{"id":268,"date":"2015-03-18T17:55:57","date_gmt":"2015-03-18T17:55:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/?p=268"},"modified":"2015-03-21T11:50:43","modified_gmt":"2015-03-21T11:50:43","slug":"welcome-or-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/?p=268","title":{"rendered":"Welcome or Not?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Welcome\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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One of the things I knew I would miss when we moved from Statesboro was my friends I ate breakfast with each morning, first at Snooky’s and then R.J.’s.\u00a0 Most of the men didn’t attend FBC, but they became wonderful friends and actually,\u00a0 brothers.\u00a0 I still miss them and go back every chance I get.<\/p>\n

One of the first things I did when I moved near Cleveland, Georgia was to\u00a0 begin looking for a\u00a0 group of men to drink coffee with.\u00a0 (Every little town has a bunch of “old men” who drink coffee every morning and solve the world’s problems. I used to make fun of the men at the “round table, ” but now\u00a0I “are one.”)<\/p>\n

My daughter suggested a particular popular restaurant and so I eagerly walked in and yep, there they were. I was looking forward to meeting met some new folks in my new town. \u00a0 Well, I knew no one, but I did get my coffee and sat at a near by table. I smiled and said hello, but wasn’t there five minutes until one of the old men began bumping my chair and eventually about knocked me\u00a0off my perch\u00a0and I splashed coffee on my khakis. \u00a0 In other words, “you aren’t welcome\u00a0 here, at least not welcome to sit near us. This is our table, our restaurant.\u00a0 You can come, eat, and sit over there, but we would actually prefer you use the drive-through.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, they didn’t say that, but that is what it seemed they were saying. I didn’t meet the owner, but the regular customers made their stand. \u00a0 I’m quite certain these are good folks, but were simply so focused on each other there was no room for another. \u00a0 Bill, you are too sensitive, grow up.\u00a0<\/em> Yes, maybe I am, but I left asking myself, “I didn’t want to eat\u00a0 breakfast\u00a0 here anyway. Did I make the right decision to come to the mountains?” \u00a0\u00a0 I moved on and found a group of men who welcomed a “new old man” and we have developed some great friendships.<\/p>\n

Some years before all of this, on a very rare occasion, probably the only time in our ministry, Dorothy and I were traveling from Dallas through a large southern city on a Sunday morning. Of course, we were looking for a place to worship.\u00a0 We checked our GPS and found several near the interstate.\u00a0 We went to the first one, all do doors were closed, no one around though there were cars in the lot.\u00a0 No sign as to where to enter, not even “welcome mat.”\u00a0 We moved on.\u00a0 We went to several and even drove deep into the city, but it was the same scenario.\u00a0 We even went by a contemporary AG church figuring they would be bouncing a round looking for guests, still nothing that said, we welcome\u00a0 you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about it, we deliberately were SEEKING to find a place to worship with believers, but can you imagine what an “outsider”\u00a0 thinks as he or she drive by those CLOSED UP CHURCHES?\u00a0 Church after church with closed doors,\u00a0 no\u00a0 one stirring outside looking to welcome folks, no directional signs.\u00a0 We weren’t looking for a “circus,” but we did want to find a warming, welcoming body of believers with which to share Sunday morning worship.<\/p>\n

We finally just stopped and went in a church as the folks were gathering.\u00a0 NOT ONE person said hello as we stood looking in the worship center.\u00a0 Finally, an usher asked if we would like a seat and we sat near the back.\u00a0 (And one of them told us “don’t sit here, that’s my seat,” we would have been out the door.<\/p>\n

The worship time was a blessing as the crowd sang and God’s man preached.\u00a0It was really a good\u00a0experience as we had a parenthesis in our journey home.\u00a0Since most were in coats and ties and I was in my often worn GSU windbreaker, we stood out and as the service ended folks began visiting with us.\u00a0 I told no one I was a minister, just a guest passing through.\u00a0 These were great folks, but just weren’t preparing for guests.<\/p>\n

I really hadn’t thought about this for a while, however, the restaurant at home, where\u00a0the guys\u00a0ate in every morning, closed and we had to find a new “home.”\u00a0 We ended up in the very restaurant that had made me feel very unwelcome.\u00a0 The food is actually very good I think it will work out, but every time I walk in the door, I remember the guy who “didn’t want me sitting in or even near his “pew.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know I’m a music man and am supposed to lead the choir, the orchestra, and keep the crowd singing, and keep my mouth shut, \u00a0but there is little that we on the platform can do to make up for an unwelcoming church family.\u00a0 I’m sure most churches truly do want to grow and meet new folks, but it is so easy to be friendly to friends and quickly ignore\u00a0 a guest and he leaves\u00a0 saying, “I really didn’t want to go to church today anyway.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I have been blessed in that most of the churches I have served over the years\u00a0 have been eager to welcome new folks, however, it must be a deliberate action on the part of the pastor, staff, AND church family. \u00a0<\/strong>Greeters don’t need to be dressed in matching blazers or like hotel doormen, but they do need to be friendly, focused on\u00a0 the people driving by and coming in. (Years ago I served a church where the greeter would all gather under the big oak for a smoke as people came in.\u00a0 They were out there, but missed the point.)<\/address>\n
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Putting my “music man hat” back on, if the greeters “get it” and guestss make it in the door, the choir had better be focused on the crowd as well, being that conduit of God’s love and grace to saint and sinner alike.<\/address>\n

It is exciting read about and see churches that are taking deliberate action.\u00a0 FBC Stateboro and Level Grove<\/strong> are constantly seeking fresh ways to let outsiders know they are welcome inside.\u00a0 Of course, that is done by going out and “bringing them” in<\/strong>.\u00a0 Closed doors and close people on Sunday mornings are a huge turn-off to the timid seeker.\u00a0 Signage is important, but nothing replaces a godly man or woman with a confident warm smile reaching out, “Glad you’re here.”<\/em><\/p>\n

To me it is obvious…. Jesus greets us with WIDE OPEN ARMS AND WE MUST, WE MUST DO THE SAME TO THOSE THE LORD SENDS OUR WAY.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the way, the\u00a0 biscuits are great at…..<\/p>\n

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    One of the things I knew I would miss when we moved from Statesboro was my friends I ate breakfast with each morning, first at Snooky’s and then R.J.’s.\u00a0 Most of the men didn’t attend FBC, but they became wonderful friends and actually,\u00a0 brothers.\u00a0 I still miss them and go back every chance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=268"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":277,"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/268\/revisions\/277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.billcoenmusic.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}