www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Evangelization

Any church in which attendance results in spiritual growth will attract more people. I wonder what would happen if some parish decided to activly get involved in the community once a month as volenteers/counselors. Please don't tell me this can't be done as counselors have to be licensed or something.

Come to our parish after mass on the 3rd Sunday for free prayer should say the sign. After several months the lines will start to form.

Our church is open for viewing during our monthly First Friday and weekly Lenten fish frys. Father has the lighting set as for vespers and usually has a tape/CD of chant playing softly. People can come in, look at the icons and light a candle if they so choose. However, I don't believe anyone is available to answer questions. I have no idea how effective this is at generating interest, although people do available themselves of the opportunity.

I once tried a personal letter inviting every household on my block to our Christmas Vesper Service. I hand delivered them about a couple days ahead of time with an offer to provide directions (included my phone number). Didn't generate any interest.

The best way to evangelize, IMHO, is through personal contacts with friends and co-workers. Everyone in the parish, or at least a very dedicated group, has to be "out there" about church affiliation and willing to share their faith and joy in parish life with others.

How about an annual Pysanki-making workshop open to the public? Have the parish defray the cost of materials so that it's FREE, and then get some free media coverage to advertise the workshop. The media coverage and workshop should include an explanation of why we decorate the eggs and why Easter is such an important feast for the Eastern Church.

An icon-making workshop might work, too, either actually painting one over a series of evenings or decoupaging one on a Saturday morning. Again, free media and explanation of why and how to pray with icons.

Many churches do free Christmas concerts that are open to the public. This could be effective for a parish that has a good choir or at least a few good cantors who are willing to stand up front instead of hiding out in back. Include our traditional carols that the public hasn't heard before, and have a narrator explain why we sing of Jesus being born in a cave. This idea might work with a Lenten concert as well, focused on the "bright sadness" of the Eastern Lent.

I think we could do a better job of talking up the family orientation of our parishes as well. How many churches are there, other than in small towns, that can boast that they have four generations of a family attending regularly, including in-laws?! And how many can boast that the pastor addresses each and every parishioner by name when distributing communion?! People today have a great hunger for community.

I think one of the reasons why Catholics (East or West) do not do the foot work as far as evangelization goes may be cultural. I say this, because I had a post Mass conversation with the priest at the Newman center at UT Chattanooga many years ago, and I mentioned that to him. he responded that it seemed vulgar, and something that Fundamentalists do (door to door, passing out tracts, etc.), and that we should "evangelize" by being a nice passive good example of what a Christian is. yeah, as if the Protestants need to learn what an example of what a good Christian is.
Much Love,
Jonn

Hi all,
Church visitors are seated next to a very patient,knowledgeable member who talks to them after DL . After refreshments he along with two other members gives a tour of the church with excellent, accurate information.Sophia, if this were added to an open house it would probably prove quite effective. The member doing this also gets visitors' names and contact info and checks with them later on to see if they have any questions or concerns. He is encouraging but respectful.

I was unchurched but read books aobut different denominations and visited churches. I joined an ecumenical Bendictine Spirituality group that met for twice monthly vespers, compline, lectio divina.While waiting for everyone to come in I mentioned my interest in Orthodoxy and the organizer told me he was ER and arranged a visit to his parish.He and a few other parishioners gave me a tour. They took me out for lunch afterwards as well as introduced me to other members at the parish hall after DL. All of that made a very positive impression on me. That and the fact that during DL I knew that this was it for me.More importantly , they were available for later questions and made it clear that there was no such thing as a stupid question, so I felt encouraged to talk out even the most niggling concerns. I'm now most humbly blessed to finally be a catechumen looking forward to baptism and chrismation this coming Pascha.

As I mentioned on another thread the priest offered basic theology classes this fall, and showed and explained to us how he prepares the gifts. All of this helps educate parish members who in turn can actually talk about their faith with others. Parishioners need to know their faith. I suspect most folks avoid talking about it because they don't really understand it themselves.If it's just an unconscious habit then it can't be clearly explained to an outsider. It helps that the parish is very eastern (DL is over an hour and from what I can see nearly everyone participates and knows the responses and hymns by heart )including a majority of the RC converts . I don't see how a latinized ER church has any hope of attracting folks.

What I get from this is that it is probably a good idea to be involved in ecumenical groups where spiritually hungry people meet. Demonstrating faith in public seems like it would be helpful too; wearing the distinctive ER crosses, prayers before eating (even in public. But only if this is done sincerely; certainly not just to get folks' attention.And again we have to be knowledgeable about our theology so when someone asks about our demonstration we can tell them in a intelligent manner.

Perhaps college going parishioners could be involved in setting up ER bible study groups on their campus. If they could round up a few ER students a priest might be encouraged to perform DL at least once. It may revive the ER students' interest, and it can advertised on campus so new folks can attend.

I look forward to your feedback. This is a helpful thread.

Peace,
Indigo

Part of me would like to keep my faith hidden under a bushel basket so I can keep all the light to myself. Now some would say that it would be better to just let the light shine so everyone could recieve it, but do they really know what they are talking about.
That part of me has no place in the church. I hope most readers here fully understand how wrong the hidden light idea is. Before Christ almost everyone with light or wisdom kept it hidden to gain power for thier group.
I initally wanted to keep my anti addiction to myself or sell ideas to the wealthy. That idea is not in Christ. I'm an anti addiction priest by education and training, but not commissioned by any organization operating within USA or in any organized religion.
I think Orthodox and Byzantine churches should be working to grow, but not by converting Romans. I would suggest offering prayer in the parking lot or social hall with volenteers from the parish. This is cheeper than printing stuff that mostly gets thrown in the garbage. I think the idea of printing so that it mostly gets thrown away is like spilling the chalace, but to a lesser degree.
The trouble with prayer in the parking lot is that first the priest has to get volenteers then he has to explain why there is a poor turnout for free prayer at least at first. Do it every Sunday after mass for 7 weeks and there will be less than seven show up regular. But volenteers will work hard to prevent one murder of unborn because they think they are saving more than that.