Greetings, friends!
The Membership Committee at St. Andrews has had a busy summer with two successful events under our belts, and plans for some great autumn festivities. We hope you enjoyed the joyous Fourth of July pancake breakfast and were able to show some love at the Pacific Pride festival. We are looking forward to a special Blessing of the Animals service on October 8, where members and guests can bring their animals to receive a special blessing and deepen their connection with all God’s creatures. At Halloween, a group of us plan to hand out treats for our neighbors. Costumes and frivolity encouraged! Keep your eyes open for the return of St. Andrew’s Fair Trade Gift Sale in late November. In December, we will host our second annual Tamalada to benefit those facing homelessness. Our connection with the Santa Barbara Music Society continues to deepen, and we are excited to host some amazing concerts in the near future.
What do these events have in common? They present fabulous opportunities for you to invite a friend, neighbor, or co-worker to visit St. Andrew ‘s. We are a community who loves the Lord and is joyous in showing it. The types of events mentioned above provide an opening for your friends to experience and learn about our values and community. It can be a stretch to ask someone to come to church with you, but we thought we would share a few simple tips to ease us all into it.
- Ask people to come with you. It’s wonderful to promote an event, but actually inviting someone to attend with you has a lot more impact. Offer them a ride or to meet at a specific time, so that you can introduce and warmly host them.
- Provide them with some background information. Explain what we normally wear, how long the service is, and who benefits from the event.
- Share the event on your social media, and let folks know you are happy to answer questions. Include some photos on your feed afterwards.
- Ask if they have any questions, and be prepared to answer honestly and with humility. We are a community that is learning together. We don’t have all the answers, but we are not afraid to delve into the questions.
- Pray for God‘s intervention in your interaction. Ask the Lord to lead you to speak with friends with an open heart.
We are looking forward to a season of spiritual growth and blessed community. Won’t you ask a friend to join us?
Blessings,
Melinda Gerow