From the Rector's Desk

Dear friends,

I am writing this on the first week of Easter, with the glow of Easter and Holy Week still upon me. It was a glorious week, the liturgies were well attended, the services went well, the music was high quality and suitable for the day, and the church was full. We welcomed a number of visitors, as we always, do, and that put me in mind of a few points.

I think that we need to be more attentive to the way we welcome visitors. The Evangelism Committee, under Tim Boos’ able leadership is doing a fine job in following up newcomers. But there are some things each of us can do. Consider these possibilities:

Always wear your nametag. A visitor told me the other day that she is never good with names and that since most of our folks leave their nametags neatly stored on the racks, most of us are anonymous. Being a newcomer is rough enough. But having an idea of whom you are talking to can be a first step

Make room for a visitor in church. If you are seated on the aisle and someone comes in looking for a place to sit, move over and give them your place. That says to the visitor, “You are important and I want you to be comfortable.”

After church, invite anyone you may not know to come to coffee hour. There is nothing like the personal invitation to make all the difference.

At coffee hour, don’t just talk to the people you know. Don’t just talk to the people who, for various reasons, you would like to know better. Take a look around at the group and see who has no one to talk to. I hate to tell you how many times I have spent talking with people whom no one else would talk to. Sometimes I even have to go find someone and ask that person to go talk to a neglected soul over near the coffee table.

Take a walk out into the courtyard and see if there are smokers or fresh air fans who are sitting out there and might benefit from your greeting.

The secret to being a growing church is to be a greeting church. And that is everyone’s vocation.

Faithfully,


The Rev’d Lloyd Prator
Rector