It was mostly a whim which took me to a Wednesday night program at a local church in a distant place. Not really wanting a church meal, I opted for a late arrival which would get me there in time for the Bible Study. It was still early enough to watch from my seat at an empty table the exodus of folks who were so filled by the food for the stomach they needed no food for the soul. Finally, when there were a couple of dozen folks of the original hundred remaining someone walked over, gave me an outline for the Bible Study, and told me to sign the visitor's book before leaving for the outreach ministry.
Forty five minutes later, the teacher prayed the closing prayer, and people started gathering their Bible and notes for their journey to the door. As I made my way out the door, I could not help but notice the silence. Except for the bearer of the outline, not a person spoke to me. I did not sign the visitor's book. There was no outreach on the part of those present so I figured there was no reason to wait for the committee.
One of the important things for any church intent on reaching out to know is that there is only one opportunity to make a first impression. It is not something which happens by a follow up group, but is something which happens as soon as a new person casts a shadow inside the door. And while I was not looking for a place to grow my spiritual life last Wednesday, had I been, I would go looking somewhere else next week.
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1 comment:
That is so very sad. Of course, I remember attending Vidalia UMC for some 6 months and no one spoke to us the entire time. Finally the pastor’s wife called and asked if they could write for our letter. We went to Grace the next week and found our home.
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