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Web Presence
The Development Committee will be studying other sites, talking with parishes about their strategies, programs, and their successes and failuresto help grow the parish community.. We will work closely with the Archdiocese of Baltimore as a test site for new ideas and approaches.
New to Parish Outreach
One of the initiatives identified by the committee last year was the need to reach out to new parishioners. There is general agreement among the parish council to support such efforts. A mail piece, similar to that already used by many churches on the Broadneck Peninsula to new homebuyers has been discussed.
As the chart below demonstrates, the new to parish is the becoming one of the largest segments of the parish population and that the number of new households is growing every year. Nearly as many households registered in St. Andrew last year alone as did in the three years from 1989 to 1992 combined. One in every four registered households has lived in the parish three years or less. If we define new comer as anyone who has lived in the area less than five years, we account for one in every three parish families. Understanding the particular needs of this group is crucial to a successful development plan.
The Development Committee plans to conduct a series of focus groups with new parishioners over the next year. The purpose of these focus groups is to find out what challenges and problems new parishioners face when they move into our parish and what St. Andrew can do to help make the transition less stressful and more successful.
Anyone who wants to learn how market research is done is more than welcomed to play.
For a subscription to Lifetimes, a Financial and Charitable Planning Guide visit:www.wpg.cc/stl/CDA/homepage/1,1006,220,00.html | 