Welcoming Conversation

The season of Advent is here again! It is, of course, a season of joy and anticipation, but also a season of surprises! According to the gospel of Luke, Zechariah and Mary were both surprised by angelic visits announcing the births of both John the Baptist and Jesus. We too can be surprised during this Advent season. We can be surprised by God, but also by visitors in our midst.

One of the recent surprises we have heard from visitors is that with the tables for Scrip right inside the doors and with the Children's Church area closed off as soon as one enters, the entrance to the fellowship hall can feel much smaller than we intend. So two weeks ago at the Evangelism Team meeting, the team talked about how to make the fellowship hall more inviting for visitors and conducive for fellowship before and after services.

The end result is that starting this Sunday, the coffee and tea will be visible from the narthex, with the treats on the wall just inside the doors of the narthex. The Scrip tables will be on the same side of the fellowship hall that they have always been on just further down - beyond the coffee and tea.

You will also find the Children's Church blue divider moved to the back side of the fellowship hall to, again, help open up the space and encourage fellowship with one another before and after worship. Please be sure to use this open space as it will help us minimize the congestion that can happen between the services.

Being a welcoming and friendly congregation is important for all of us. It is my hope that with these subtle, yet significant changes we can all have an easier time conversing with one another and in doing so continue to meet and invite others to join us in the mission we share: Glorifying God, Spreading the Word and Loving One Another.

Grace and Peace,
Pr. Erik