As a stewardship community, we recognize hospitality as the first pillar of parish stewardship. So, creating an environment where all feel welcome and wanted is one of the highest priorities for our church. Making sure that anyone who walks through our doors knows that they have a place here with us is vitally important to extending the love of Jesus Christ and evangelizing to help others grow in relationship with God. When newcomers feel comfortable and welcome, it opens the doors of the community and they seek God through the sacraments and ministries of our parish.
Here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a new ministry has been created to extend that welcome to our new parishioners in another way. The Teleministry seeks to make phone calls to our newly registered parishioners to welcome them and get to know them better.
This brand-new ministry is facilitated by Pat Eccleston, but with the number of new parishioners joining the parish each month, more help is needed.
“I love talking to people!” Pat says. “This ministry is really just an extension of the welcoming that we give to our new members. It is an opportunity to visit with them, learn more about who they are, and for us to share what our parish community has to offer. It can be hard to move into a new community and this is a way for us to open doors for them to find a place in our parish.”
The ministry plans on making calls to the new parishioners during the day but will leave messages with a number for them to call in the evenings if necessary.
“I’ve been around the parish for so long,” Pat says. “God has been so good to me and blessed me so much. When I have the opportunity to go and volunteer for the church and do anything that is needed, that is something that I am blessed to be able to do.”
As Pat has been making calls for the parish, it has provided her with the ability to let them know how much the parish cares for them. In turn, making these calls and working to connect with people allows them to say “yes” to being more involved in our parish community.
“Fr. Jose is so conscientious about welcoming people to our church and making sure they know that they are wanted here,” Pat says. “The sooner that we can get people involved, the better we all are. People are important to us. We want to be a part of something, but if no one shows an interest in us, it can be easy to get lost in the transition — we just really don’t want that to happen.”
Involvement in this new Teleministry making phone calls to new parishioners is very flexible. Volunteers can make calls at their convenience.
If you are interested in joining this ministry to reach out and welcome others, contact Pat Eccleston at 386-597-2243.