Pulling Up a Chair: Reflections from the March 10 Invite Welcome Connect Webinar
- Steve Welch
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
On March 10, church leaders from across the country gathered online for an Invite Welcome Connect webinar hosted by Executive Director Steve Welch. The conversation centered on how congregations can deepen their ministries of invitation, hospitality, and belonging, and it featured an inspiring story from St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which used Invite Welcome Connect principles to develop a vibrant bilingual ministry, La Mesa.
Participants representing about 35 churches from roughly 20 states joined the conversation. From California to Rhode Island, and from Texas to New York, the gathering reflected a shared desire across the Episcopal Church: to become communities where people feel genuinely invited, warmly welcomed, and meaningfully connected.
If you weren’t able to attend live, the recording of the webinar accompanies this post.
Evangelism, Hospitality, and Belonging
Steve Welch began by introducing the heart of Invite Welcome Connect. It’s not a program churches simply “run.” Instead, it’s a way of thinking about congregational life that helps communities become more intentional about how people experience the church.
The framework focuses on three simple but powerful practices:
Invite. Many people come to church because someone invited them. Sharing our stories, extending personal invitations, and making good use of tools like websites and social media can all help open that door.
Welcome. Hospitality matters. From the parking lot to the pew, small details shape whether visitors feel at ease. A smile at the door, clear signage, and a friendly coffee hour can make a tremendous difference for someone who may already feel a little nervous about walking into a church.
Connect. The goal isn’t just a pleasant first visit. It’s helping people find their place in the life of the community, whether that’s through small groups, ministries, service opportunities, or simply building relationships.
Welch reminded participants that this work belongs to the whole congregation. When clergy and lay leaders work together intentionally, the culture of a church can begin to shift in beautiful ways.
A Table Called La Mesa
The highlight of the webinar was a conversation with the Rev. Tommy Dillon, rector of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Baton Rouge, and Danielle Thomas, the parish’s senior warden and leader of its La Mesa ministry.
“La Mesa” means “the table,” and the ministry grew out of a parish retreat in 2022 when members of St. Margaret’s began asking how they might reconnect with their community after the isolation of the pandemic.
What emerged was a simple but powerful idea: gather people around a table.
Today La Mesa includes English-language classes, shared meals, cultural celebrations, and opportunities for neighbors to build relationships with one another. Each week, 30 to 50 people gather for dinner, prepared by rotating teams from both the parish and the wider community.
What started as a small initiative has grown into a vibrant ministry that brings together church members, neighbors, and volunteers from across Baton Rouge.
Learning Across Cultures
One of the most moving parts of the conversation was hearing how La Mesa has helped St. Margaret’s build relationships with Latino neighbors in their community.
The parish has embraced bilingual worship and cultural celebrations such as Las Posadas, Día de los Muertos, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. These gatherings are more than events. They are opportunities for people to learn from one another and grow together as a community.
During bilingual services, English speakers may pray in Spanish while Spanish speakers respond in English. It’s a small but powerful reminder that everyone is learning together and that the church truly belongs to all of us.
Meeting Real Needs
Hospitality often becomes most meaningful when it responds to real needs in people’s lives.
At one point, increased immigration enforcement created anxiety for some families in the La Mesa community, making it risky for them to drive. Members of St. Margaret’s responded by organizing transportation and coordinating rides through WhatsApp so people could continue attending gatherings safely.
It was a simple act of care, but it reflected something deeper: the kind of relationships that grow when churches move beyond hospitality into genuine community.
Voices from Across the Church
The webinar chat quickly filled with greetings and questions from participants across the country. Churches from nearly twenty states were represented, including congregations in Florida, Georgia, California, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Alabama, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, West Virginia, New York, and New Jersey.
Participants shared ideas and questions about everything from welcoming first-time visitors to building relationships across cultures. Some talked about creative ministries in their own congregations, including bilingual services, family-centered worship like “Messy Church,” and new ways of greeting visitors.
What became clear throughout the conversation was that many churches are asking the same questions:
How do we help people feel comfortable walking through our doors?
How do we build authentic relationships with our neighbors?
How do we become communities where people truly belong?
Setting the Table
The story from St. Margaret’s offered a hopeful reminder that meaningful ministry often begins with something very simple.
A meal.A conversation.A table where everyone has a place.
As the webinar came to a close, participants left encouraged by the reminder that invitation and hospitality don’t require elaborate programs. They begin with openness, curiosity, and a willingness to build relationships.
And sometimes, the most faithful thing a church can do is simply set the table and see who comes.
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