Get ready for visitors

Prompted by curiosity, a reminiscent custom, or a spiritual tug, it is likely there are people around your church building who want to venture inside this Christmas. Shaping up for the possibility can be considered Advent preparation.

The latest Episcopal diocese e-news pointed to an idea-filled 2010 blog post. The info contained is not too dated!

Start with the obvious – making sure your worship service times are prominent on Web site, Facebook and signage, maybe even with eye-pulling photos from last year. It takes a little more effort, but I liked the suggestion to: “Select your parish’s top stories from the past year and feature these on the homepage. These provide wonderful insight for potential visitors into the nature and values of the community they will be visiting on Christmas.”

Find more ideas and additional links in “Prepare the Way…For Visitors” by Miguel Angel Escobar (Vital Practices for Leading Congregations, Episcopal Church Foundation, 12/7/10).