Scripture:    Matthew 26:17-­30

Last week, I wrote about FRAN, an acronym for Friends, Relatives, Acquaintances and Neighbors.  Nearly 4/5 of first-time guests who come to a church come because they were invited by someone they love and respect. That leaves only 20% that come because of a certain ministry, the beauty of the facilities, or because of the reputation of the preacher. But even so, we cannot understate the courage it takes for a guest to come into our facilities for the first time. Where do I park, what building do I need to go to, and once I get there, where should I sit? The challenge is finding who can answer those questions. Some churches have people who have identifying shirts or vests, both inside and outside, so that people know who they can talk to. What I am suggesting here is that we add to our great Andrew Ministry and Greeters, so that people are made to feel comfortable as soon as they arrive. The average time it takes for a guest to decide if they will return to a worship service is 7 minutes!

Dr. Will Cotton

Then, once the service begins, we need to remember that making a mistake in public or being singled out are two of the greatest fears for first-time guests. Many years ago, it was discovered that asking guests to stand up and introduce themselves ran-off most people, as did having all the members stand and leave the guests seated! Without being overly verbose, it is a healthy thing to explain what we are going to do in the worship service. Guests really do want to stand at the right time and say or sing the right words. Worship services, in the name of being succinct and reverent, can become insider activities. We know the opposite extreme of being too chatty and flippant, but erring on the side of creating an even playing field where everyone can worship at the throne of grace is where we need to be.

Last, when the service is over, offer to take a guest to lunch. Some will refuse, because they have other things to do or are not ready for that kind of connection. That is more than okay. The ones who do this with the most effective results are youth. I have rarely seen a parent of a teen who is approached by other teens to take their daughter or son to lunch decline the invitation. But how do you know a person is a guest? That's part of the next installment of All About Fran.

What:  Building kits for students' Spring Break meals.

Where: Palm Valley Lutheran Church, 2500 E Palm Valley Blvd (SH 79), rain or shine.

When: Saturday, March 4, 9 am-12 pm. We will work until we run out of food, which may be well before our official Noon stopping time.  If you are delivering food, please plan to arrive by 8:30-8:45 am so we can get it organized.