Seen, Known, and Loved: The Ministry of Welcome

By Katy Miller

"Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." - Romans 15:7

I come back to this verse often when I think of the purpose and function of the Welcome Team on a Sunday morning. While the role of a greeter, usher, or parking attendant may not require hours of prep-work ahead of time to fulfill, each member of our team steps into Spirit empowered and gospel-driven titles as they put on their name tags early Sunday morning. Awaiting the arrival of both our regular church family, and newcomers looking to be part of a church family, the Welcome Team is often the first glimpse of Christ's love on display as you cross the threshold of Oak Hill. We get the privilege of "setting the table," if you will, for the feast of God's Word about to be served during our worship service, and we do that by extending a welcome that reflects the welcome of Jesus.

Last year at our all-team meeting we spent time together meditating on this verse, and coming up with adverbs that describe how Christ has welcomed us.

Intentionally.

Unreservedly.

Graciously.

Lovingly.

Sacrificially.

Joyfully.

And each Sunday, we get to do the same. With desire to reflect our perfect Savior, we trust the Spirit leads us to help each person feel seen and loved in tangible ways as they come to church on Sunday morning.

I see this played out in multiple ways each Sunday as I watch our team serve! I see it when our parking attendant greets newcomers in the parking lot as they arrive, while also taking time to talk with the group of kids playing outside until church begins. I see it as the security usher smiles, laughs, and greets people as they walk through the door, while being intentional to sure our children's area is secure and safe. I see it as our greeter purposefully greets people by name, and often includes their children to hand out sermon notes. Whether our team is checking in children to classes, helping a family find seats, or giving gifts and spending extra time with visitors, each act is an opportunity to "welcome others as Christ has welcomed us."

If you're not a member of the Welcome Team, I hope this spurs each of us in our role to maintain a welcoming culture here at Oak Hill (or maybe this inspires you to join us!) The welcome of Christ becomes visible through his people, so let's use each Sunday morning to let people walking through our door know that they are seen, known, and loved