As Invite Welcome Connect On Demand grows across The Episcopal Church, the workshops upon which it was based continue to introduce congregations to this ministry of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging.
Founder Mary Foster Parmer was at St. John the Baptist in Seattle the weekend of Feb. 7, presenting the complete workshop on Invite Welcome Connect for area churches. culminating in her sermon on Sunday morning.
Collaborative workshops present the essentials of Invite Welcome connect and then bring participants into a collaborative idea-sharing space to help launch a ministry that fits in an individual congregation's own context. Participants brainstorm around the ideas of Invite and Welcome and Connect, using Post-It Notes placed in a large grid. Our On Demand subscription replicates that experience through an online collaboration tool.
Scenes from St. John the Baptist in Seattle
A number of Invite Welcome Connect workshops featuring either Mary Foster Parmer or other trained presenters are planned for the rest of the year, including:
April 5: Episcopal Diocese of Newark
May 31: Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee
September 6: Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee
A typical workshop weekend follows this schedule:
FRIDAY EVENING (optional)
At an informal reception or dinner with clergy, deanery and/or congregational/diocesan leadership, the facilitator offers a short presentation describing the next day’s workshop, fielding any questions folks may have regarding the workshop and/or newcomer work. Invitations to this reception are totally at the discretion of the host church/diocese/deanery. Another option for Friday evening (generally suggested for overnight attendance) is to offer the Introduction/Overview of the Invite Welcome Connect material, thus giving more time on Saturday for creative idea small group and report out time.
SATURDAY WORKSHOP
This workshop generally runs from 9am-3pm (times vary according to congregation/diocesan/deanery culture), and includes actual hands-on training and creative idea generation using the Invite Welcome Connect Check Lists and Ideas-Resources pages. Suggested implementation procedures for this important transformational work are offered throughout the day, and best practices from congregations around the country currently doing the work are discussed. Congregations will do the small group work for themselves, and there will be time for report outs from each group represented.
Who should attend Saturday workshop: We recommend targeted invitations to primary leadership, i.e., clergy, vestry, pertinent staff, past & present ministry leaders, and perhaps anyone in the congregation who is interested. You definitely want an intergenerational mix, as well as a mix of long-time and newer (less than a year) members.
SUNDAY MORNING (optional)
Option to preach and/or speak at Adult Forum in host church (this varies according to congregation/diocesan/deanery preference).
Mary Foster Parmer preaches on the essential of Invite at St. John the Baptist in Seattle
For more information on hosting an Invite Welcome Connect workshop weekend, download our full Subscriptions and Fees Schedule and email our Invite Welcome Connect team.
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