This past Sunday’s message was about evangelization, and one thing we are constantly working on is reaching out to the community. It’s kind of funny to think that considering we are at max capacity and it’s kind of funny to think we are at max capacity when we see empty seats in the summer. But that’s the summer time crew, things will pick up this September especially at the 9, 10:30 and 5:30 Sunday Mass times. Things are just crazy. But regardless, we will figure out the space issue and continue to invite people on campus.
I had a minister come in yesterday with the idea of holding a Christian rock concert at Nativity as a way to draw in the students. The man had obviously thought it out and it is a good plan a plan that has worked for us when we did our Be the Relief Concerts a few years back to help with those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. In regards to doing a concert here at this time to draw community teenagers into the church would be difficult because we wouldn’t be able to dedicate the necessary resources and time towards doing pulling off a quality concert… not to say we won’t hold concerts in the future, but right now the best way for us to draw in students or adults is through the invest and invite strategy.
Meet someone, invest in their lives, gain their trust and then invite them to something at Nativity, whether it is Mass, a student program, small group, whatever, just invite them to check it out. We’ll make sure that when they come here it’s an experience that they appreciate. Thursday nights is the new nights for our High School small groups and crowd program Uprising. I’m hoping that every Thursday night will be an experience teens Christian or not will look forward to as a way to get them through the week and into the weekend.