This weekend, our parish will celebrate our annual “Kick-Off” weekend. Kick-Off is meant to be just that: a celebration of a new year. We’ve found that most families, especially if kids are involved, plan their year from September to June. So, we go out of our way to make this weekend (the weekend after Labor Day) a special one.
This year, there is a lot to celebrate. We’ll be starting a new season as we do each year: new music, new message series, and new small group opportunities. But that’s not all:
Food & Fun
You may have heard the buzz. It’s true: our Vision Café will be offering Chick-fil-A after the 5pm Saturday evening Mass starting on Kick-Off weekend. Bring your family to church and grab dinner after– it’s that easy. Pizza, cold drinks, and Baltimore Coffee & Tea will also be available.
On Sunday, we’ll celebrate Kick-Off with even more culinary charm; our plaza will host a selection of food trucks all day long. Gourmet pizza, sweet and savory crepes, and lots of special treats and desserts will be available, so make sure you plan to have lunch or dinner with us. There will be music and games on the Plaza, too.
The Nativity Express
Our shuttle is back and the service is bigger and better than ever.
Now called the Nativity Express, it boasts a new location, the Ridgely Professional Building, 101 West Ridgely Road, just two blocks from our campus. We will be offering two shuttle buses in constant rotation from 7:30am to 2:30pm every Sunday.
The Nativity Express is equipped with a location tracker, so you’ll know exactly how long your wait is. Our friendly shuttle ministers will be on hand every step of the way, and passengers will enjoy complimentary Vision Café snacks or drinks for riding with us. More importantly, shuttle passengers are providing a real service to the parish by freeing up coveted parking spots on campus for guests and newcomers, of whom there will be many this time of year. Besides, it’s the fastest hassle-free way to get to church. For more information, check out it out here.
Our New App
Introducing our completely redesigned and incredibly useful mobile app, so you can take Nativity wherever you go. The app will stream video from our weekend Masses, weekend messages, and Small Group material. On the app users can stay connected with our community, sign up for events, get plugged into a small group, or sign up to serve. And, you can even make your worship offering directly and securely through the app. It will be the place to keep track of what’s new and what’s next at Nativity. The new App means our church is everywhere. To download the app, click here.
Kids and Students Programs Are Back With New Times
All our amazing programs for kids and students will be back for Kick-Off weekend. To accommodate growth, we’ve added additional sessions for our kids’ faith formation program, Quest, on Saturday afternoons at 5pm, and we’ve moved our high school program, Uprising to Sunday afternoons at 4pm. To view all those changes: check it out here.
Welcome Center
Kiosks have long been a staple of our hospitality strategy. Standing in our concourse, our kiosks provide a place for guests to go to ask questions and sign up for programs and ministries. This year, we are stepping up our game by introducing the Welcome Center kiosk. The Welcome Center is designed expressly for first-time visitors who want to learn more about Nativity. As visitors enter our Concourse, they will be welcomed by a distinctive group of Welcome Center Greeters positioned by the front doors who will invite them to introduce themselves, ask questions and seek assistance. Once directed to the kiosk, Welcome Center ministers, equipped with handheld tablets, will be able to provide detailed information about our programs, walk families with children up to our Children’s Wing, conduct tours of our campus and, of course, offer each new guest a gift bag.
We hope to see you at Nativity to celebrate with us this weekend! If you can’t join us in person, check out our online broadcast on our website or Facebook Live.
Plan to join us for the best weekend of the year.