Welcome

Welcoming people properly to church is so very important.

Sarah and I went off to and Anglican church in a different town today, and although there were people at the church gate and the door who said hello, we didn't really feel welcomed. It's OK just to give regular church members a cheery 'good morning', but newcomers need to be spotted and not only greeted, but given confidence to know that they're going to sit in the right place, and are genuinely welcome to be there. Having said that, at teh beginning of the service, the vicar spotted that we were visitors, and gave us a broad smile as he welcomed everyone.

After the service, refreshments were served, but weren't told where, and it wasn't obvious, so we wouldn't have stayed had we been newcomers rather than visitors.

Having said all that, the music was excellent, and the preaching sound and helpful. One interesting point was that there was no specific time of prayer, but rather prayers were said at appropriate points during the service, which gave the impression that prayer was something that Christians do naturally - we don't have to have a formal 'time of prayer', we pray as and when it seems appropriate. There was no confession, which rather surprised me, and no creed (but it was billed as an informal service, a more formal service having taken place earlier).

So, as ever, there were things I liked and may copy at St Peter's, and things I didn't like and won't do. All this goes to show just how important welcoming is, and I pray that the recent course will help St Peter's to excel in this ministry.