March 2006 - Speak to Someone You Don't Know

'Let your speech always be gracious...' Colossians 4:6

This month's top tip for becoming a friendlier parish is to invite everyone at Mass on Sunday to speak afterwards to someone they don't know or haven't spoken to before. It can be difficult to approach a stranger but also rewarding as Mary found when she tried this out. "I thought I'd talk to a lady who always comes to church alone. Afterwards she thanked me and said noone had ever approached her like that before at Mass. I felt very humble. I really did very little but it obviously meant a lot to her."  Read more stories of parishes who do this already.  

As Bishop Hine said at the Making Everybody Welcome conference: "People today make judgements based very much on how they feel. A sense of welcome is therefore high on people’s register."  This was echoed many times in 'Not Easy But Full of Meaning'.  Many  people reported that they are looking for community, belonging, friendship, caring and support. What stops us offering this? Sometimes perhaps a feeling of inadequacy?

The Ministry of Welcome training kit contains a section (page 20) on how to approach someone for the first time. It offers two main tips:

• It is important to remember to introduce yourself by name.  Once you have said, 'Hello...' it is vital to say, 'My name is...' .  Giving your name this way is like offering a gift – your personal identity!
  
• One way of beginning a conversation is to ask a question. Remember that it is far better to use open questions. An open question is one that requires a full answer: "What did you think of the sermon today?" A closed question can be answered by a simple "yes" or "no". Open questions start with words like: How? What? Why? Who? When? Where? But only ask if you have time to listen to the answer. Your time is another gift you can give along with your name.

Scripture References for March

Matthew 5:46-48
3 John 5-6