Comin back

While i was chatting to a minister last week he mentioned a good idea which i tried, but fizzled out. Simply, it was inviting people back to church.

In the case of this church it was ripped off an idea from England. Each year, they have a Sunday where they contact those who have dropped off attending church, or have contact via previous weddings/baptisms/confirmations and invite them to "plug back in." Each year they have a sack of people turn up (like 200,000 across England) and some stick around.

I wanted/tried to do something like this at Balgowlah.

The dream was to give each youth ministry kid from the past their old folder, choc full of memories, and invite them back to church.

It had a double edge. First, it was going to get rid of hundreds of old folders. Second, it may reconnect people to church, or the person who (hopefully) would give them their folder in person.

But... it never happened. Instead, i got to the stage where it could happen, and then it fizzled.

Still, i quite like the idea of having a special recruitment drive of people who have graced the doors of the church and then drifted away.