Making a Name for Your Congregation
When people who live in your community, that do not attend your church, hear your congregation named, what comes to mind? Is it your food bank or soup kitchen? Perhaps it is your Scout troops. Maybe it is the people they know who go to your church that are involved in community boards and active in many ways beyond the church itself. Perhaps they have never heard of you.
There are two ways I want to suggest that you can get your name out in a positive way. Either or neither may suit your church, but I offer them for prayerful consideration:
Something for Nothing
Lots of churches sell food or drinks at a city event. Some congregations have decided that it is better to give away cold water as a way to show hospitality. At King of Peace we gave away “America Bless God” bumper stickers after 911 whose only connection to our church was a small www.kingofpeeace.org in the bottom right corner. It was not prominent on a car, but easy to read when picking up the free sticker. King of Peace Episcopal Day School also paid for free pony and train rides for the church’s Trunk or Treat as the school’s single advertising expenditure. Whatever it is that works for your church, offering someone something they want with no strings attached is a great sign of the unearned grace of God and a way to connect your congregation to a positive first impression.
The Place Where the Community Gathers
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Grace Church, Sandersville, was important to that community as the one place where whites and blacks could and would meet together. While racial tensions are not so overt as to require church space for meetings, it is still a wonderful gifts of hospitality when you reach out and offer room for free. St. Matthews’ Savannah is near the start of Savannah’s Martin Luther King Day Parade. Next year, they will host the parade start, creating a positive impression for the community and inviting people inside its doors who might not otherwise cross the threshold.
Whether these two ideas fit your congregation or not, it is worth considering what impression you are making on your naighbors and whether their is anything you can offer with no expectation of return. It will likely help you put your church’s name out in a positive way. In any case, it is a chance to show care of your congregation for its community.
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue
Canon for Congregational Ministries
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