This is a great topic! Parish and Community Involvement is something that I am always learning about in my current area.
Parish and Community Involvement
As a single lady, how do you find your niche in your parish, church, and community? How do you hope to expand your community this year? What are some suggestions for those of us looking for a way to find a community? Lent might just be the perfect time to try something new—what do you recommend?
I have always been really involved in my parish ever since I was younger. My mom has always volunteered or worked for our church and she used to bring us along to help out or attend whatever was going on at church. So it’s just something I grew up doing and kept doing it.
At my current parish I currently am doing a Lent Bible Study called Living the Eucharist that I am really enjoying. I also teach the Confirmation Prep classes which includes helping with the confirmation retreat.
I’ll do several other things throughout the year like help at the parish festival and participate with a few young adult activities. We usually have Theology on Tap almost every month that I try and attend. One young adult group meets a few times a month. It’s all very sporadic.
But like Rachel said your church bulletin, diocese website, and church/diocese facebook pages and facebook groups are your best friends. I check them all often to see what is going on and if I’m interested in particpating.
Now getting involved int he community can be a little tricky. Most community things I find are during the day geared towards retirees or stay at home moms. Depending on where you live you can find some groups on meetup.com but I ahven’t had much luck there.
One place I have had a lot of luck is YELP.COM. Yes the food site. But you can friend people and check the “Events” tab for events going on in the area. Depending on your city you can even attend Yelp Events or become Elite to try the food at new restaurants.
I haven’t been that active on Yelp in the last few months but it has a wealth of information in terms of the community.
If you are crafty or want to learn a new craft skill check your local Michaels or other craft store in town. I’m currently signed up for a Painting class and crochet class. I eventually want to take some cooking classes but haven’t gotten that far yet.
Another way I have not necesarily gotten involved in a particular group but I support the community by finding things in the area that interest me. For example, I enjoy seeing plays so I will go to community theatre plays, school plays, or dinner theatre shows in the area that I find interesting.
It can be a learned skill to find things to get involved in the area especially if you are new to the area but with a little luck you can find some great ways to get involved!
Head over to Rachel’s Blog to read more Not Alone Series Posts! Thanks for Hosting!
It sounds like you have a good grasp on what’s happening in your community! My community events are trivia and dance, but I’ve made some good buddies in both of those circles, too, now that I think about it!
I love how you are so actively involved in a variety of ways in your community! I also like how you mention supporting your community by going to events in your local area. There is an open-air theatre about ten minutes from my house that has movies in the summertime, showing mostly Disney and Pixar movies, and I’ve gone a couple times and enjoyed it. There is also a drive-in movie theatre about 35 minutes from my house. There really is so much to do – it’s a matter of putting it on the calendar, making the time for it, and going. Thanks for joining the link-up this week!