Welcoming the world

Click here to see our 2019 Confirmation students: Devlin Frost, Kendall Kostialik, Jennifer Patten, Jamie Scott, Javin Udo

“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.  Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of the people.  And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”                                                --Acts 2:44-47

            We get a lot of visitors at Atonement.  Some just want to check us out and see what Lutherans look like.  Some are vacationers or spring breakers.  Some are snowbirds looking for a “church down south.”  Some are family members visiting for the week.  Some are people new to the community or looking for a new church.  Some are people who have had a crisis in their life in the last month and need desperately to re-connect with God.  The list goes on and on.

            As our community grows, we have worked hard to make Atonement a safe and trustworthy “landing pad” for people to come and observe a Christian community at work.  Every worship service is an open door, a new possible entry point for visitors.  We now have 4 different entry points (until summer starts) ready to receive new people: Sunday services at 8:30am, 10am, and 11:30am, as well as our Saturday “godify” service at 5pm.  We have looked outward at our growing community and tried to create a schedule that will accommodate those who will be joining us in the future. 

            When I write to a visitor, I tell them “I hope you were warmly welcomed and felt the presence of God.”  That could mean different things to different people, but to me it means that somebody spoke to them, smiled at them, shook their hand and introduced themselves.  To me a warm welcome means you leave having made some new friends.  Your smile and welcome can make a difference in the way a visitor sees Atonement, and in the way someone views Christians in general.  You are an important part of our “hospitality team.”

            In Acts chapter 2, Luke describes the early church as a growing movement of people who are so close, they share their possessions with one another.  This is more than lending someone a bag of sugar, but actually pooling resources to take care of all who are in need.  This really happens here, in the ways we help travelers who have spent their last paycheck, in the way we feed families on Wednesdays, in the way we take up special collections for families that have lost their homes, in the way we give to hunger causes around the world. 

            The early church was not just a social welfare society.  They spent time together because God’s love had made them brothers and sisters to one another.  They encouraged and supported and prayed for each other, worshiping together in church (the temple) and at home (gratefully breaking bread).  We know it wasn’t all perfect, but this picture of the early church is given to us as an ideal to look towards, a pattern to follow. 

            They were also a part of their community.  Before there were persecutions, Luke tells us that the first Christians “had the goodwill of the people.”  We know that being a vital church means knowing the community around you, and being an integral part of the life of that community.  It means serving, but also being present and having a voice in that community.  The question is often asked of churches: “If your congregation closed down, would it make a difference?  Would anyone outside your church know the difference?”  We want to be a church that makes a difference.  I was delighted this Easter to hear reports that people in the new Wawa station down the street were overheard talking about our Easter vigil at the outdoor “tomb.”  We keep looking for new ways to proclaim to all that Jesus is Lord.

            We also want to do our best to make Atonement a place that welcomes all and is safe for all.  To that end, we are developing new policies and procedures regarding safety and security at the church.  We will be focusing on individual security and keeping the congregation safe in case of a disaster.  We have implemented a new policy regarding sexual harassment, copies of which are available in the entryway.   New guidelines for ushers are an attempt to help make the congregation safer as well as to give a warmer welcome to our newcomers. 

            We are also developing a new website, which we hope to have on-line in June.  This new website will present our congregation attractively for people checking us out on the web.  More and more of our visitors tell me that they found us online.  We will include an easy to navigate home page with our location and service times easy to find.  Feature pages will describe our ministries and a church blog will have running updates of things that are happening.  This website will include all essential information about our church and take the place of the pile of paperwork that we now give newcomers who attend our orientation.

            The website will also be replacing the current “Discovering God’s Love” newsletter.  We have published the newsletter regularly for many years, filling people in on what’s new and different around Atonement.  Now, it makes more sense to go online where people can share and access information 24/7.  I want to thank Ruby Agnir for her wonderful work in keeping the newsletter going.  Going forward, look for news and information on the blog and ministry pages of the new website. 

            We are a growing and changing church.  This is both a blessing and a challenge.  It is a blessing to see new faces, start new ministries, and help more people than ever before.  It is a challenge to reach those new people and learn new skills and technologies that are needed as we grow.  As in the early church when “day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved,” we find the Lord alongside us, giving us the strength and guidance to be His church in this new day and age.

Peace,

Pastor Scott