Tag: Welcome

Welcome as Christ Has Welcomed You!
“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).

This verse of scripture is right out of last Sunday’s reading from the Epistle to the Romans. It is a reminder to us of how vital hospitality is to life in Christian community. St. Martin’s has a long-standing commitment to hospitality, radical hospitality. The banner on the side of the church boldly and unequivocally says,

For ten years I have served as an intentional interim. I have served eight parishes in seven states. Those parishes were in small towns, medium towns, suburbs, downtowns, and metropolitan areas. All of them work very hard at inviting people to come and see what God is up to among them. All of them work very hard at extending a genuine and generous welcome. All of them take great care to follow up with those who visit. None of them can match the number of first-time visitors we have at St. Martin’s!

The people of this parish have a golden opportunity week in and week out to extend a welcome to people who are new, people who are on a spiritual journey, people who are seeking a community of faith with whom they can grow in their relationship with God and as disciples of Jesus Christ. When we welcome the stranger, or one another for that matter, we are following the example of Christ who welcomed us and we are glorifying God.

Someone once told me that God sends people to churches when God can trust them to take care of them. Consider the possibility that God is sending people to us. Here are some specific ways you can help keep St. Martin’s a welcoming church.
- Look for people you don’t recognize and speak to them before you speak to anyone else. If you are afraid you’ll be embarrassed if they tell you they aren’t new to St. Martin’s, don’t worry. Nobody ever died from embarrassment.
- When you approach someone who might be new, just say, “Hello. Welcome to St. Martin’s. My name is _________. Have I met you before?”
- Invite new people to sit with you during worship or to join you at Coffee Hour after the service.
- If you notice that someone is having difficulty juggling the prayer book and hymnal, gently offer assistance.
- Invite new people to join you for brunch at a restaurant nearby.
- Encourage newcomers to fill out a visitor card.
- Wear your name tag and encourage newcomers to wear one too. Paper name tags and sharpies are at the entrances to our gathering places.
- Contact Flo Lowrey and offer to serve as a greeter, bake bread for newcomer gift bags, or to staff the new Welcome Table in the parish hall during Coffee Hour once a month.
- Invite newcomers to events other than worship. There are many different entry points.
- Keep a note card to remind you of the names of the people you meet.
- Pray for them.
Any or all of these ways of welcoming others will help ensure that St. Martin’s is known as the most welcoming and inclusive church around. Newcomers will experience the hospitality of God through the hospitality of God’s people!

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas
December 12, 2019
Ron’s Farewell Discourse

As I draw closer to the completion of my ministry among you at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, I’m mindful of so many things I need to do and say. Was this how Jesus was feeling during the time leading up to the Ascension? He sure took the time to give some instructions, provide some reminders, and make some promises before saying goodbye. I think I will too.

My last Sunday will be June 16. I’ll preside over the Vestry one more time on June 17. My first event at St. Andrew’s was the Dean’s List and so it will be the last on June 18. Then, on June 19, we will head for our house in Arlington, Texas. I’ll be on vacation for the rest of the month. Anne Maxwell will become your Dean on July 1 and you will soon begin to experience an entirely new transition. You’ve had time to “practice” on David Elliott and me for almost three years. I hope you’ve experienced some things that will help you step into a new era of mission with a new spiritual leader.

Here are a few things that are on my mind as I prepare to leave you:

• We’ve emphasized involvement, created or revitalized groups to pursue God’s mission, and developed charters to guide their work. There's a healthy process in place to help a lot of people do a lot of good. If you are involved, thank you. If you are not, take some time to discern how God may be calling you to get involved. HERE is a pretty complete description of how things are organized at this time. Where might you connect and express the gifts God has given to you?

• There’s a new online pictorial directory. Have you logged in and provided a photo? Your new Dean will want to get to know you, know how to find you, and recognize your face. If you have not already signed up, please take a few minutes to do that. HERE is the information you will need.

• Another way you can help your new Dean (and fellow communicants as well) is to wear a nametag. We’ve placed blank ones and Sharpies at entrances and gathering places. If you have a permanent name tag that you bring to the Cathedral with you, that’s great. But if you forget it, these are always here.

• Invite / Welcome / Connect. Don’t be shy about inviting others to St. Andrew’s. It doesn’t have to be to a worship service. Almost any event can be an entry point for newcomers. And, don’t be shy about speaking to people. Introduce yourself, show newcomers the way to Coffee Hour, help them navigate our beautifully complex liturgy, and be the “Face” of St. Andrew’s. Also, don’t be shy about connecting people to others in our loving Cathedral community. They very well may be looking for a community like ours.

