Fr. Felix is the Pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary Church. Last week (Easter) was exceptionally crowded – people filled the church, the basement, the lobby and were listening to mass outside. In fact, at a time when lots of churches are closing or consolidating, Felix packs in people week after week, mass after mass.
He has a small army of parishioners that help him distribute communion. He uses lots of humor and personal stories in his homilies – which are delivered in the aisle rather than a lectern. After each mass, he hangs out in the lobby to meet and greet anyone that wants to have a chat.
Most importantly, Fr. Felix knows just about EVERYONE’S name that walks through those doors. He asks about family, thanks people for coming, and is a staple at family & community events.
Symeon’s has been one of the most popular restaurants in our area since they opened in 1973. Good food and really friendly staff. But go there on any given day and you’re likely to get a table-side visit from Symeon or Symeon Jr (pictured), who own the restaurant. I’ve gone there since I was a kid and they are always going from table to table, making sure everything is ok, asking about what’s new and asking how they can help make the experience better. They are on the front lines. While they’re in the restaurant business, Symeon and Symeon Jr. are in the customer service and community building business. They just do it with handshakes instead of Friending and Following.
Is it any wonder why Fr. Felix and Symeon have succeeded where others haven’t? Is it because Felix’s message is different from the other Catholic churches? Nope. Is it because Symeon’s Souvlaki Platter is the best on earth? Nope (but it is good). It’s because they both devote lots of energy to letting their community know that they actually care, even after they walk out the door.
They realize the enormous power of How Are You, Thank You and You’re Welcome.
How many people are you friends with on Facebook? Of those people, how many do you interact with on a regular basis. My bet is that it’s a small fraction (I’m guilty of it too). Maybe it’s time we put more focus on those micro-interactions and personal connections with larger parts of our networks. I think you’ll be surprised as to how much you’ll learn about your friends, fans and community and will be surprised at how those connections will produce better business and more importantly better friends.
So, in your networks online and offline – who are the people that do the best job of interacting and caring? What makes them special? Fire away in the comments, please.
At Boyscout camp, we used to get visited by the Catholic Father Sean O’Brian. There was also a non-denominational service, which I should have attended, as I was raised Mormon.
But I went to the Catholic sermon, because Father O’Brian was hilarious. He would stay and joke around with us, and the parents. He was always asking about our families, and was just an all around great guy.
If my parents knew I was going to a Catholic service, I would have been skinned alive. I risked death because of Father SoB’s (as he was sometimes called but never lived up to) community building.
Sean,
I love it when the stories in the comments are better than the post itself. I knew Sean O’Brian as well. Great guy. What Boyscout Camp were you at, Camp Russell or Naz by chance? My fam has a camp up that way and I know Sean was a pastor up north for quite some time.
Anyway, thanks a ton for taking the time to leave a comment. I’m curious though, was the camp your folks sent you to a catholic camp (or was the camp not exclusively catholic)?
Just goes to show that in the long term if you care, not only do you win – but you obviously remember the community that Sean created long after the experience ended.
Excellent observations and post, Ryan.
I really wish I was always as good as Symeon or our shared priest, Father Felix (nice sitting w you in church last week). For me, I (excuses):
– don’t have time (for my friends???)
– don’t care about everyone equally
I wonder if I should – how I could – cut down on “acquaintances” and be better to my friends.
Frankly, this opens up a lot of stuff (about me) that is tough to visit. Excellent post – really getting me thinking.
Thanks for the comment, Rick. Glad this post hit home with you. I think that’s the danger that we run as our networks grow. Having everyone (even friends) become acquaintances is not a path I think we should be going down. Does that mean contracting our network? Filtering messages better? It might. Its something I struggle with too, but am constantly working to get better at it.