then, it works now.
Make the folks feel welcome. Meet them where they're at. Feed them a little. Give them something to drink. Pray a little, but celebrate the Love that's ALL GIFT!
Let's party and give thanks!
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