GRACE CHURCH RECOGNIZED
When the people at Pastors.Com (operated by Rick Warren's Purpose Driven network)wanted to give some ideas for welcoming guests to the thousands of pastors who visit their website, first on the list came a church we know well.
Here's a bit of what they said about us in a recent article -
Creative welcomes for first-time guests keep visitors coming back
by Lauri Arnold
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We want them to know they are welcome and wanted. We hope that if they feel at home, they will return and ultimately begin or continue their Christian walk with us.
Roger J. Blackmore, pastor of Grace Church in Long Island, N.Y.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (PD) — Before the Long Island, N.Y. theater turns into Grace Church each week, many things must be done--but high on the list of priorities is the welcome given to visitors of the church.
"Our parking lot is organized with a substantial amount of visitor parking spaces," said Grace Church pastor Roger J. Blackmore. "Our greeters at the main doors are encouraged to look for people who park in them and be sure to greet them especially warmly."
The non-denominational church is 7 years old, with an average Sunday attendance of 350 people, but Blackmore said discussions on a Pastors.com forum helped his church to think outside the box and welcome visitors in a new way – and a way that ties in with the environment of the church. Visitors are welcomed and guided to the church's guest services table where they are given a gift-wrapped popcorn bucket containing a bag of popcorn, a pen, cookies, church information, and a tape of a recent sermon message.
"The general consensus seems to be to give them something useful and don't weigh them down with church junk," Blackmore said.
Blackmore said the church formerly had guests complete a communication card, but as a church, they acknowledged that most visitors are apprehensive to varying degrees when they walk in the church.
"We want them to know they are welcome and wanted," he said. "We hope that if they feel at home, they will return and ultimately begin or continue their Christian walk with us."
Here's a bit of what they said about us in a recent article -
Creative welcomes for first-time guests keep visitors coming back
by Lauri Arnold
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We want them to know they are welcome and wanted. We hope that if they feel at home, they will return and ultimately begin or continue their Christian walk with us.
Roger J. Blackmore, pastor of Grace Church in Long Island, N.Y.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. (PD) — Before the Long Island, N.Y. theater turns into Grace Church each week, many things must be done--but high on the list of priorities is the welcome given to visitors of the church.
"Our parking lot is organized with a substantial amount of visitor parking spaces," said Grace Church pastor Roger J. Blackmore. "Our greeters at the main doors are encouraged to look for people who park in them and be sure to greet them especially warmly."
The non-denominational church is 7 years old, with an average Sunday attendance of 350 people, but Blackmore said discussions on a Pastors.com forum helped his church to think outside the box and welcome visitors in a new way – and a way that ties in with the environment of the church. Visitors are welcomed and guided to the church's guest services table where they are given a gift-wrapped popcorn bucket containing a bag of popcorn, a pen, cookies, church information, and a tape of a recent sermon message.
"The general consensus seems to be to give them something useful and don't weigh them down with church junk," Blackmore said.
Blackmore said the church formerly had guests complete a communication card, but as a church, they acknowledged that most visitors are apprehensive to varying degrees when they walk in the church.
"We want them to know they are welcome and wanted," he said. "We hope that if they feel at home, they will return and ultimately begin or continue their Christian walk with us."
posted by Roger Blackmore | 3:29 PM
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