Home

Today we worshiped at Home.

 

Bob’s thoughts:

We were wondering if we would make it to church today as we are the designated babysitters for our daughter who was due to deliver a few days ago. Then this morning Jan stepped out onto our porch and broke her foot somehow, so a portion of the day was spent at the hospital. Therefore I thought today might be an opportunity to express some thoughts without attaching them to a particular church.

We are always looking for ways to build up the Body of Christ. We work to voice our experience as first-time visitors. How we are welcomed or not is never intended to be a statement about us, but simply an example of how visitors were greeted at that particular church on that particular day.

Someone once greeted us in a different language; they apparently thought it an impressive way to make conversation with a visitor. At times this may be the only person a visitor talks to…would that be the impression you want them to have of your church?

Sometimes we are both given a visitor bag and one might be well supplied and the other has a worn out pencil, out of date literature, no pastor card, and the like. These are good things to do but you will likely see more response if it is consistent.

Members should take notice of those who might be carrying a visitor gift or even just looking lost. The value of personal contact cannot be overstated. A visitor may be suffering and in need and you may be the person God has put in that person’s path to speak to that need…or vice versa.

It is everyone’s job to greet visitors.

Is your visitor packet bulky? Could it be considered awkward to carry? Sometimes it is given only at the end of the service. Does it contain information a visitor might find helpful during the service such as the location of the restrooms, nursery, or cry room? You need to decide if it contains information that is useful during the service or a distraction during worship, like a mother with small children trying to protect a coffee cup.

We have occasionally needed help finding our way out of the larger complexes. I suggest you ask someone you know who is not a member to come visit, find their way around and hear them out how they were welcomed.

 

Jan’s thoughts:

I was moved to write the following one day after visiting a church. It was one of those days when I asked God about the purpose of that particular church:

We have visited some huge churches with ornate stained glass, where every detail was considered and resources available to accommodate every conceivable wish. We have worshiped in churches that could be called humble and plain and even all-but-forgotten, and occasionally one that makes me hope God will someday call us to become part of a congregation again.

And occasionally I find myself wondering how regular attendees are fed at a particular church…”why do they keep coming back here?”

That is when I hear the Spirit telling my heart, “Don’t judge what is not yours,” reminding me that God is equally delighted by the contemporary worship that originates from a stage, by the traditional worship from a chancel, and by a few people in a room that was half-demolished (or half rebuilt, I don’t recall which). The point was that it is not my place to conclude whether worship is indeed in “Spirit and in Truth” and a humbling reminder that all churches belong to Him.

 

Our prayer for the Church:
Dear Heavenly Father, We pray that all churches develop a welcoming presence. Help them to be attentive to the needs of strangers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.