The congregation I was privileged to serve most of the years of my ministry was not perfect. None are. It was made up of sinful people who believed the message of God’s forgiveness in Christ, so that covered their imperfections in God’s sight. One of the things they did very well as a whole was welcoming visitors and new members into their midst. Again, they were not perfect, but they did this very well. Time after time when I visited guests or newcomers in their homes, they would tell me how everyone at Grace made them feel welcome. That is a tremendous asset for a congregation to have, to be known as welcoming.

My wife retired from teaching in the public schools two years before I retired. The week before she retired, some co-workers held a reception for her at the school on a Thursday afternoon at 3:30. She taught at this school the last four years of her career, and it was 30 miles from where we lived, so I didn’t know many of her colleagues, but I went to the reception and arrived a few minutes early. The doors to the school were locked. Several teachers were outside helping the kids being picked up by their parents. They saw me trying to get in, but no one offered to help. I rang the buzzer, but no one responded. I finally went over to one of the teachers and asked if she could help me get in. After telling her who I was and why I was there, she used her key card to open the door. I thanked her and went inside.  After going to the little window with the hole in it, bending over and telling the lady behind the counter who I was and why I was there, she buzzed me in the next set of doors and led me to the room where the reception would be held.  The lady who was setting up the room was someone I had met before, and she greeted me and went back to setting out the snacks and drinks. Over the next five or six minutes, about a dozen teachers made their way into the room. Each one came into the room, looked at me, and without saying a word, walked past me. They were soon visiting with each other, but no one made an effort to speak to me. I decided to go out in the hallway and wait for Cheryl to arrive. While I was out there, only one lady smiled and said hello as she walked past and went in to the reception. Cheryl finally arrived, and we walked in together. She introduced me to a couple of co-workers, who said hello, but were rightfully more interested in speaking to the guest of honor. By now there were about 35-40 people in the room. I took the initiative to speak to two different individuals. One of them spoke to me a couple of minutes. The other less than twenty seconds before walking away. And yes, I had bathed that day. To say it was awkward and uncomfortable would be putting it very mildly.

As all this was happening, I was thinking that this is exactly what if feels like to walk into a congregation as a visitor on a Sunday morning and no one bothers to speak to you. They may look at you, but they just speak to the people they already know. Since I retried, Cheryl and I have visited almost 50 different congregations, and we have experienced this far too many times. It is not pleasant.

Think about that the next time you are in worship and see someone you don’t know. Can you make them feel welcome? Walk over and say, “Good morning! I’m happy you are here today. I don’t believe we have met, have we?”  Then see where the conversation goes from there. When people come to worship to hear the message of our Triune God and His love for us and the forgiveness He gives for Jesus’ sake, they should know you are happy they have joined you.

This church is the people. Where two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, He is there with them. We would all do well to remember that when we get bogged down with questions about pews or chairs or carpet or paint colors. That is not the church. When you attend a worship service or Bible study, look at the people around you. That is the church. And it is important to make others feel welcome in your midst.

We are the church not because we gather together in a building every week. We are the church because we believe in, follow and live for Jesus. We know the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we rejoice in the forgiveness and life and salvation that He has given us freely through faith in Jesus Christ. We are His church. We won’t change the world by going to church. We will change the world by BEING the church, both when  you gather together and when we you go out into the world the rest of the week.

God help us to do this for Him.