So you can take the Englishman out of England but you can't take England out of the Englishman. Just as I am eager to see God move in Connecticut through Calvary Fellowship, I also yearn for spiritual revival in my homeland. I regularly listen to podcasts from a church called Holy Trinity Brompton (known as HTB to the aficionados). It is located in the middle of London and, in some regards is quite similar to Calvary. It is in an area which is spiritually dry and in need of God's word. They are a church with a vision for changing lives through the revelation of Christ, just like us. If you have ever heard of the Alpha course, it started there. They are further "down the tracks" than us, having been around for more than the (almost) 5 years we have. They are now starting to plant churches around the United Kingdom which is exciting and a vision I have is that we at Calvary may do that too in the future - but not in the UK of course; in Connecticut instead! I am finding it really educational to hear about what they do and how they do it. It has been on my heart for a while to share some of the nuggets that I have learned from HTB with the Calvary crowd rather than keep them to myself. I will endeavor to sprinkle a few in on this blog from time to time.
This morning I was listening to a message outlining some of their vision for the year. Something in particular caught my attention. They have on average between 100 and 200 first time visitors a week (yes, a week!) coming to the church on a Sunday to one of their services, many of these being seekers. They say, correctly, that one of the main reasons people stick around at a church is down to the welcome they receive. They have challenged everyone to be on the hospitality team. Not officially in a volunteer capacity but individually. They are challenging people to find one new person each week, make them feel welcome, get them connected with others and then see if they come back the next Sunday. In essence, they are challenging people to invest in newcomers. Although we do not have these sorts of numbers of first timers each week, we are seeing a significant influx of newcomers as a result of the Easter flyers, the website and other publicity. Why don't we as a church do the same? How about we make part of our mission on a Sunday to find a new person, make them feel welcome and connect them with others. We never know what baggage people bring with them when they attend for the first time. By making them feel welcome and having them visit again, we could be radically impacting their lives through the revelation of Christ. I know it can be a bit awkward walking up to someone new and introducing ourselves. But remember this, it is a lot more awkward for them to stand in the corridor or the cafeteria on their own, looking around and feeling uncomfortable. If we all do this, and these people stick around and we grow, it may not be long before we, like HTB, have the 100-200 newcomers each Sunday worshiping with us. Imagine that.
Great post!
Posted by: Bill LaMorey | 04/22/2010 at 11:10 AM