Back to Church Sunday

30 May 2009

Christchurch is joining the other dioceses in a campaign to draw people back into a worshipping community, and the success of the initiative hangs on card-carrying Anglicans spreading the word to friends and neighbours. The focus of the campaign is “Back to Church Sunday” on September 13, but the outreach really needs to take place well before then.

Personal invitation cards to a local service on September 13 will be sent to parishes in August, in the hope that every parishioner passes one on to someone “over the fence” who is not already attending church regularly.
Think of it as an invitation to “come and spend an hour with us – with no obligations.”

The campaign has been run by the England of England for several years, with significant gains in regular worshippers. Even though the invitation relates to an ordinary Sunday service, many people who respond are agreeably surprised by what they find – and keep coming back for more.

Along with bundles of invitation cards, every parish in our diocese will receive high-impact A3 posters advertising “Back to Church Sunday.” At the same time they’ll be urged to look carefully at just how welcoming they already are, and to remedy any shortcomings in readiness for the big day on September 13.
And here’s a bonus: John Day, vicar of St Barnabas, is compiling some handy pointers on parish hospitality which he picked up during his study leave in the UK. Look out for them in the diocesan mailouts.
The basic “Back to Church” package – consisting of four posters and 100 invitation cards – costs $50, with more cards available at $10 per hundred. These will be sent automatically to parishes unless they choose to opt out of the campaign.

All queries to Dean Peter Beck, c/o ChristChurch Cathedral: ph 03 366-0046.