Come and See 2023 built on firm foundations laid in 2021 and 2022, and the series is now firmly established as part of the diocesan calendar. We held the attention of c. 1,600 people each day during Lent 2023. This evaluation report considers who joined us, what appealed to them and what we can learn for 2024.
What is Come and See?
Come and See takes place during Lent each year. It is designed to appeal to those who are interested in what faith might have to offer, 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 2023 were accompanying films from school chaplains for school children, families and church groups.
Key findings
"I found I looked forward every day to being fed and finding new ways to strengthen my faith! The whole of Lent was very uplifting!"
- We held the attention of c. 1,600 people per day throughout Lent who were directly in touch with us. We know the emails are shared onwards; this happens throughout the week but particularly so on a Sunday when the films are released.
- Content is shared beyond those we have direct email contact with. The total open rate for emails during the 2023 campaign was 150,000 (up from 74,000 in 2021, the first year of Come and See).
- Consistently, our key finding with Come and See is that once people sign up, they stay. The challenge for 2024 has to be increasing promotional activity to encourage further sign ups.
- In 2021 many churches were using Come and See video content as part of their 'Church at Home' services during the pandemic. We were pleased to see download numbers recover significantly in 2023 (excluding testimonies), reflecting the number of churches using the films with their congregations.
- This year we extended Come and See to include six films for schools, youth and children's groups; this appears to have been well received.
- However, it's clear that family recipients need a single and simple action to take each week rather than web-based materials for the week ahead. This is an area to develop in 2024.
"Bishop Steven revealed things through the Beatitudes that I had not considered before, and helped me interpret them in new ways. I found the videos a springboard, from which I would pray or sit in silence and think."