Greetings in the Name of the Lord, 

Over the past year and a half the session has been working through a visioning process. I wrote a number of reflections on our new Mission/Vision statement about a year ago, and since then the session has been working to implement that vision with a series of goals. Those goals are beginning to get passed on to committees who will be finding ways to achieve them over the next few years. 

There is one goal that has already started gaining some good momentum, and that is around the work of hospitality.  This is not to say that we do a bad job at this task, I would heartily conclude that we are a very welcoming congregation, but there are a number of folks who believe we can be more intentional in the way we encounter visitors to worship and other members of the community that may engage in our programs. Just because we are good at something does not mean we can not get better. 

The good news is that there are many available resources on how Churches can be more inviting to guests and visitors, and we do not need to reinvent the wheel. The important work will be discerning which practices fit best into our culture.  We will be looking at marketing, social media, the way our space is set up, training our greeters, and developing practices in worship and beyond for all members.  
The session has recommended that an ad hoc hospitality committee be formed to look into specific practices we can implement to improve our interaction with guests, visitors and the surrounding community. The ad hoc committee will visit other churches, read through available resources, engage the congregation, and ultimately come up with a number of best practices for FPCV. 

If this is something you are interested in participating in, let me know and I will suggest you for the ad hoc committee. Even if you are an infrequent attender, a brand new member, or even a member-to-be, a diverse range of voices and experiences is important, and you are encouraged to participate.

And let's say you are not interested in joining a ad hoc committee, that's OK, make sure to share with the committee what you have seen happen at other churches, what worked for you at FPCV, what did not work. Again, a diverse set of viewpoints and experiences is really important for this particular project.

So do not hesitate to reach out, reach out to folks that may not come to church all the time, reach out to friends and family that attend other churches, gather info, share your experience, share your expertise, it is all so important to continuing to be the best church we can be.

In Peace, 

Mike