HELLO!

We experienced quite a “jump” in attendance on Sunday. I was taken a back, it normally takes mainline churches until October to return to “full-strength”. I know several people who are still away, several of our choir members are dealing with illness or at their cottage. But on Sunday it was the opposite of how I remember the first services I attended at Woodlawn, in the summer of 2024. Then we had a huge choir and a lot of empty gray chairs. By 10:20 am, as people kept drifting into the sanctuary, many of our chairs were filled. It was a great feeling, a lot of energy, and as an extrovert, the more people in a space the more I come alive as a preacher. The only downside of such a service is I don’t see as many individual faces. As a result, when I call someone to see how they are, “I haven’t seen you in some time” they reply, “I was in church on Sunday”. Oops! It makes it harder for me to identify when people have been absent. But that is hardly a problem, we all prefer more people.

Several of the newcomers are people long-time members and new arrivals have invited, relatives, neighbours, friends, even some co-workers. And some are folks I first met at various funerals I help plan and lead in HRM. When I introduce myself at the beginning of the service (I never did this until one woman sternly told me after a funeral, “You don’t put your name in the bulletin, you don’t tell us who you are, are you hiding from the law?” She was kidding, but she made her point. I now include my name in the service and introduce myself, but only at the beginning) I also include the name of the church I am serving. Another source of newcomers are the persons who come to engage Bethe in her Healing Pathway sessions (she has a designated room for this). 35 people joined the church last year, and many others, who are formal “members” come every Sunday and attend our programs and events. BUT, newcomers will only return after their initial visit if they are warmly greeted, someone speaks to them, if the energy and spirit of the hour moved them. The final decision, whether to return or not, is often based on hospitality.

“It takes a village” as the proverb says. It takes a team approach to attract newcomers to a church. We are all in this together. Peace, Kevin