Help us remove some awkward!
You’re too early for the dinner party. We all know that feeling. You pull up to the house. There’s only one other car there. You check the calendar. Did you get the time right? The address? Sure does look right. Did you really need three dozen brownies for this thing? You don’t know these people well enough to be the first one to arrive. You just sit in the car and wait. Maybe more people will come. Awkward.
Help us remove some awkward! Did you realize that one of the gifts of hospitality is your very presence? Letting people know they’re on time. They’re in the right place. They’re not going to have to come up with the first thing to say because they’re not the first ones there.
You do that for other people when you come to church a little early and linger after. You remove two layers of awkwardness, maybe without even realizing it! You remove the person-to-person layer of awkwardness. Your car in the lot tells people there’s something happening. You having conversation with a friend in the lobby tells them that people like each other here. Your quiet reverence in the sanctuary tells them that’s a safe space to meet with God.
And that’s where the other level comes in. Your presence removes awkwardness for people learning how to meet with God. When you stand up when the music starts, they know that worship is embodied – we don’t just think about it; our bodies move and stand when we talk to God. When you close your eyes and lift your hands, you tell a visitor that there’s something, someone, you’re connecting with that you can’t see. When you look at your Bible (or your phone with lots of black and white print), they see that YOU think there’s something worth reading for yourself.
Can you help us provide this kind of hospitality in Port Orchard? I’m going to share a story about visitors during the worship services in Gig Harbor this week. A story of the hospitality that seven households of friends provided when they joined us for Tuesday night worship. Would you consider doing that, too?
We started meeting weekly for worship at Chapel Hill Port Orchard in October. We’ve had visitors every week. We want to help people connect with God and with the people of God at Chapel Hill Port Orchard. Your presence would be an incredible gift to us!
Be one of 10 households that commit to being regular attenders on Tuesday nights in spring (March, April, May) or summer (June, July, August). Email Paige at portorchard@chapelhillpc.org to let us know you want to be on the hospitality team by coming! We’d love the t-shirt size for you and anyone else in your home to make it official. The first 10 homes will get them free!
Here’s the details you need to know to spread the word that we’re here and ready to help Port Orchard connect with God and with community:
Wherever you worship, remember you’re not just there for yourself. You’re part of the mission to connect people with God and his community!
We’re in this together,
Pastor Megan