Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors
Read 1 Peter 4:8-11
That is the theme for a Welcoming Congregation.
Some of you will remember in the fall of 2009, our church focused on the Five Practices of a Fruitful Congregation during our stewardship campaign last year. They were Radical Hospitality, Passionate Worship, Intentional Faith Development, Risk-Taking Mission, and Extravagant Generosity. The Witness Committee volunteered to oversee the practice of Radical Hospitality for the campaign. A tailgate party hosted by Carolyn and Pete Franklin allowed church members to share a great meal, and gathered some feedback from the group about what our church was doing right, and how we could improve our hospitality.
At the All-Church meeting held in January to follow-up on the five practices, Witness lead a breakout session on radical hospitality. There we were introduced to the concept of becoming a Certified Welcoming Church. Doug Ross told the group about the Welcoming Church Certification Program. He and his wife Marilyn attended a church in Cape Cod that had this designation. They both indicated that their experience in the “welcoming” church was outstanding.
The Welcoming Church Certification is offered through a program sponsored by the United Methodist Church, through the Rethink Church campaign. Our committee felt that such a program would fit nicely with the direction our Witness/Caring Community Committee and would provide a framework to follow. So we approached the Ad Board of our church to see if we had support to proceed. We were given permission. So off we went.
Welcoming is how we show kindness, acceptance, and hospitality to everyone - guests and members alike. People catch glimpses of Christ through their encounters with us. We need to ensure that seekers encounter in us a Christ that they want to know better. Your welcoming efforts play a vital role in living the promise of "Open hearts, open minds open doors."
The Welcoming Church Certification program is a fairly rigorous process taking up to four years to complete. The beginning stages require an initial application to be submitted to the District Superintendent, and then on to United Methodist Communications in Nashville for approval.
There is an application checklist, with documentation of existing welcoming practices of our church. Each practice has a point value. A minimum of 100 points is needed to qualify for the first year of the award as a Welcoming Church. We submitted our initial application in September 2010, and our church received a plaque stating that we are a Welcoming church, phase 1 in October.
You may have noticed some of our efforts to date. The church narthex has been redecorated to be more warm and welcoming. Additional seating has been added. A welcome center has been designated with our church brochures and information. A more user friendly name tag board was created. Witness is hosting the 4th Sunday of the month for coffee hour. We started offering a little something special on those Sundays, such as treats, real cream and tables and chairs for conversation. The Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner program is a way to get to know and welcome church members. We are just beginning, but hopefully each effort will enhance our service to our members, our community and to God.
The idea is to get everyone in the church to consciously think and act as a welcoming church. Please stay tuned for more updates and we progress through the program. In the meantime, here is a small thing you can do to help. If you see someone in our church that you don’t know, reach out a hand and introduce yourself. It can make someone’s day.
For more information go on the United Methodist website. http://www.umcom.org/ then click on the Welcoming item in the Knowledge Center that comes up.
Nancy Grose & Karen Leigh
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