Grace United Methodist Church is certainly a welcoming place. I don't know of anyone here who isn't happy to see a new face among us. What we always need to be thinking about though is, "do others see us that way?" When someone comes to Grace for the very first time, do they get the impression that we really want them here and really want them to come back.
It is something that we always need to be thinking about and it is something that we think about across the denomination. The United Methodist Church has a wonderful program called Igniting Ministries. The program encourages churches to really look hard at what they do to be welcoming places. They offer an opportunity for review that can lead to becoming a "Welcoming Congregation." The process for achieving that status really has the potential to help churches be the most welcoming they can be.
Our District Superintendent, Barbara Ruth has challenged all Corpus Christi District churches to become "Welcoming Congregations. " The first step is learning how. If you are interested, I encourage you to attend a training event at First UMC Beeville, Saturday, September 24 from 9 to noon. I attended a preview of the training this morning and it is really worth it. Attending the training does not commit you to anything, but it may spark your interest.
The session is free. If you are interested, just drop me an e-mail and I will add your name to the list. Let me know if you have any questions.
peace,
will
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