I Will Trust in You
Hello!
Where is “the journey (together) in holiness” [Rule 2.2] leading you? As Vincentians, we are called to holiness through “promoting a life of prayer and reflection” and by “Meditating on their Vincentian experiences.” God has provided providential moments that I will share with you that have surely been planned as a way for me to journey together in holiness and lean into this call to welcome young members through friendship.
A Little Background of My Most Recent Journey
In January of 2025, I wondered what I was going to do with the thought of having extra time with Zoie heading to college soon and Cain, my younger son, a freshman in high school at the time. Of course, I would still have both of their events to attend and the ebb and flow of marriage, but I knew these moments would be times of change for all of us. In that, I had to learn to trust in God and open myself up more in this journey in holiness. And so, like God often does, He provides –March 2025 brought on another layer of Vincentian-ing far different than I could ever envision, thus, my answer to how to spend this “extra time.”
First off, Zoie knew more about the role than I did. She had won the Young Vincentian Excellence Award in 2024 and that is when both of us first learned about something in the Society called Youth, Young Adults and Emerging Leaders. If this is the space you find yourself in going “huh” or “what” to this terminology, then good news, I can help!
Anyway, the first week after being announced, I had many emails of people wanting to meet virtually to ask questions, inquire about upcoming events that the young members could present at, a sponsorship to prepare for, youth Conferences that wanted to begin, etc. Again, Zoie led the way in understanding many of these pieces. For example, she had prepped the slideshow for regional meetings in January 2025 but to now have the responsibility of presenting them, that was scary and an honor at the same time. Enter in doubt, what can we share that would benefit our fellow Vincentians? We just do what we do in serving the people in need. Is it unusual or special that we serve as a family in many aspects of the Society? Yes is the answer I quickly discovered.
Fast forward to four months in, three regional meeting presentations later, Zoie and I headed to Rome for the Third International Youth Meeting. It was a major risk since we would arrive home the day before she moved into college and her first year as a student athlete. After a sprint to the connecting flight home, we were on track to make it in time to leave bright and early that next morning to drop Zoie off. Enter in tears of sadness and tears of joy. Enter in trusting the Lord
And so, I ask you, with this idea of journeying together in holiness and trust in the Lord’s plan, How is welcoming new members going for you?
In this role, I get many questions about getting new members, particularly young. Young, to me, is not defined by an age, but a mindset. How you act and think may be influenced by your experiences but why is it summed up by age?
Here are a few examples of efforts with young members:
- A young member in his twenties willingly comes to a meeting. He needed service hours for one of his university classes and wanted to help people in Direct service, not in theory. Members reach out via text with additional information and other ways to connect and invite him back after the meeting. Still no return.
- The daughter of two Vincentians agrees to meet another Vincentian from the same Conference. The daughter is part of a young adult group at a local parish that does not have The Vincentian and her meet for coffee, discuss SVdP, and that is where it ends.
- There is a family who’s interested in A member offers all kinds of other options instead of SVdP to serve the community since “home visits” probably are not what they can do or would be interested in.
- A college intern willingly seeks out your local SVdP The intern seems qualified and a good fit. Out of fear and a plethora of other reasons you deny the young adult an opportunity to experience SVdP from the inside out since it “costs too much” and “interns should not be paid.”
We think, “How many times can we try to find more people and it does not work?” or “What’s missing in my approach?”
Friendship—is this the missing essential element in your Vincentian journey to holiness in the examples above?
We often apply our Vincentian Charism to people in need, but miss the mark with potential members and our fellow Vincentians. Ask yourself:
- Are you inviting or content with your group of Vincentian friends?
- Are you engaging or mostly talk-and-theory to potential members?
- Are you welcoming or only looking for particular members to join your Conference?
- Is your mindset Vincentian-like in your actions or theory?
- Are you a Vincentian in friendship or only service?
- Do you offer to help a fellow member with their spiritual journey or sideline your efforts as that would be too personal?
Meetings
Do you show up to meetings in friendship or with a “one-hour” or “business-like” mentality since “we all have so much to do” and need to be “respectful of everyone’s time?”
Think back to spending time with a genuine friend. Someone you want to be with. Someone you have chosen to label “friend.” Did you also keep it to one hour and follow all the same guidelines we sometimes put on our SVdP friends? More than likely, the answer is no. A few will say yes and that is a mindset choice.
Perhaps we need to rethink our meetings. Is this where you are landing on your friendship temp – lukewarm? If you do not want to invite potential members to meetings, ask for a change. Make the meetings welcoming, a sense of renewal, a place of genuine friendship, and see the difference, feel the change, see even see an increase in recruitment and membership.
So, how is friendship welcoming new members?
Make your welcoming efforts inviting. Have a meal, coffee, Boba, desserts, or whatever else you may like. Start with a story about a neighbor in need instead of the history of our Society, how to become a member, the
training you will need or all the other things that tend to feel like overload from the second we meet someone who is inquiring about the Society.
Most importantly, measure your success by the relationships you’re forming, falling back on the trust in God, the trust that the timing in His plan is for good. So, let’s get back to seeing our ministry as a way of friendship in addition to service and first and foremost – a journey together in holiness.
Tootles,
Linda Roghair
