Getting to know you . . .

I’ve been noodling over this for a while but thought I’d throw it out to you all, since you always have such good ideas. Basically, I’m looking for ideas for church-based socialization. I’m not quite sure how to describe it so I’ll give you the long story.

I go to a wonderful congregation. We’re blessed to have pastors who preach beautifully and administer the sacraments faithfully. Our classical school is doing well. Everything’s great, in fact. And we’re growing. That’s not a problem, obviously. But the problem is that our congregation has grown so much in the last few years that we could use greater opportunities to get to know each other. We’re in the busy suburbs of Washington, D.C. Busy jobs, traffic, the whole nine yards.

Where we used to be small enough to all know each other and organize informal gatherings (“Hey, you want to get brunch?,” “You want to throw a Reformation Day party with me?,” etc.) we’re sensing that some people could use some direction and help with the whole socialization side of things. I’m usually the first to introduce myself to visitors. But with two young children (at least one is guaranteed to be crazy on any given Sunday), that’s become more difficult. There are tons of people in my church now who I don’t even know and haven’t met.

And that’s why I’m coming to you.

What ways have your congregations come up with to help congregants get to know each other better? One of my friend’s ideas, which she just started this last Sunday, is to have a seasonal brunch for new members. Do you have any other suggestions? I’d love to hear them.

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