by: Sandy Domelle
I was recently asked how to fit in at a new church. That seems like the simplest action for most of us, but this came from a single mom who sincerely wanted to make more friends in a new church. It made me look at it from the opposite side of what she said. How can we be a help and a blessing to those who are new in our churches?
Some of the people who visit our church’s aren’t new Christians, but people who may have come to your church from another church of like faith. No matter how new or not so new to church, everyone loves to meet and make new friends at church. It’s so important that we reach out to others who come. 1 Peter 4:9 says, “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” Being hospitable is not only a good thing to do, but a command of God. Let me give some simple suggestions that can help you make others feel welcome in your church.
1. Shake hands with anyone new who sits near you in church.
You can do this before or after church, or you can shake their hand when your church has hand-shaking time in the middle of the service. Too many times we get comfortable in our pew and don’t reach out to others. If your church has hand-shaking time, don’t just stand in your pew and wait for others to come to you; instead, jump out and see how many hands you can shake. Our church has hand-shaking time and I get comfortable shaking the hands of those who sit near me. But, the last couple of months I’ve made it a practice to go to the opposite side of where I sit and shake hands all the way back to my seat. This helps me to get to know people who I don’t usually see where I sit.
2. Be sure to greet the new comers weekly.
Just having someone who will go out of their way to greet new people makes them feel more welcome. I love my friend, Jennifer Petticoffer, who is our church pianist. Even though she plays the piano during hand-shaking time, she is always sure to make a beeline for the new people before or after church. She doesn’t allow her important job of playing the piano before and after the service to take away from getting to know the visitors and new members.
3. Invite them to things that are going on in your church.
Sometimes just being asked to be a part of something makes them feel as if they are being accepted. They most likely attend a Sunday school class, but there are many other things that take place at church outside of Sunday school. Maybe you could invite them to a regular soul winning time, or you could invite them to other special meetings such as ladies meetings, missionary meetings, invite their teens to teen activities or to children’s choirs. Sometimes the new people aren’t always aware of the extra things that go on in your church.
4. Invite a new family in the church over to your home for dinner.
Some people think that Sunday afternoons are best for this because they work during the week. There are others that a week night or even a Saturday night might work better. Having a family over is a great way for you to get to know them and to be a help to them.
5. Make some baked goodies and drop it by their home or bring it to them at church.
Baking is a cheap way of letting someone know you care, but it’s also something that is done and given from the heart.
6. Find out their phone number and send a quick text during the week.
Women are social beings. We love to get together or be a part of a group of other ladies. One way of making a new lady in church feel a part of the church is to send her a text and tell her you enjoyed seeing her at church. Send her a text of a Bible verse that was an encouragement to you or even a funny quote or saying. It doesn’t take much to send a text to let someone know you care.
These are just a few ideas of how to help someone feel a part of your church. My list could easily go on, and I’m sure that as you read through these ideas you had others that came to mind. Let’s help the new comers in our churches to fit in.