Mission Summit 2022: Invite Welcome Connect
Thank you to all those who joined us for our second annual (first in-person) Mission Summit held in the Diocese of Easton! Mission Summit 2022: Invite Welcome Connect, held on Saturday, October 8th 9am-4pm at Holy Trinity Oxford, was facilitated by Mary Parmer, one of the keynote speakers from The 152nd Diocese of Easton Convention. Mary Parmer is the founder of Invite Welcome Connect, a transformational ministry that equips and empowers congregations and individuals to cultivate intentional practices of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging.
The three-year delayed Invite Welcome Connect evangelism initiative was finally accomplished on Saturday, October 8, with over 40 participants, clergy and lay, from 19 parishes within the Diocese. The program was led by Mary Parmer, the creator and pioneer of the program widely used across the Episcopal Church. My observation and interaction suggest the training was well received by participants. It is anticipated it will be replicated across parishes in the diocese. The Department of Missions will be tasked to monitor and encourage implementation, training, feedback and all aspects associated with its effective roll out.
About Mary Foster Parmer
Born and raised in the deep South, Mary Parmer is the founder of Invite Welcome Connect, a transformational ministry that equips and empowers congregations and individuals to cultivate intentional practices of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging. Invite Welcome Connect has circulated throughout The Episcopal Church and to date, has been presented in 60+ dioceses, three Episcopal seminaries, three universities, the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, and the Anglican Church in Canada.
Mary’s award-winning book, Invite Welcome Connect: Stories & Tools to Transform Your Church, was published by Forward Movement in 2018. Mary served as Lay Deputy to four General Conventions of The Episcopal Church, and she is past director of the Gathering of Leaders, a national leadership gathering of young Episcopal clergy. Mary holds a degree in Religious Studies from St. Edward’s University in Austin, and she formerly served as Director of Adult Ministries & Evangelism at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Beaumont, Texas.