When I was single, I remember my friend and mentor telling me that no prince charming was ever going to just show up out of the blue on my doorstep. I had to be out where people could find me.
Is that also true for our Women of the ELCA units?
Recently, I read an article that compares the post office to churches. It discusses how some churches are attracting and sustaining members by deciding to be an active community that reaches beyond their church building.
I haven’t been following the latest news about the post office, except that they have decided to stop mail service on Saturdays in order to make up lost revenue. It seems that with the advancement of digital communication and other cost effective delivery options, the US postal service has a problem with the changing needs of its customers.
In my work as director for intergenerational programs, I conduct workshops about being more visible to younger generations. To engage women who do not currently participate in our organization, women have to stop waiting for new women to come to them. WELCA needs to be WELCA beyond the congregation’s walls–in the community, in relationships and more.
If your unit doesn’t have a webpage, if your group is not listed on your church’s website, if your events aren’t listed on the synod’s web calendar, or if your group is not engaged in your local community, is your women’s unit being visible enough? And once folks have found their way into your gatherings or conventions, are you welcoming them and then keeping them engaged to participate again?
For Lent, let’s fast from griping about not attracting new women or younger women, but rather let’s discern ways that our Women of the ELCA units can be relevant for all women beyond our church walls.
Elizabeth McBride is the director for intergenerational programs and editor of Cafe.