People love invitations; knowing someone has gone out of their way to invite you to something makes us feel special, cared for and part of a community. Often this is still the case regardless of whether we can actually make the event or not. Simply inviting someone, may also open up new opportunities for conversation or avenues of friendship for us.
Many people, more than ever are feeling lonely and isolated. This seems to be exacerbated by the Christmas season, where many feel alone, or more keenly miss loved ones who they used to celebrate with. The cost of living crisis may also force people to cut back on social events to save money.
This Christmas time once again we have a perfect opportunity to invite people we know and those we meet in our day to day lives to a high quality event which is also free of charge. We're also praying that people will leave with a fresh sense of hope and that we will be able to help people get 'into the Christmas spirit'.
Posters, leaflets and social media posts have their place and are great ways of letting people know about an event, there is still nothing quite like a personal invite from a friend, neighbour or work colleague. In other words, you personally, inviting someone, can make all the difference!
Have I convinced you that it's a good idea? Still not sure what how to do it? Well dear reader, read on!
Apparently it's simple, but the actual process of inviting someone can be quite nerve wracking, I mean what if they say no?
Here are some tips to help you:
1. Pray
It can be easy to forget this part of the process, thinking that it "all depends on us". The reality is, it's God who draws people to himself, so before you invite someone, pray! Ask God to show you who to invite and also the best way and the best moment to invite them. Ask Him to prepare their hearts to receive and ask for a good opportunity to bring it up in conversation.
Don't forget to pause and listen to God - when we ask him to speak, we also need to give space for Him to reply!
Also don't forget to keep praying for the person that you have invited, after you have spoken to them, and trust God to be at work in their lives.
2. Prepare
Think about the person you want to invite. Think about the sort of invite that would help them respond positively. Which of our Christmas services would they appreciate most? You may want to invite them to our Carols event, but may be they would enjoy our Family Christmas service more. Should you invite their whole family, or just them as an individual? Think about how you would start the conversation with them.
BUT, really importantly, try not to stress about the details too much! Think about how you would invite them for a cup of coffee, or how you would invite them out for a drink (for example) and do something similar...
3. Ask
Ok this one isn't rocket science, or anything close - the best way to invite someone is simply to ASK them! You could say "I'm planning to go to 'Christmas Carols' at Jubilee Church on 15th December. I went last year and it was wonderful. I wondered if you might like to come and join me this time?". If they say yes you can make further arrangements or organise to send them details later on, don't feel under pressure to give them all the info straight away. If you have a flyer with you, you could pass it onto them
We hope this was helpful in preparing to invite someone! Don't forget that all the details about our Christmas events this year are available at: jubilee.org.uk/christmas