September 2010

From the Minister
The Manse
10 Arthog Road
Hale

Brian Jolly writes about people who want to join us...

Gerard Kelly, who led the Bible studies at this year’s General Assembly of the United Reformed Church at Loughborough University in July, reported that recent research said that 3 million people in the UK would be willing to become involved in the worship and life of the church if only they were asked!

I do not know what research produced this number or how reliable it is, but even if the number is halved there are a lot of people willing to join us for worship and friendship and discipleship if we are prepared to ask them along!

Many of us find it difficult to talk to others about our faith, but a simple invitation to others to join us for worship is something we can all do without too much difficulty.

Who are these 3 million people? Well, we can be certain that some live very close to us - next door, along the road or round the corner! Some will have been part of the life of a church some time in the past, maybe this church or another church, and for whatever reason stopped attending. Others will never have been part of the church and will have experienced the church only through attendance at a baptism, a wedding or a funeral. There will be those who have been on the edge of church life for a long time but who have only been to worship occasionally, and maybe not for a long time. Most will be quite nervous, if not scared, about coming through the doors of a church again.

Of course, if we invite them and they come we need to be sure that we can offer them a warm welcome, and that we do not overwhelm or ignore them. We need to be sure that there is a pleasant and open atmosphere in the vestibule and the worship area and during refreshments afterwards.

And we must want them to be part of the life of the church, we must be open to welcoming their new ideas, and we must look forward to being changed ourselves and having the church changed as a result of their joining us.

Most local churches of every denomination believe that they couldn’t be more welcoming to new people, whereas the reality in some cases is that new folk have never returned after the first visit because no-one spoke to them, or they picked up the vibes that all was not well.
I believe that at both our worship centres, at Trinity Hale and at Woodlands Timperley, we are now able to offer to others the kind of welcome we would like to receive ourselves if we were attending church for the first time - but to be sure it requires a positive and pleasant approach from everyone.

So let’s go for it! Let’s have in our prayers and our hearts these 3 million or so people in the UK who want to become involved in the life of the church. Let each of us play our part in extending the invitations to them. And let’s be sure that when they respond we can offer them the welcome God in Jesus would expect of us.