Successfully inviting people to church

A simple invitation can sometimes be harder to make than it sounds.

That is the thinking behind a week of events being organised by St Oswald’s Church in Bidston, where the aim is to give local people an opportunity to discover the church and its community without the formality they might expect.

The church’s Week of Invitation, now in its third year, brings together a programme of social activities designed to give congregation members an easy way to invite friends, neighbours and family members along.

Rather than beginning with a traditional church service, the week starts with opportunities to meet people over food and entertainment.

There will be a quiz night, a men’s curry evening, an Italian meal, live music, a cream tea and a nature walk.

For Rev Joe Smith, vicar of St Oswald’s, the idea is to overcome some of the barriers that can make people hesitant about accepting an invitation to church.

"People can have assumptions about what church will be like", he says, "or worry that they will be expected to do something they are not comfortable with". An informal social event can provide a much easier first step.

The principle is particularly relevant in a community such as Bidston, where relationships and a sense of belonging can make a significant difference to people’s experience of the area.

One person who knows that first-hand is Patrick, a member of the St Oswald’s congregation who is helping to organise the men’s curry night on 6 October 2026.

Patrick remembers arriving in the community without knowing many people. Meeting Joe was one of his first points of contact, and through him he was introduced to others within the church and wider community.

Three years on, Patrick says he now feels completely at ease among the people he has met through St Oswald’s.

For him, the curry evening is about providing other men with the same opportunity to make connections over a meal and in an environment where they can talk openly and get to know one another.

It is also an example of how the church’s Week of Invitation is intended to work. The events are not simply an attempt to increase attendance at Sunday services; they are opportunities to build relationships.

Rev Smith believes that the success of the initiative should not be measured simply by how many people eventually walk through the church doors.

It is an invitation to come along, meet someone new, share a meal, enjoy an activity and discover what happens when a church opens its doors beyond its regular Sunday congregation.