HEAVENLY BREW

The place became a kind of sanctuary for me.  Sharon Wargo, who was married to a police detective, had taken an old house near downtown and turned it into a coffee shop.

She called it Heavenly Brew.  Sharon and her husband were both Christians.  Their love for Jesus and for people  -all kinds of people walked through the door of that small shop-  came through in the hospitality they offered us all.

Heavenly Brew was clean with big windows.  The coffee was great.  Sharon and her staff always treated you, when you came inside, like a friend who had come into their home.  There were smiles.  They got to know almost all of our names.  And they always seemed to have time to talk  -even if they were running from the kitchen to the dining area.

Sharon knew I came from the Y, and that I had a tough time cooling down so she would set a tall glass of ice water on the counter when she saw me pull into the parking lot.  She knew I would want a cup of coffee and she also knew I  -almost always-  was either going to order a bowl of Blueberry Baked Oatmeal or a Better Morning Muffin.  (She prepared everything they served.)

We’re talking for a few weeks, in these emails, about the priorities identified by our leaders at the recent Leadership & Vision Retreat.  Our leaders believe God wants us to be known for an extraordinary level of hospitality we offer visitors.  So last Sunday we talked about First as a place where people are given a gracious, radical welcome.  Not only will we welcome people, but we’ll work hard to help people connect to others and become a part of the fellowship.

Welcoming congregations are places where everyone in every group of every age is oriented towards helping visitors feel welcome and then connect with others.

Charles Arn (“6 Questions From Newcomers” in OutreachMagazine.com) says during their first six months in a new church people tend to ask these questions:

1.    “Can I make friends in this church?”

2.    “Is there a place I can fit in?”

3.    “Does this church really want me?”

One of the questions people start asking after that first six months is this:  “Is my contribution important?”  People want to know that their investment of time will make a difference in the world…and in the lives of others.  They aren’t looking for a self-serving religious “club” where they will be kept busy doing things that don’t really matter.

What might it look like for a church to offer a gracious, radical, proactive welcome to all?

1.    Adequate parking.

2.    Greetersin the parking areas and greeters opening doors.

3.    Doorsthat are easy to open.

4.    Signagethat helps visitors locate where they are at each entrance and signage that leads them through the building.

5.    A Visitor’s Centerstaffed with friendly, knowledgeable people.

6.    A web sitethat is bright, easy to navigate, and contains basic information about the schedule, worship styles, serving opportunities, small groups, youth ministries, etc.

7.    A brief “meet and greet”time for new visitors with the preaching pastor of the morning immediately after the worship service.  A welcome packet with basic information, and a DVD, would be available both at this “After Party” and at the Visitor’s Center.

8.    People in each worship service ready to serve as Section Hosts/Hostesses.  They would sit in the same basic area each week and look for visitors to greet and assist.

9.    Gorilla Greeters  (a phrase used by Geoff Surratt of Exponential) who are prepared to talk to people they don’t know for the first ten minutes after they arrive at church and for the first ten minutes after the service is over.  They are looking for people who “seem disconnected and figure out how to connect them.”

10.A building that sparklesand is clean from top to bottom, and where the sound system allows people to clearly hear what is said.

11.A Connections Team(visitor follow up) who see that a brief doorstep visit is made with a gift to each guest, and who work with a database of recent visitors to make sure persons are invited to small groups, Sunday school classes, serving teams, and new member classes.

12.Regular New Member Classesthat are fun, well led, and introduce people to the basics of the faith, our congregational mission, and ways of serving.

How do you see yourself being used by God to welcome the stranger (see Matthew 25)?  What can you do this week to help us be even more welcoming?

If you want to see what radical, generous Biblical hospitality looks like glance at Luke 7:44-47.  There a welcome involves offering the guest water for their feet, a kiss of welcome, and anointing the guest with oil.

God is calling us to be a place where people are welcomed in a radically generous and gracious way.  And a community where we help people connect with others in Christian fellowship.

When I think of Heavenly Brew, I can almost smell the coffee and taste the nutmeg (is that what it was?) in those muffins.  What stands out is Sharon’s smile, though.  What do you think stands out when someone has been with us in worship or in a class for the first time?

Welcome to the adventure!

In Christ and for Christ,

Mark