Church Hunting

So this Sunday we tried the first of (hopefully not too many) churches. We were really excited about this church, their website was great and they emphasized small groups and outreach. I really thought this might be the church we landed in. But we made it through the whole visit without anyone really coming up and talking to us. (Beyond saying hi and 'what a cute baby'.) TJ and I were on the welcome team at Center Point, but I really took for granted what an important job it is. I felt so awkward being a visitor. It was like we floated in and floated out. They had great worship, a cool building, and everyone seemed really happy to be there, but I came away with the realization that if you're not reaching out to the new people who come in, all of that stuff doesn't do you any good. I remember feeling so weird about talking to new people in the other churches I've been a part of, not knowing what to say, even though I wanted to make them feel welcome. I think from now on I'll just suck it up and stumble through some sort of conversation until I find something to talk about. :-) Wherever we end up, more than anything else I want to be on the welcome team. I guess the point of this is to encourage anyone who reads this. If you see new people at your church and you want to say hi, but you're not sure what to say - try. Anything. For all you know, they're exactly what your church needs.