My Experience Serving on the Welcome Team

Written by Chris Daley

Once a month, on a Sunday morning around 9:45 am, or maybe closer to 10:00 am if I’m being honest, Ting-An and I arrive at the mostly empty church parking lot, coffee in hand and walk into the back lobby.

We’re both a bit nervous, but also excited; in just a few minutes we will get the privilege of welcoming folks, Waypoint members and visitors, believers and skeptics alike, as they arrive to gather together in community to worship, hear the Word preached, and fellowship with each other.

Some people might think they need to be extroverted and really good at remembering names and faces to serve in this way, but trust me, you really don’t. While I don’t consider myself an introvert, I know for a fact that I am terrible with names. (My apologies to many of you reading this who I have no doubt asked for your name on more than one occasion.) Serving on the welcome team has allowed me to meet fellow Waypoint members, and visitors, whom I otherwise would not have. I have consistently and gently been pushed outside of my comfort zone, and been blessed many times over in the conversations, connections, and friendships that we’ve formed that otherwise would not have happened had we not been a part of the Welcome Team.

While COVID-19 has changed almost every aspect of how we gather for fellowship on Sundays, from wearing masks, to avoiding handshakes and hugs, serving on the Welcome Team is still something we look forward to every time our turn to serve comes around. Even though I know I will likely have at least one awkward encounter where I ask someone if we’ve met before, and they kindly remind me that I met them the last month, I also know that we will get the privilege to be among the first to welcome folks, church members and non-church members alike, to a sacred time of worshipping, singing, crying, and rejoicing over all that is happening in their lives right now.

I love what Paul says in Romans 12:13 “When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”

All of us come together for worship on Sunday mornings because we need to be reminded of the grace that has been extended to us. I need to be reminded that God is at work even in the aspects of my life that feel dormant, or counter to the gospel that we profess. To be able to welcome the beloved children of the Lord into such a sweet and blessed time of fellowship is such a joyful task, even if it means getting to the church building a few minutes earlier on a Sunday morning.

If you are interested in joining the Welcome Team, please contact Grace@waypointrdu.com .