Extravagant Welcome!
Remember the biblical account
of the welcome extended by the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears
and dried them with her hair (Luke 7:44-47)?
The Pharisee who was Jesus’ host considered this to be extravagant and
inappropriate, especially because the woman was a sinner. But the guest of
honor, Jesus, knew that the woman’s extravagant welcome was the result of her
love for Jesus and an expression of her thanks for being forgiven.
Mt. Zion is in the process of
learning to extend extravagant welcomes to our guests. We’re doing this for the
same reason the woman did – to show our love for Jesus and as an expression of
our thanks for being forgiven. As sinners extending extravagant welcomes, we
show our guests that Mt. Zion is a place where all of God’s children are
accepted.
The welcome we’ve extended in
the past wasn’t wrong, but we can do even better! Our new process of welcome
might seem overdone as far as some are concerned, but we’ve learned from
reports of persons who have visited other churches that a casual, almost
off-hand, welcome can leave a guest feeling isolated or unwanted. The reason
we’re sharing this information is that we’ve also learned that all
members of a congregation are part of the welcome team… whether they are
officially “on duty” or not.
Proper attire
is important. We’re told that guests feel more comfortable when they know
someone’s name, so we’re asking members to wear their nametags. Welcome Team
members who are on duty should also wear a “Welcome Team” tag.
Man your station. Members who are in the narthex should be on the lookout for people
who seem unsure of where things are. With the winter months coming, guests will
need to find out where we hang our coats. They might also need to know where
the rest rooms are; our new signage is great, but having a personal escort is
even better. Guests with children might need to know where our nursery is or
will welcome the information about the children’s area if they want to feel
part of the service but their child needs a break. Introduce yourself to guests
and then introduce the guests to one of the pastors. Offer to sit next to
someone so you can be helpful if they have questions about the service and earn
extra “Extravagant Welcome Points!”
Welcome Team members who are
on duty will be stationed at the main entrance door to the parking lot, at the
top of the steps as a greeter, at the rear and side sanctuary doors to hand out
bulletins. These people will be responsible for ensuring that guests are
welcomed and sign the guest register. If a Welcome Team member must leave their
post to escort a guest, members in the narthex should be ready to step into the
vacant post.
It’s nothing personal. Welcome Team members who are on duty have committed
themselves to be on the lookout to offer guests extravagant welcomes. This
means that if you are engrossed in a conversation with a Welcome Team member,
the Team member will interrupt your discussion to focus on a guest and engage
them in conversation. Please don’t take this personally. You are undoubtedly
important to the Welcome Team member, but their duties come first!
Welcome – it’s not just for Sundays anymore. In becoming more aware of when guests use our
facility, we’ve come to realize that there are many opportunities for welcome
teams to serve – weddings, funerals, community dinners, etc. If you would be willing serve as a Welcome
Team member for Sunday services or special functions, please contact Jack
Herlocker at jherlocker@me.com or 600-2640.
The more, the merrier!