“Whoever you are, wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are WELCOME here!”
“Love Christ, Serve others, WELCOME all!”
Sound familiar? They should, because they are the mission statements of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Have you ever gone to a new church and no one has welcomed you or even spoken to you? Did you go back?
When I was new to the Cathedral I was welcomed by a man named Harold. He even took me for a little tour. I quickly felt at home. A couple of months later I was asked to join the Greeter Ministry by Chris, our Director of Congregational life. I told him I was too new and didn’t know many people. He convinced me that being a greeter was one of the best ways meet people. So I decided to give it a try. I could honestly say to people I didn’t know, “Hi, I don’t think I’ve met you.” If their response was, “I’ve been a member for 25 years,” I could reply, “How great. I’m new and so happy to be part of the Cathedral life.” One Sunday I saw a lady standing alone and I walked up to her with a smile and my standard line, “Hi, I don’t think I’ve met you.” She replied, “My name is Terri Mathes.” As I recognized the last name, I stammered,” The Bishop’s wife?” That began a special connection with Jim and Terri that we still laugh about.
Sixteen years later, having served on the Greeter Ministry, I still use that same opening line. I now know most of the congregation and can recognize new visitors quite easily now. This has been one of the most important ministries I’ve been part of. I greet people the same way I would if they were coming to my home. I encourage you all to think about being a greeter. You can start out by being at the greeter table once a month. As you get more familiar with the congregation you might want to be a roamer and look for new faces and use my line, “I don’t think I met you.”
In fact, I challenge EVERYONE, whether you’re an official greeter or not, to look for someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. You’re welcome to use my line. It’s so easy and such an important part of our Cathedral family.
Matthew 25:35:
“I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you WELCOMED me.”
Patricia Kreder
Greeter Ministry
Great and inviting description of being a Greeter, Pat!