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Visitation program building connections in Southeast
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October, 2003
Volunteers from around the Southeast Area have been leaving their customary pews to attend worship in neighboring churches, in a pilot visitation program that is building Conference connections.
At a recent visit at the First Church of Christ in Sandwich, a team of visitors attended worship and then met with about 30 clergy and lay leaders afterwards. The visitors – lay people and retired clergy – were there from neighboring churches on behalf of the Massachusetts Conference.
Sitting in a semicircle, those who gathered were encouraged to share what they found exciting at their church.
They talked about a popular preschool, church school, a contemporary worship service and active music groups.
They were then asked how the Massachusetts Conference, as represented by its staff, could be of assistance. Suggestions included better communication as to what resources are available to folks in the pews.
It was a typical exchange for these visits, which have been going on since spring and will be wrapping up this fall.
“We’ve really gotten good feedback on the program” said Dale Hempen, Associate Conference Minister for the Southeast Area. “People seem to appreciate that representatives from the wider church are taking the time to visit. It’s just like in the local church – people appreciate visits.”
The idea for the program stemmed from a task team convened a few years ago to look at ways to increase giving to Our Church’s Wider Mission Basic Support. The team realized that people in the churches often don’t feel connected with the wider church.
“We realized that we need to deal with the relationship first,” said Paul Clayton, who is spearheading the program. “We need to get connected, not to talk about money, but to get our covenant together acknowledged.”
Hempen said the program has been a gift, not just to those being visited but to those doing the visits as well.
“The visitors are learning about other churches, and about how differently we all go about things,” he said. “These are the side gifts of the program.”
Reports from each visit noting what the churches are excited
about and what they might need are being shared with the
Conference staff.
The
program may
be duplicated
in other areas in the future.