• Set the example as the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Mississippi. The diocese is looking to St. Andrew's for leadership, encouragement, resources, and hospitality, all of which are here in abundance. Join the Cathedral Guild. Serve in a diocesan role. Look for opportunities to be a representative of the Cathedral in the City of Jackson and beyond. St. Andrew's is not just another big church; you are the Cathedral Church, serving the diocese and the Bishop.

• Pray for your Bishop, Dean, Canons, Staff and the leadership of the Cathedral. Prayer has made a difference during the past three years. It will continue to be the one thing we all have in common. (Get it? Common Prayer?)

• Show up. Your presence matters. It matters to you, when you didn’t feel like coming and something happens that changes your life. It matters to others, when the room is full of singing, praying, loving people and when the smile on your face or the sound of your voice is exactly what someone else needs to get through another week. It matters to God, who calls you to worship and service and dwells among God’s own people.

• I have invited you to view Christian stewardship as a spiritual practice, which, like prayer, strengthens your faith, hope, and love. You have responded in amazing ways and I pray that you have found the practice to be everything I told you it would be and more. “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God” (2 Cor. 9:12-13)

• Remember that Gay and I love you and will think of you often wherever we may be. Our time with you has enriched and changed our lives. We are grateful for your lavish hospitality and generous friendship.

The best days, the golden years, of St. Andrew’s Cathedral lie just ahead. God’s promise to Israel is yours as well: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:11-14).

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue

Interim Dean

St. Andrew’s Cathedral

Jackson, Mississippi

June 6, 2019
Together in the Journey of Transition

Gay and I are grateful for the extraordinary ways in which we are being enfolded in the embrace of St. John’s! The generous welcome and hospitality you have extended is helping us to get acquainted with the parish and get started in the work of transition. Permit me to mention several things that will be central to the fruitfulness of this season of transition.

Momentum in Mission ~ As I meet with key leaders and ministry groups, I am finding a healthy and vibrant momentum in your pursuit of Christ's mission. We will look for ways to encourage that forward movement. In some cases, that will mean doing exactly what you are already doing. In other cases, we will be looking at next steps, which will involve expansion or refocus. In still other instances, we will be looking at new initiatives.

Search Process ~ The process of searching for and calling a rector is a process of mutual discernment. In the past few years, this process has changed in positive and important ways throughout The Episcopal Church. Each Diocesan Bishop, with the support of the Office of Transition Ministries, directs a process tailored to the diocese and congregation. Our parish leadership will work closely with the diocesan transition officer, Canon Tristan English, as the process unfolds. In the early stages of the process, members of the parish will be asked to provide information that will allow development of a contemporary and accurate profile of the parish. At each stage of the process, the parish will be provided with as much information as possible.

Focus Areas of Transition ~ You will hear frequent references to “Focus Areas of Transition.” They are:

Heritage: Understanding and celebrating the history of this congregation and its relationship to previous clergy, the community, and the diocese.

Mission: Discovering the congregation’s unique identity, what it is called by God to be and to do, in accordance with and apart from previous clergy leadership.

Leadership: Encouraging and facilitating naturally evolving shifts in leadership roles which occur in times of transition and allowing new leaders to come to the forefront in creative and constructive ways.

Connections: Assisting the congregation in discovering how they can bless one another, the larger community, and their present and future clergy. Continuing relationships with the diocese, so that each may support the mission and work of the church.

Future: Building commitment to the leadership of the new Rector in order to move into the future with openness to new possibilities. These five tasks are the work of the congregation and are ongoing, not sequential, in nature. They represent the key ways in which the parish takes an honest look at itself. As we make decisions, we will ask lots of questions and have lots of conversations.

My Priorities ~ In addition to the usual duties of a rector, I will facilitate the five focus areas. I will also devote particular energies to several areas of parish life that the Vestry and I will identify together as opportunities for special attention of the parish and focus of my vocational experience and gifts.

Congregational Health ~ St. John’s is already a very healthy congregation! So, as we journey together during this transition, we will be mindful of the overall health of the congregation and its missionary activity. Four of the most important elements of congregational health are good communication, trust, mutual accountability, and healthy interpersonal behaviors.

In all things, we want to prepare every aspect of the life and ministry of the parish to receive your new rector and ensure that your ministry with your new rector is positive and fruitful in every possible way.

I'll see you in church!

The Rev’d Ron Pogue Interim Rector

February 19, 2015