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Link to Video of Ordination and Induction of Rev Adam Earle

A welcoming church. Over the years, every church I’ve been involved say they are a welcoming, friendly congregation. The people there, say they know and care for each other, and some say at some point, often years earlier, they were made to feel especially welcome by someone when they first crossed the church threshold. Some time ago I attended Sunday service at a church where a friend helped in the leading for the first time. The tagline on the notice board out front was “The Friendly Church”. I did get a warm handshake by the door steward but almost no- one else acknowledged me before, during or after the service. Being an old hand, after the service I knew that I should follow the congregation to find the tea, coffee and biscuits in the church hall, there was no announcement or invitation. After receiving my coffee from the friendly person behind the kitchen hatch, no one else spoke to me as I stood around for 15-20 minutes. They were all in their friendship groups catching up on the week. And it was only when my friend rescued me a bit later after finishing his rota duties that I didn’t feel like a gate crasher to an exclusive club. When he referred to my experience at a church meeting at a later date, no one believed him, with someone actually suggesting it would have been up to me as the visitor to make the first move as they are such a friendly bunch. The issue is that being welcoming is a bit more than just shaking someone’s hand (or not, these days!) and looking them in eye while saying hello, even though it starts there. Getting out of our comfort zone and away from catching up with friends isn’t easy. Welcome is for a holiday visitor and for the person who is church shopping. It’s also for the refugee and foreigner and the person who isn’t quite sure why they happen to be in the building. Welcome is more than a nod and smile – though that’s a good start. Welcome is being open to the possibility of conversation and moving out of our comfort zones. The question we have in welcome is a question of priority. Is the stranger an annoyance to be ignored or a priority. Welcome comes from the heart and it seems to me that many churches have somehow over the years lost heart, this welcoming heart, on Sundays and at other times too. While I’m on sabbatical for three months from September, I’m intending to do some church hopping on Sundays. To see what other Christians do in worship and how they act afterwards. I’ll be interested to see what welcome I get. And I’m also interested in the welcome we give. David