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From the Pastor’s Heart …
All Are Welcome
I enjoy hearing people in the community comment about something they have read
on our church sign. One of the
messages we have put on our sign fairly often is “All Are Welcome.”
I remember one time a
person from our fellowship questioned me, asking if that were true, if we really
meant it. At first I was taken aback
by the question, but I have continued to think about it often since then.
Are we a church that welcomes people at the front door, yet visitors
begin to feel they are in the wrong place and eventually slip out the back?
I must say I have so
appreciated the willingness of people at PMC to step outside their comfort zones
and open their lives to others. I
see an increasing desire for PMC to be not only a growing place for Christians
but also a safe place for those seeking God.
Still, the questions persist--How we are doing, and how can we know what
visitors feel like when they walk through our front door?
I subscribe to a
magazine called Outreach,
which has many good articles and information about--you guessed it--reaching out
and evangelizing. In the back part of each issue is a whole page entitled
“Mystery Visitor” and subtitled “An unbeliever reports on an unannounced
visit to a local church. Could it be yours?”
Mystery visitors are asked to respond to their experiences, assign a
grade to each area they report on, and give an overall grade to that church.
I enjoy reading these Mystery Visitor reports just to see what persons
have to say, what they respond to positively, and what they reject.
As with other tools, this one has its limits.
Nonetheless, it’s one helpful way to look at how we’re doing, and I
have often wondered what a mystery visitor to PMC might say.
With that in
mind I decided to invite a friend to be a mystery visitor to PMC. Although my
friend is a Christian, a church planter and developer, a leader and also pastor,
he understands very well the things about church that reach out and things that
distance people. And although he had
never visited a Mennonite church before, he agreed to come, bring his family,
and then write a report.
I’ve changed
a few words to help the flow of his report and also edited some of it for
length, but I have kept his thoughts and evaluations.
Though his report ends rather abruptly in this article, in the unedited
version he closed with these thoughts: If
some areas of the church are unsafe, an embarrassment to the congregation, or a
hindrance to its witness, “I recommend you remedy the situation.”
I trust all of us at PMC would wholeheartedly agree with this admonition!
The church should not
be driven by individual preferences or even the wise counsel of men; rather we
should follow the guiding of the Holy Spirit.
Yet I hear the heart of Paul in I Cor. 9:22b-23, saying, “Yes, I try to
find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”
(New Living Translation)
May God help us as we
seek to be faithful at PMC and welcome others to walk with us in following
Jesus. My prayer is that we are
never a barrier to anyone coming to Jesus, rather that we share the road to new
life and the richest of blessings.
Pastor Tim
PMC “Mystery Guest” Report
October 25, 2009
First, let me say the visit to Powhatan
Mennonite Church was a very good experience.
If the church were closer, I would seriously consider becoming a regular
attendee.
The church was easy to find, but the driveway entrance was not clearly
indicated due to its location somewhat removed from the church building and
sign. The parking lot is gravel and unmarked.
Since our visit was during the fall of the year, dried leaves made the
parking lot highly difficult to maneuver. I
couldn’t tell where the parking areas were located because there was a level
covering of leaves over the timbers.
Our first impression
of the church: drab, lifeless, brown. The
exterior in no way indicated the lively, warm atmosphere we encountered inside.
Also, we didn’t know where to come into the building.
As I can recall, there were no signs indicating “Entrance,”
“Welcome Center,” or any indication of a preferred entrance.
Guests DO NOT want to come into a space and find themselves at the front
of the worship area. Persons who have not been in the building do not know where
your sanctuary is and may feel apprehensive about coming into a space without
knowing what is behind the door.
We were delighted to find an unofficial greeter waiting for us as we
exited our car. A very sweet lady noticed we were new and called out to us as we
approached the building. This “greeter” did an excellent job of welcoming
us, subtlety finding out who we were, and directing us to where we needed to go.
Her ministry to us set the tone for the entire morning at your church.
We found the church
facility to be clean, well-used, and a little tired looking.
Coffee Time 9:30 – 10AM
The coffee fellowship before Bible study was a nice time for
“meet-and-greet,” but we are outgoing people who tend to respond well to
this type of thing anyway. Your people were gracious and just inquisitive enough
to make us comfortable and feel welcomed. It was somewhat disturbing that my
wife and I had to split up to attend Bible study (Sunday school). I imagine the
more timid persons might feel very uncomfortable being separated from their
spouse or companion this way.
Men’s Sunday School 10 – 11AM
As Bible studies go, this one was well done, far above the average Sunday
morning class I have attended. The content was good and conversation was lively.
However, excluding content, the class has a few issues. There were far too many
people in the class for everyone to feel they could participate.
I suggest at least two more
classes be started. When classes reach twelve in attendance, begin thinking of a
new class. Try to avoid having classes larger than fifteen persons. When I
attended, the class was full, so persons who arrived late had to disturb the
class to get a chair and make the circle larger to be
part of the class.
Worship Service 11AM - 12:15PM
The worship service that day
featured music led by a team of mostly youth and young adults. The worship music
was a blend of contemporary praise and worship choruses with a few unfamiliar
classic hymns sung without accompaniment (a cappella).
The sermon showed
signs it was carefully prepared and it was well presented. The pastor was
limited due to his knee problems and crutches. I suspect we didn’t see Tim at
his best, but it was still quite good. He was in the middle of a series, yet
first-timers felt like they could get something from the message. I deeply
appreciated the cross and the chairs located at the front and to the right of
the rostrum. This is an interesting, unique way to provide for persons needing
to respond to the worship service. The pastor has a winsome, relational demeanor
and tone that should appeal to most persons.
The fellowship after
the service concluded was warm and comfortable. People seemed to really enjoy
one another’s company and desired to stay around long after many churches
would be empty. The meal provided for guests is a great idea. The smells it
created during the worship service were enticing, and the apparent joy on the
faces of the persons preparing the food and the table was infectious. Could it
be mentioned in the bulletin so persons have a chance to think about it and not
have to decide when confronted after worship? Some people will say, “No, thank
you,” because they are uncomfortable with surprises, not because they don’t
want to stay and eat.
Thank you, “Mystery Visitor,” for your candor and friendship. You are indeed
a brother.
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