A group of lay volunteers at St. Paul's United Church in Milton is dedicated to reaching out to newcomers and inviting them to their church. The Growth Committee began their work in 1999 and spent the first two years of their ministry developing strategies to respond to the rapid growth in Milton. Now, each spring and fall, a group of 40 to 60 volunteers of all ages visit up to 1000 new residents to offer a warm smile, friendly handshake and an information package. This package includes a full color, double sided brochure describing St. Paul's and what it has to offer the Christian community, as well as information about other area churches.

Committee Chair Theo Wolder feels the program is a success. He says, "we have identified about 62 new families from the new communities who have joined or become affiliated with St. Paul's during the past three years." He admits that there is no way to prove these new families are a direct result of their campaign, "but we know anecdotally that many have come because of our efforts."

In addition to personally promoting regular activities to newcomers, brochures are mailed to highlight special services at Christmas and Easter. Following a recent mailing the Shrove Tuesday pancake dinner at St. Paul's attracted over 300 people, more than double the number of previous years. "We believe that the 4000 copies of our Easter brochure mailed out the week before to all households in the new areas of Milton likely contributed to this positive response" reports Mr. Wolder. The committee has plans to hire an outreach ministry worker to expand this evangelism program and expects their success to continue to grow.

The brochures are created by volunteers who have contributed their gifts of photography and graphic design. The cost of printing is determined by the number printed, colours involved, and the generosity of the printer. For example, St. Paul's full-colour brochure (11x8.5, folded in 3 panels) cost about $1800 for 5000 copies. The most recent printing of 4000 two-colour brochures was $800. 1000 two-colour copies would cost an estimated $300-$400. The committee has recently made a decision to print a large quantity of "shells" in full colour with photos and permanent information - address, phone, map - to reduce the per piece cost considerably. This method leaves much of the brochure blank to allow over-printing with current information 1000 at a time.

The Growth Committee has grown itself with this intentional endeavor to bring others to Christ. A separate committee of representatives of other Christian churches in the Milton area has been formed and has developed a directory of all Christian churches in Milton. One fruit of partnership is the ecumenical Milton Christian Churches Working Together group who present an annual Christmas pageant, "on the Road to Bethlehem."

This initiative began with lay people who know effective evangelism begins with letting folks know who and where you are, and the ministry you offer. Members of the committee would be happy to offer any information and share their experiences for the benefit of other congregations wishing to reach out to invite others to their church. For more information about this ministry contact , or the committee's Administrative Assistant, , phone .