Come and See 2022 built on firm foundations laid in 2021 and is firmly established as part of the diocesan calendar. We held the attention of c. 1,000 people each day during Lent 2022. This evaluation report considers who joined us, what appealed to them and what we can learn for 2023.
What is Come and See?
Come and See takes place during Lent each year. It is designed to appeal to interest inquirers and also those who have an established faith.
People engage with Come and See through a series of daily emails during Lent (including a weekly film from Bishop Steven) and small groups in a church setting, where that is made available by the parish. New for Lent 2022 was a series of related resources for Sunday groups and Children, Youth and Family workers.
Key findings
- We held the attention of c. 1,000 people per day throughout Lent. Once people sign up, they stay.
- The challenge for 2023 has to be increasing promotional activity to encourage further sign-ups.
- It’s clear that we overload people at times. We also need to work harder on small group prompt questions, though the improved leaders’ guide for 2022 was much appreciated.
- Improved multimedia production standards in 2022 paid off. Efforts on ‘Sunday school’ content did not (for this year at least).
- Our audience is mainly church goers in their 60s and above. We should consider additional channels (WhatsApp, Messenger etc) and different promotion routes to attract a younger group in 2023.
"I really enjoyed doing the course. I found the daily emails with the reading and meditations engaging. Each session was short and to the point. I looked forward to opening up my emails each day.”