This past year, through the work of the Welcome Team, we have empowered and mobilized people to do the work of welcome, added new resources that expand our welcome, and continued to build a welcoming culture among our entire congregation.

We are grateful for the dedicated groups of greeters, ushers, and our coffee team. These teams create the environment where our guests are first welcomed! We also know that the work of welcome goes beyond a first contact, so one of our early goals was to develop a second line of greeters who would engage with guests in the spaces beyond the front door. One of our resources called them “Greeting Ninjas,” which wasn’t our favorite term, so we began to develop our own team of “Supergreeters,” who keep an eye out for new people around them so that they can make another connection. Last September, this team gathered for a lunch where we shared stories of those we had met and helped connect deeper into the life of our church. We also shared methods and tips for things like remembering names and passing along what we learn each week in conversations.

In addition to this second layer of greeting, we also have been intentional about having a staff member in the lobby on a Sunday morning, from around 10:15-10:45. We know that first-time guests may arrive at the last minute, so we stay present and are able to make stronger connections as people arrive.

This year we’ve added new resources to help us grow in our welcome, including the books Get Their Name by Farr, Anderson, and Kotan and Boomerang by Smith and Hofmeyer. We’ve discovered in our readings that some things fit with our culture and add great new ideas for welcome, while other things don’t resonate with who we are becoming. We’ve spent about a year giving away bread coupons for Great Harvest as a welcome gift, but we found that many people weren’t redeeming the coupon. This year, we’ve shifted to giving away jars of apple butter and other treats from Wea Creek Orchard as a welcome gift. We are thankful to Perry and Lisa Kirkham for working with us to provide these gifts.

The “Are You New” cards and QR code have become a regular part of our worship space, and we continue to refine that welcome system. Behind the scenes, we’ve shifted from one company (Gloo) to another (Text in Church), to facilitate our contact with guests who send in a message, letting us know they are visiting. While those in worship won’t notice a change, we’ve realized that our new system (Text in Church) provides a communication channel that is more refined and natural for our users.

Finally, our Welcome Team has continued to build a welcoming culture among our entire congregation. We know that the work of welcome isn’t just done by a team or a staff member – it’s the work of everyone. In February we hosted a lunch where we could have conversations around welcome at each of our tables, and we listened to stories and ideas of what feels welcoming to our congregation.

On days when we know that we will have a high number of visitors, like Easter and Christmas, we’ve been intentional about having extra greeters in our lobby. We’ve given our greeters some kind of tangible item to share with everyone, so that there’s a natural welcome and connection point. We’ve also had extra treats in the lobby after Easter, our children’s Christmas program, and Christmas Eve, to encourage people to stay and visit with each other. These have all created an environment where we can have points of meaningful contact with our guests. Fellow extroverts, you may be as excited as I am that we have times in worship to greet those around us. Introverts, never fear – we’ve only added that element on occasion, and we won’t make you talk to people every week!

Our work of welcome will always continue. Our team of staff members has grown to include two lay leaders, Deb Burrow and Reba Kinder, and we are grateful that they are both joining us! As we move into 2026, we hope that you’ll start to see more evidence of a growing welcome, including parking spots for guests, potential shifts to our lobby space, and a feature on our website for newcomers to “Plan a Visit.”

We encourage each of you to continue to reach out to others on a Sunday morning with a greeting, a friendly word, and an attentive welcome. You might meet someone who is new, or who is new to you, and our community will strengthen and deepen in the process.