An Open Door Invitation

Half way through the first hymn I noticed a man enter the church and slip into a pew. He was not someone I recognised. A churchwarden handed him a hymn book and he joined in the rest of the service.

At coffee afterwards I discovered that he was from overseas and a regular visitor to his daughter who lived locally. Somehow he’d previously formed the impression that the little Church of Ireland church was not open for worship. That morning he had been walking by when he saw a bright new notice board on the church wall. The church gate was open and he saw that the driveway had been resurfaced recently. At either side of the church door, attractive planters were full of flowers giving the place a cheerful and inviting look. He then heard the words of a familiar hymn come from inside the building so he abandoned his trip to the shop and came to church. He had appreciated the welcome and enjoyed the service and promised to attend our church the next time he was back.

Impressions can count. One of the many things we did as part of the Church 21 programme was audit the exterior of our churches. We saw that our notice board was largely hidden, tired looking and minus the address of our new website and that the gravel driveway was difficult for those with buggies and the elderly. The church was wonderfully cared for inside, but we hadn’t really thought about the image we presented outside.

This is just one small example of how Church 21 has made a positive difference to our parish. It’s the little things that can make a big difference.

Canon Adrian Wilkinson, Rector of the Douglas Union, Cork

Posted by John Ryan on 10 Dec 08

Comments

Post a comment:

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Your Comment:

Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?