Invite Welcome Connect
Invite Welcome Connect
At St. Alban’s, Invite Welcome Connect is becoming an important part of who we are and how we understand our life together. It gives us a framework for thinking intentionally about how we invite people into our community, how we welcome them when they arrive, and how we help them become connected to the life of the parish.We sometimes say that there is a difference between being a friendly church and being a welcoming church. Friendly is warm. Welcoming is intentional. It moves beyond a pleasant greeting on Sunday morning to helping people step into the life of the parish, build relationships, discover opportunities to participate and serve, and find a place where they truly belong. This reflects our commitment to ensuring that people who come through our doors know that they are seen, valued, affirmed, loved, and welcome.Invite Welcome Connect helps us pay attention to the whole journey:
INVITE
Invite challenges us to look beyond our walls, share the story of St. Alban’s, build relationships with our neighbors, and intentionally invite others into the life of our parish and into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
WELCOME
Welcome asks us to think carefully about what people experience when they encounter St. Alban’s, whether that is online, at an event, or when they walk through our doors for the first time. Hospitality is more than saying hello. It is creating a place where people know there is room for them.
CONNECT
Connect helps people move from simply attending to becoming part of the community. Through worship, fellowship, learning, service, and relationships, we want to help people discover their gifts, find meaningful ways to participate, and know that they belong.
Our Invite Welcome Connect ministry is co-chaired by Lorrie Jones and Denise Dick and includes a growing team of parishioners. As the ministry continues to develop, that team is preparing to grow into three areas of focus: Invite, Welcome, and Connect.
Invite Welcome Connect is not simply a program at St. Alban’s. Increasingly, it is becoming part of our identity and a way of thinking about everything we do. At its heart is a simple conviction: every person deserves to experience the love of Christ and the joy of belonging to a faith community.