Welcomed and Wanted

Written by Lawrence Yoo

Think of a place where you felt welcomed and fully at home. For me, growing up, that

was the Zimmerman house. The Zimmermans were family friends with four daughters,

two who were close to my age and one who later became my wife Jina’s roommate in

college. Mr. Zimmerman was the choir director, and they were active in our church. My

group of friends used to call their house “the time warp,” because you had so much and felt so comfortable there that time just flew by. It meant so much to me to have a safe, loving place to experience family and to learn and grow (and to have a lot of fun).

I have often thought about what made their house that way. Why was it a time warp? As I reflect now, I see they did certain specific things to achieve this result:

1. Their house was comfortable and inviting. It didn’t feel like a museum. You weren’t afraid to touch things. You felt at home.

2. They made gestures to let us know we were wanted: they always had snacks,

   they made space in their schedule, they moved the cars off the driveway so we

   could play basketball.

3. They let us into their family showing us both some of the highs and the lows.

   Teenagers have a radar for genuineness, and we all felt they were “real.”

What would it look like for our church to represent this type of hospitality?

1. You can help make Waypoint a welcoming place by arriving early and looking for

   people you haven’t met before. Most visitors come early, and they can feel

   awkward not knowing anyone. The staff can’t meet every new person, we need

   your help.

2. Hospitality can also be shown by small gestures like giving up prime parking spaces

   and seats. Visitors tend to want to sit on the edges and in the back. By simply

   scooting into the center, we can make things easier for new people.

3. We can also be welcoming by being vulnerable in our community groups, men’s

   and women’s Bible studies, and other spaces. We can’t be perfect, but we can be

   open, honest, and kind.

Waypoint Church, we have the call and the privilege of being a welcoming family to our community, especially as Easter approaches. What a joy to work towards that goal

together and see what God will do in and through us!