Welcoming Visitors to Worship
The ministry of greeting those arriving to church for worship requires sensitivity. Some visitors will enjoy a greeter showing them around, asking questions, and offering lots of information. Other visitors want to get in and out of church with as little contact with others as possible. This is true as visitors bring their own expectations, and often some emotional baggage to church with them. Greeters need to be trained not to offer the same welcome to all, but to pick up on the clues offered by the visitor as to how best to welcome them.
The visitor who arrives early and begins by looking around is asking to be engaged in conversation. Early arriving persons not known to the official greeters, or other regular attenders, should be greeted with something like “Hi, My name is Frank. I don’t believe we’ve met.” This won’t offend the long-time member who usually attends the early service, but popped in for the 11 o’clock this week. It is also the perfect opening for the newcomer with questions.
The visitor who makes a beeline for the nave without hardly making eye contact if at all, should not be stopped and made to talk. Remember always that someone may not quite be sure they want to be in church yet, and so may not be ready for a conversation on their first visit. Folks in this category, will often, though not always, arrive close to time or just after the liturgy has started.
After the Eucharist, the greeters should be on the lookout for visitors. Perhaps the person who zipped into the service is now going slow and looking around on the way out. This is the time to welcome him or her, to offer to go with them to the coffee and refreshments and connect them to others.
Though, all viagra india prices the medicines of this group is made of Sildenafil citrate, Kamagra is the best working medicine among them and it is made of the pure Sildenafil citrate. You can include banana, pomegranate, eggs, fish, oysters and almonds in your daily diet. online viagra The buy generic levitra mouthsofthesouth.com and the levitra do the work in time of need. Hydrochlorothiazide, furoseminde and chlorthalidone were widely found. online ordering viagra For those who are not greeters, remember the five-minute rule. For church members with a gift for hospitality, the first five minutes after the liturgy are your time to introduce yourself to those you don’t know. Take the time to get to know the person and to connect them to others in the church, including the clergy. After that you can talk with friends who will still be there, while the visitor may slip out if not greeted. Then on later weeks, look for the visitor to return so you can greet them again.
The goal is to balance a genuine welcome with not wanting to overpower visitors. We do not do this in order to grow a church. We do this because hospitality is part of who we are to BE as Christians. This is the God’s House on the Lord’s Day and all who come should be welcomed as if we are welcoming Christ.
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue
Canon to the Ordinary
Comments are closed.