FRIENDSHIP AND HOSPITALITY EVANGELISM
First and foremost, pray daily for the Holy Spirit to live in your heart. When He is revealed through our words and actions, our ministry will be far more effective (see Zechariah 4:6). Ask the Lord to guide you into how to best serve Him. Some of the following suggestions may seem more or less attractive to you. The ones that seem most attractive will probably be your spiritual gifts, because “His biddings are His enablings.”
• Pray for opportunities to speak lovingly of God and Jesus.
• Greet at church, or at least be aware of visitors and help them to feel at home.
• Be sure the various places in church are clearly marked, such as restrooms, children’s Sabbath School rooms, classrooms, etc.
• Give a simple welcome gift to visitors (such as an inexpensive mug with mints, tea bags, hand sanitizer, pen/pencil, or other items you feel visitors would like). Include a welcome note and an invitation to visit “our church” again. Make several of these ahead of time and store them at the church.
• Greet and welcome those who attend fellowship meals. Be sure no one sits alone.
• Become friends with neighbors; when you learn of their needs, pray with them.
• Become involved in community projects.
• Do acts of kindness for others. One pastor’s wife, who lives in a cul-de-sac, clears all her neighbors’ sidewalks with her snowblower when it snows. Neighbors come out to thank her and get to know her.
• If your neighbors don’t reach out to you when you move in, reach out to them. Make cookies and take them to their homes and introduce yourself.
• After people visit your church, visit them at home to thank them for coming and invite them to return. When possible, take along your spouse, an elder, a deaconess/deacon, or someone else interested in welcoming visitors.
• If you don’t enjoy entertaining at home, invite someone to go out for tea or lunch.
• If you’re a young mom, invite the moms in your neighborhood and their children to your home/ library/park. This can be a “play date” for the kids while you chat with the moms.
• Take soup, fruit salad, bread, etc. to neighbors, church friends, or members when they return home from the hospital or have been ill at home.
TRAIN CHILDREN AND YOUTH TO BECOME INVOLVED IN CHURCH
• Have them bake and decorate cookies, then take the cookies to neighbors of the church or residents of nursing homes.
• Involve young people in writing encouraging cards/notes to service members, visitors, or people who are lonely.
• Help children/young people learn to be greeters by having them greet with you.
