Father Dennis Hoffman, left, and others play cornhole during a Cookout and Cornhole social event at City Square Park in West Point. Parishes in West Point, Houghton, St. Paul and Farmington hosted the event.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
Earlier this month, members of four parishes — and some curious community members — gathered in the middle of West Point to play “cornhole” and enjoy a potluck dinner.
“We’re always thinking about how to increase participation among current parishioners,” said Nathan Clark, family and youth minister for St. Boniface Parish in Farmington, St. John Parish in Houghton, St. James Parish in St. Paul and St. Mary Parish in West Point. A first-of-its-kind event for the parishes, he envisioned the “Cookout and Cornhole” social event as a fun way to bring families together, build community and “invite people who might not normally go to church or who haven’t been to church in a long time.” He figured food and friendly competition would be a great way to do that.
The parishes donated hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled to perfection by Joe and Becky Moran from the West Point parish. Parishioners and community members brought side dishes and desserts.
Mikey DiPrima, a senior on the youth leadership team, made and painted four sets of cornhole boards for the event while others brought their own sets of cornhole boards and bags for the lawn game. City Square Park proved an ideal location for the event, Clark said.
At the event, some played cornhole (or “bags” as some call it), just for fun. Others, including Father Dennis Hoffman and Father Dan Dorau, participated in an impromptu tournament. Father Hoffman is pastor of the Farmington and West Point parishes and Father Dorau is pastor of the Houghton and St. Paul parishes. “They proved to be some of the best competition in the cornhole game,” said Clark.
About 80 people attended the event — including two non-Catholic families. “One seventh-grader said their family doesn’t go to church but would like to. We invited them to Mass and youth ministry events,” Clark said. Events like this are “not only helping build up our parishioners but helping us continue to reach out to new people, hopefully giving us the opportunity to share the Gospel and get them more involved with the church.”
“It was a fun time,” Father Hoffman said. “I learned a lot about some of the returning families and a couple of new families. It was a great event after being isolated for a long time because of COVID. I really think people need this, just to be with others and begin talking with others. We had lots of fun and shared our faith!”
Clark said each of the four parishes have “great people with a strong history,” but there is strength in unity. The Cookout and Cornhole event was a success, so parishes would like to make it an annual event.
Clark believes the highly visible location and efficient planning and promotion also contributed to the event’s success. Choosing a date that didn’t conflict with local county fairs and other events was crucial, and the parishes began promoting the event a month ahead to give busy families a chance to plan. Frequent reminders kept the event fresh in people’s minds. “We put it in the bulletin, on Facebook, on our website and spread the message through word of mouth. We also used the GroupMe app,” he said. More social events, including a softball tournament, are on the horizon “so we can get to know people and have community, support and prayer across parish lines,” Clark said.
