Hello St. Paul’s,
As you know, we conducted a Congregational Assessment Tool or CAT survey a few months ago, as a first step in our strategic planning process. My letter a couple of weeks from now will give the highlights of the survey results, but I want to bring your attention to one of the main findings of the survey, which was the importance to this congregation of creating a welcoming and friendly environment, coupled with a desire for us to do better at it. Now, we know that we are welcoming and friendly, and so we are. But would it surprise you to learn that every congregation in the world thinks it is welcoming and friendly? And apparently a significant number of survey respondents, all of whom are cathedral members, believe we could do better.
I don’t want to wait for the completed strategic plan to be published before we start to work on this: we can take immediate steps to polish up our welcome mat. First impressions are incredibly important. It’s hard to walk into a large church where you don’t know anyone and you’re not sure how you will be received or how the worship service will go. Anyone who takes the step of entering the building for the first time deserves credit for their courage, especially if they are alone.
Our greeters do a wonderful job outside the porch on Sunday mornings. Whenever possible they engage visitors on their way into church and obtain some contact information for them. You hear me welcoming visitors on a regular basis during the announcements. And we clergy greet people as they leave after the service and often invite them to stay for coffee. This is all good, but we can do more. Welcoming is not a job left to a few designated persons: it is the responsibility of every parishioner to be welcoming to everyone who comes through our doors.
We have already started to print expanded worship bulletins that explain each element of the service. This has been very well received, helping those who aren’t familiar with high Episcopal liturgy gain a sense of what is going on and why. We are also finalizing a one-sheet quick guide titled, “What are they doing up there?” that briefly explains what each of the liturgical ministers (acolytes, lectors, choir, vergers etc) are doing and how to get involved.
Here are some more possible actions that every one of us can and should take:
Remember to wear your cathedral name tag every time you come to church. If you need a new name tag you can order one at the greeters’ table for $5.
When you arrive at church, if you see someone at the greeters’ table and you don’t recognize them, introduce yourself, ask if they are new to the church, and if they are, offer to sit with them at the service and help guide them through the liturgy. Just having someone to sit next to can make a huge positive impression. A young family might need guidance to find the Prayground.
During the service, if a child nearby starts to fuss, offer to help by holding the bulletin for the parent as they wrangle the child, or guide them to the restrooms or the infant and toddler room in the breezeway behind the Queen’s Courtyard. Note that one of the gender-neutral restrooms has a changing table for infants. If this is a ministry that especially appeals to you, make a habit of sitting near the Prayground so that you can easily step in. Kate Gould will be delighted to have your help!
As the service ends, if you see someone in the nave or narthex who looks a bit lost or is apparently a visitor, approach them and invite them to come to coffee hour with you. When coffee hour is in the Guild Room it is especially challenging for newcomers to find their way to it.
It is all too easy for us to form closed circles at coffee hour, as we joyfully greet friends and exchange news. Remember that a visitor could be your next best friend: the circle should always be open to new members and you should never hesitate to invite someone on their own (or a couple) to join the conversation. I once visited a church that was in search for a rector. I attended the service (in “civvies”), got a nice greeting from the interim priest at the door, found my way to coffee hour, helped myself to coffee, and walked all the way around the room without a single person greeting me or apparently even seeing me. That was the last time I visited that church.
I have asked Chapter members to take turns standing with the clergy in both porches after the services, so that when we meet a visitor we can introduce them to a lay person who can personally guide them to coffee hour (stopping at the greeters’ table en route to get their contact info) and introduce them around. This is especially important at the south porch, where Brooks reports that many visitors “escape” before we can charm them into staying. I want to encourage all parishioners to make a regular habit of being that extra person in the porch: it doesn’t have to fall only on Chapter.
If all of us can be intentional about this ministry of hospitality, it will encourage more visitors to make this their home and enhance our corporate life, as well as (I am convinced) making God smile.
See you in church!
Your sister in Christ,
Penny
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