Pictured above, Kaua'i  church members were able to experience IWC on their turf a week before the O'ahu conference. (Photo by S. Nishioka) 

INVITE-WELCOME-CONNECT WITH MARY PARMER

[September 9, 2019] The Diocese of Hawai'i was delighted to bring Mary Parmer, the founder of Invite Welcome Connect (IWC), who spoke on two islands, Kaua'i and O'ahu.  IWC is an exciting ministry that is spreading throughout The Episcopal Church.  It was originally developed by Mary Parmer in the Diocese of Texas, and is now a ministry of the Beecken Center of the School of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee.  

​Invite Welcome Connect is a  ministry of relational evangelism and congregational empowerment allowing churches to become places of genuine connection for inviting the faith journeys and stories of everyone, enabling deeper journeys of Christian discipleship and enabling the Spirit of Christ to be at the heart of each church's hospitable mission of spreading the Good News. -- Invite Welcome Connect website

Along with lots of IWC logo itemsfor participants (which served as ideas for evangelism) Parmer's presentation included several video clips that elicited lots of laughs as folks recognized all too familiar behavior of themselves (or others).  Breakout groups gave people a chance to discuss and share ideas that were brought up in the presentation, and how it could be applied to their churches.

Kaua'i IWC: The Hilton Garden Inn, Wailua

Folks on Kaua'i were able to experience IWC on Saturday, August 31, 2019, thanks to All Saints' Church who hosted the event.  Mary Margaret Smith, their Junior Warden, had seen Parmer speak at an IWC Summit last year, and was thrilled to learn she was coming to the Diocese.  Through funds set aside from a Sloggett grant, Smith arranged to have Mary Parmer come to Kaua'i the week before her main presentation on O'ahu.  The event was held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Wailua with nearly three dozen in attendance and representation from all of the Kaua'i Episcopal Churches. ​

"I felt that if we lived out this ministry of radical hospitality we could spread the love of Christ to a troubled world," said Mary Margaret Smith.  "I was so glad to see [the] presentation so well attended by the West Side as well as Christ Memorial."

"I’m afraid I entered into the conference with a bit of skepticism as I’m an old school Episcopalian who winces at the word 'evangelism'!  However, it didn’t take long before I was convinced that the ideas presented were reasonable and could be easily (and comfortably! ) implemented. I left as a convert to IWC." -- The Rev. Jay Young, Supply Priest at ECWK

"The IWC workshop had wonderful ideas and resources for evangelism, the ministry of hospitality, and pathways to belonging. Our congregation is already so warm & inviting. I can’t wait to share what we learned with our community." -- Sandy Moran, Christ Memorial, Kilauea

O'ahu IWC: The St. Andrew's School, Honolulu

A week later, on Saturday, September 7, 2019, Invite Welcome Connect was presented on O'ahu at the St. Andrew's Schools.  Over 70 people were in attendance and included folks from Maui and the Big Island.  IWC made an equally impressive impact on attendees. 

The following account was shared by Ruth Smith from St. James' in Waimea:

​Mary Parmer’s workshop was packed full of ideas, strategies, interaction, and vibrance. Most importantly, it was grounded and authentic. No “one-size-fits-all” answers.

What we got from this workshop is a template on how to spread the Gospel in our own community, extend to others, stay connected, and deepen spiritually. The template needs to be translated into a customized plan for our parish.

Our group decided that the best thing to do by way of follow up is first and foremost: Pray about this and reconnect in a week or so.

How do we bring this to our parish without ruffling feathers and how do we get buy in to expanding our loving community to even more folks, or more deeply to those already here? How do we organize help for the ill, bereaved, terminally ill, situationally challenged who need tangible supports without overtaxing our staff and clergy?

​It’s clear that we need to honestly assess where we are (which is strong on invite & welcome, for the most part), and really examine what it means to connect AND stay connected. If we’re successful in drawing folks to our congregation, how do we meaningfully stay connected and support each other in the difficult journey called Life? How do we do that strategically in a way that sustains the loving, liberating, life-giving goals we aspire toward? And how do we stay in community in such a geographically spread out service area?

Pray first. Action next.

---

Sybil Nishioka, Editor and Communications Contractor, Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
Photos:  Kaua'i - Sybil Nishioka; O'ahu - Canon Sandy Graham and Fr. Hau'oli Tomoso