Mike Hayes suggests different ways a parish can reach out through existing programs to welcome young adults. One way is through parish Marriage Preparation:
Marriage Prep: One parish revamped their marriage preparation process from a one-day pre-cana led by a Deacon and his wife to a process that invited more than 40 married couples in the parish to be part of the pre-cana process. The new Marriage Prep team included members who were newly married as well as people who had been married for more than 50 years. They welcomed engaged couples by inviting them to dinner just to welcome them to the parish. Some led pre-cana day talks, taking the pressure off of the Deacon and his wife to design the whole day. Others provided a romantic dinner for the end of the pre-cana day, and some volunteered to discuss couples’ inventory tool with them. It was a major success. The program was rated as “highly enjoyable and informative” by 95% of the engaged couples who participated. Thirty percent of the couples are beginning to volunteer for ministries in the parish.
Read more about becoming a young adult friendly parish in the Essentials section of Young Adult Ministry in a Box.
