P.S.  Let\’s break the streak.  You know where to find me.  Big bald brown dude with guitar

I help set-up at Sandals and just had a conversation about this very topic. I have to make one sad comment. Los- you and I haven’t said hello or good morning to each other in nearly one and a half year’s worth of Sundays.

You just answered a question I’ve been wrestling with for weeks now. Thanks!

To my surprise, he said “about a year.”

?!?!??!??!?!?!??!!!!

Of course, I can’t meet and greet everyone, and I guess I am at fault for not making the effort every Sunday, but to miss this guy for a whole year?!?!?!

Crikey.

Our church is generally a very friendly church. We make it a point to have a “trained” greeter team to ID and direct new folks so our visitors might be able to sense that connection is easier than they might have thought before walking through the front door. We also have the occasional built-in time during service where our pastor will “groupletize” — during sermon — for quick intros and then engage in a brief, but directed discussion about whatever topic that morning.

We try hard (perhaps not hard enough) to foster interaction and connection. I’d love to hear your ideas about what you do, or how you connect with visitors.

Quick story… our pastor set the congregation up one Sunday with a buddy of mine posed as a bum one cold morning. He was asked to linger around the front of the church. Pastor wanted to rebuke our congregation for not loving the homeless and yada yada yada… but he couldn’t.

Our greeter team went out of the way to help him feel welcome, invited him in out of the cold, offered coffee, etc. Pastor was blown away, pleasantly surprised, and blessed by the kindness exhibited by our congregation as a whole!

My buddy, who had been attending another church (but floundering) decided to join our church after his experience — he was blown away too!

We just need to get back to the basics and just love on people, eh?

But I need to do my part too. For instance, this last Sunday (in the bathroom), my friend Wendy was talking with this girl. They were talking like they knew eachother for a long time. I don’t know because I still don’t know a lot of people. So I had figured that she had been coming to Sandals for awhile and I never ended up being introduced. So, anyways, after the serivce, we ran into her again…well, through the last conversation, I had found out it had been her first time. I felt so bad for not having talked with her, I had just assumed. And we all know what assuming does! lol. So, my lesson was, don’t be shy, and to involve myrself even if I seem like the outsider. Because we all know what it feels like to be the new one. And it can be an awkward place.

Enjoyed the video. Fun idea. I do think it can be different with different groups. It seems to me like it is especially difficult with younger crowds at times.

I had a great time visiting Sandals a week ago, and haven’t had time to post about it yet, but the nature of this post seemed like a great place to share a piece of my experience. This is one of the most important things I look for in a church. Just for the record, you guys aren’t doing so bad. When I walked in the door the greeters at the door all said hi and were very friendly.

I do have to admit though, when we were out front kinda lookin around beforehand, and for a bit inside after the service, we weren’t approached at all. i figured this was the case for 2 main reasons though. 1) It was Sunday night which seems to be a younger crowd. They probably don’t think this way as much and maybe we don’t look as young as I like to think. 2) I was with my wife and a friend, so maybe we didn’t look loner enough. I did start some great conversations also, though.

Had a great time and loved the service! Was fun sayin hi to you as well. Keep up the good work!