Our Mission:

The mission of the Welcoming Committee is to provide a warm welcome to new Parishioners of Saint Elizabeth Parish.

What We Do:

We personally welcome new parishioners to St. Elizabeth with a mailing and a phone call. Twice a year, we invite our newly registered parishioners to a designated Mass for a special Welcome Blessing.  Following that Mass, the newly registered parishioners are invited to join the entire Parish Community at a Fellowship Social.

Serving on the Welcoming Committee is an opportunity to personally contribute to the mission and values of St. Elizabeth - we are directly contributing to "a parish community committed to welcoming everyone and engaging all in a stewardship way of life". New parishioners are so important to our future as a parish! We've all been "new" and know the importance of feeling connected - the Welcoming Committee plays a small but important part in connecting new parishioners to the parish community and making them feel at home. We are always looking for outgoing parishioners to assist us with this ministry. 

 All members of the parish are welcome to participate in our ministry at any time of the year.

For additional information, or if you are interested in joining this ministry, please fill out the ministry interest form on this page.

FAQs

What is the time commitment for this ministry?

A small commitment of your time makes a big impact on our newly registered parishioners!

Approximately once every 3 or 4 months, the ministry coordinator will assign a small number (~4) of newly registered parishioners to send an information welcome packet to.  You are responsible for assembling the packet, addressing the packet to the newly registered and placing the packet in the mail.  You are also required to follow-up the mailing with a phone call approximately a week after the packet is mailed.  When these activities are complete, you contact the ministry coordinator to let her know you have welcomed our newly registered parishioners.

Twice a year, the ministry coordinator invites newly registered parishioners from the prior three months to a designated Mass for a Welcome Blessing.  Ministry members are asked to volunteer their time to "sign in" new parishioners prior to the Mass and escort them to their designated seating areas. This takes approximately 20 minutes. Attendance at the Mass and following Fellowship Social is encouraged, but not required.

What is included in the information packets mailed to the newly registered parishioners? Am I responsible for postage?

Newly registered parishioners receive a greeting card, along within information about our Parish Community and our commitment to Stewardship.  All materials for the mailings are assembled into packets for our ministry members and are available in the Parish Office.  Postage is provided by the ministry, you do not need to supply your own postage.

All I need to do is mail welcome packets and make a handful of phone calls every few months?

Yes!  Our ministry is that simple!  It is a great way to engage in the Parish Community and is an activity that can be performed on your own time in the comfort of your home.  There are other activities that the ministry coordinator may ask for your assistance with from time to time, but in its simplest form, we provide a quick, friendly welcome to our newly registered parishioners.