Welcome!
“You are a very friendly, welcoming church.” These are words I often hear from people who visit or end up staying at our church - I know this is true because I see people from TUC warmly engaging with visitors every Sunday.
The challenge for me is that being welcoming is not just about greeting people and making newcomers feel welcome, it is also about connecting them in relationship with other Christians and engaging them fully in the life, growth and ministry of our congregation.
Offering a welcome can be difficult and sometimes involves risks, resources and personal costs. I know that I often gravitate to people I already know. Sometimes I am uncertain -is this person a new visitor or are they someone from TUC I just haven’t met yet? Often it takes courage to speak to a person we don’t have any prior connection with. In our culture today, where loneliness, distrust and cynicism are so common, as a Christian community, we can offer people a place of warmth belonging and healing around the ‘campfire’, so I try to remember that we offer welcome in gratitude for the grace we ourselves have received from God.
Our welcoming every Sunday is important. Because of Covid some church members are now returning after a long absence, new people are ‘trying us out’ and families are visiting from further afield. Being welcoming has always been important TUC, but it is likely to be even more important in the coming months we seek to be “The Light of Christ in all the World”.
Dianne Hubbard
Care & Connect