Skip to main content

Welcoming the Newcomer to Our Community

By

“Greeting newcomers shows that we really do value the inherent worth of every person.  The next time that you see an unfamiliar face in church, offer them a smile.”

– Ken Mandile, Lay Leadership Program Council

My dad had an amazing ability to spark a conversation with any stranger that he met.  Within minutes of meeting a store clerk or a delivery person or someone sitting next to him at the doctor’s office, he’d be comparing notes about food and giving out free “advice”.  Somehow, he failed to pass his outgoing genes on to me.  I dread the thought of walking up to a stranger to start a conversation, especially if I’ve got plenty of opportunity to talk to people that I already know.  It’s just not in my “comfort zone”.   If you feel the same way, then find me on Sunday morning near the front doors and we’ll step outside of our zones together.

            I go to the narthex to greet people as they come in the front door.  As part of the ushering team, I take turns handing out orders of service, offering a smile and a greeting, and helping newcomers find their way.  I see familiar faces, parents with their children, out of town visitors, and also a few hesitant newcomers seeking to check us out as they trickle through the huge grey doors on Main Street. We are the first faces they encounter.

            I can imagine that for many people it is intimidating to enter an unfamiliar church.  The ushers and the welcoming team greeting the newcomers give us our first chance to make a good impression.  But what happens after the service, when we have invited them for coffee and hospitality?   How many times have you seen someone that you don’t recognize wandering uncomfortably while others enjoyed conversation with old friends?  Did you feel any impulse to greet them before they left unnoticed?  They’ve seen the beautiful sanctuary, heard an inspirational sermon, and been lifted by wonderful music, but like most of us, our visitors are searching for a welcoming community. 

Greeting newcomers shows that we really do value the inherent worth of every person.  The next time that you see an unfamiliar face in church, take a small risk: offer them a smile, an enthusiastic “hello”, and a sincere welcome.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

An Outstanding Day One for the Annual Pledge Drive

By
" It is rare indeed that people give.  Most people guard and keep. "  If this observation from James Baldwin, one of our contry's most respected philosophers and novelists, is true, then the opening Sunday of our Annual Stewardship Pledge Drive was a rare one indeed.  Consider these day one  statistics : Total amound pledged: $96,628 (32% of our $300,000 goal !) Number of pledges: 62 (6 of these were first time pledges !) A whopping 56% increased their pledge over last year ! Let us keep the momentum going!  If you have not yet sent in your pledge, do so today.   This is truly a wonderful beginning, and it was made even more special by our interim minister's homily.  If you missed Tracey's message, what follows are a few of her memorable and moving insights.  We come through these doors in search, in need, in hope, in prayer. We come looking for something to make our lives better; to make the lives of our family, our fr...
2 comments
Read more

This Community Surrounds My Life

By
I am always inspired and touched by the efforts to build a better world. Seth Popinchalk, Vice-Moderator Last week Scott Hayman told me about a 5K road race to benefit Abby’s house. Abby’s House is a family shelter for women and children and provides them with “a safe place to stay, regroup, and rebuild.” I am in fair shape, so when I woke up Saturday morning I laced up my shoes and drove out to West Boylston to find the starting line. I found Scott and Maddie at the registration area. I also ran into a handful of other familiar First U members wearing race bibs and supporting the event. There was no plan among members to connect with our First Unitarian community this Saturday morning, but we found each other among the crowd of about 300. I was reminded that I am surrounded by our special community. What brings us together? We are a community because we choose to be one. We find a connection with something the church offers: the Sunday services, the sermons, the holi...
1 comment
Read more

What difference does First Unitarian make in your life?

By
We are loved and accepted for who we are. Our struggles and our passions are recognized and shared.    We do good things together.   We are drawn together by love and hope.  Scott Hayman Long before I attended a First Unitarian Church service, or even set foot in the church, I was drawn, without knowing, to its community and its tradition, its people and its abundance.   This was around 1990.   I was working in the trenches running a program called the Donations Clearinghouse, a program created by the Worcester Committee on Homelessness and Housing, which is now known as the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance. The Donations Clearinghouse still operates with the simple mission of collecting donations of furniture and household goods and redistributing them to homeless families making a fresh start in their own apartment.   So around 1990, Will Sherwood, our Music Director, whose day job was at Digital Equipment Corporation, called me up and sa...
1 comment
Read more