PARISH BULLETIN
Easy Evangelization

Faith, Food, Fun, Family, Friends & Fellowship Fairs
A non-threatening invitation to the neighbors also helps strengthen parish-community ties.

by Michael Mayer

Every parish has its particular challenges depending on its location, size, resources, and other factors. However, every parish, whatever other challenges it faces, has the challenge to engage in the mission of the church—evangelization: to proclaim the good news to all people.

Like all parishes, the sister parishes of St. Andrew and Annunciation in the city of Rochester, N.Y., are challenged to adapt and develop approaches to evangelization in order to serve the varied needs of their neighbors in the northeast section of the city. The other part of the challenge is to make evangelization “easy” for the rank-and-file members of the parishes. To do this the parishes launched a series of gatherings that were both easy and fun yet fulfilled the Lord’s commission to “go out and preach the gospel”: Faith, Food, Fun, Family, Friends, and Fellowship Fairs.

St. Andrew and Annunciation have a history of reaching out to serve people in the neighborhoods through the St. Andrew Area Food Cupboard and St. Vincent de Paul Society.

More recently, given the emphasis on evangelization by Pope John Paul II and the U.S. bishops, the parishes have looked for creative ways to bring the gospel message in word and deed to their neighbors. In particular, St. Andrew and Annunciation have made a concerted effort, through their Life-Teen ministry, to reach out to youth, many of whom are led into gang violence, drug dealing, or despair because of family, educational, spiritual, and other challenges they face each day. This ministry has included free summer basketball camps, hot dog roasts, and a “doughnut ministry” through which doughnuts (or candy canes at Christmas) are distributed to teens waiting for their school buses in the morning. At the core of this ministry is a desire to establish relationships with youth in the area, finding ways to serve them, and, at the same time, helping parishioners reach out to those who are not members of the parishes.

Last spring the staff of the parishes discussed plans for a vacation Bible school. It was immediately clear that a week-long traditional Bible school with a theme and activities would not be the best fit for the children of the neighborhood. Many of the children attended summer school or, because of family schedules, were not able to commit to a week-long program, particularly if it was held during the morning or afternoon hours. Additionally, the parishes wanted to invite not just children, but entire families to participate in some event that would be a joyful way to announce the good news. Drawing on previous summer experiences with the hot dog roasts, the parishes decided to expand the roasts to include games, crafts, Bible stories, and special attractions. The resulting Faith, Food, Fun, Family, Friends, and Fellowship Fairs proved to be huge successes and addressed the particular needs and life situations of those who lived in the area. The parishes discovered a fun and easy approach to evangelization.

A Faith, Food, Fun, Family, Friends, and Fellowship Fair was held every other Monday night during the months of July and August on the front lawn of St. Andrew Church. Each fair began at 5 p.m. with hot dogs and drinks followed by a Bible story, games, and various crafts. People wandering by on the sidewalk were invited to join in the festivities and parishioners walked around the neighborhood inviting people to the fair. The church sign also announced each gathering. While the games and Bible story were scheduled at set times during the evening, all other activities were free flowing, with people moving from one table to another to join in the fun. The local zoomobile was engaged for one of the Monday fairs. At the last fair a local nonprofit organization which works with at-risk children arrived with three horses to give rides. For many of the children present this was the first time they had ever seen a horse up close, let alone ridden one.

Approximately one hundred people attended each of the fairs. On average 250 hot dogs were distributed. Children painted posters, made bracelets, ran races, and generally had a fun-filled, safe time as their parents and other neighbors looked on or participated. Visitors and parishioners alike remarked on how much fun everyone had. Staff and parishioners in attendance at the fairs developed many new relationships, getting to know people and sharing information about the parishes. Some parishioners took people into the church for a tour, explaining the statues, pictures, and liturgical objects. Parishioners also invited guests to attend other upcoming parish events or referred them to organizations that could help them with various needs.

The fairs allowed the parishioners to engage in a simple form of evangelization and outreach which met the needs and life situations of people in the neighborhood. The gatherings enabled parishioners to become more familiar with their neighbors and their histories. The fairs provided the setting for both guests and parishioners to be evangelized. In particular, parishioners came to see that their baptismal vocation was a gift to be offered to all people, not just to those who were already members of the church. They found that the process of evangelization was well within their reach, and that their talents (cooking hot dogs, helping children paint a poster, etc.) could be utilized in the parishes’ evangelization efforts.

Given the success of the Faith, Food, Fun, Family, Friends, and Fellowship Fairs, the parishioners of St. Andrew and Annunciation are more and more engaged in the process of evangelization. What was once a vague and threatening concept has become an enjoyable and achievable activity.

The Rev. Michael Mayer is pastor of St. Andrew/Annunciation parishes in Rochester, New York.