“Will you…?” “Would you like to…?” Inviting someone to an event doesn’t always have to be in the form of a question. Jesus showed this when he simply stated, “Come, follow me.” (Mt 4:19) It was a clear statement that left no room for doubt as to the choice the person had to make. However, most of us spend a lot of time and effort in crafting the perfect invitation. We become like self-taught marketing experts, trying to find the right combination of words, pictures and colors that will guarantee a positive response from the invitee.
Planning a wedding with my wife was a memorable experience. We spent countless hours sifting through different invitation samples and debating the perfect color of paper to use. Choosing from Eggshell-White, Pink-Sapphire, Nature’s Rain, or Garden Mist was no easy feat. We also had to decide on a design motif, with options like Lavender Explosion, Vanilla Sunrise and Mocha Frosting. With so many choices, it became difficult to tell whether we were selecting an invitation based on its style or flavor. Nowadays, there are countless ways to invite people, and the options seem endless.
I experience this when inviting people to events sponsored by the Office for Family Life: emails, bulletin announcements, posters, flyers, save-the-date cards, mailings, Facebook posts, Instagram posts, videos and so on. However, we have found that the most effective method is personal invitation. This is because it creates a human connection where the invitee feels valued and wanted as part of a group, rather than just being a number in the crowd.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. On June 7, 2024, our diocese will host “the ANSWER” Eucharistic Rally, one of the biggest events we have ever organized. Over the next few months, you will see and hear the great many ways in which we will encourage people to attend this event. However, I strongly believe that it will be the personal invitations from you and other individuals like you that will motivate people to join us in this life-changing event. Given that, I thought it would be helpful to provide a few guidelines to help us extend personal invitations.
- Take some time to reflect on why you are attending the event. Allow yourself to get genuinely excited about attending. What specifically are you excited about? What are you hoping to gain from the event? How will the event help strengthen your faith? Let this excitement and these answers naturally come out in your conversations with others.
- Consider why it is important for the person or people you are inviting to attend with you. What benefits will they personally gain from attending the event? How will it strengthen your friendship?
- Understand that extending a personal invitation may require more than one conversation. A person may respond with, “I’ll think about it” or “I’ll check my calendar.” Your follow-up and pursuit of them will demonstrate how important they are to you.
- Remember that the final answer may be no, but that is not a reflection on you. You can continue to invite them to future events at your parish.
Understanding how God interacts with us is crucial. We must strive to mimic that interaction with our brothers and sisters in Christ. God never guilt trips us into doing something; instead, He always extends an invitation. His invitation for us to deepen our relationship with Him is unfailing. Similarly, we can be a constant invitation for others to do the same. Jesus’ call to all of us is to “Come, follow me.” What message will you receive from Him on June 7, 2024, at “the Answer” Eucharistic Rally?
Chris Rogers
Director of the Office for Family Life
Published in the March/April 2024 issue of Catholic Life Magazine