Ambassadors of Welcome

I’ve appreciated the kind words about the church website updates that I’ve received. It was fun to do those updates! Our church is beautiful, and I would like to show it off more. If you haven’t been in the sanctuary around 4:00 on a sunny afternoon for a while, I would welcome you to give me a call at the church office and come by someday. It is really stunning what our stained glass does for the sanctuary.

As of this printing, however, we are without a website. We have let our subscription with Unite360 lapse; it cost $500 per year, and that simply cost too much. I’m in the process of designing a new website with wix.com; 3 years of hosting will cost $360 total, a savings of over $1100 over those 3 years.

I am also thinking of the ways in which we could maximize our web presence, and use the internet to expand the reach of our Gospel message of welcome. The Lutherans (and other Christian denominations) have an important concept that affects all of us: the Priesthood of All Believers. We are all a “royal priesthood” we hear in the First letter of Peter (1 Peter 2:9). We are also all Ambassadors of Welcome. We are all empowered by God to welcome everyone in Jesus’s name, both here and in our daily lives.

So here’s my idea for a project that will help Trinity reach into the community as we reinvent and reinvigorate our website. I would like to video members of Trinity, individuals or couples, giving their best statements of welcome for use on the website—maybe 1-2 minutes each. These days, story brings people in to communities that they might be seeking, including church communities. I know that we each have a story of what has drawn us to Trinity, and what has kept us here as members and friends, in some cases for many years. I will ask folks to be part of this project, but please also feel free to volunteer to be one of our Ambassadors of Welcome. Anyone can do it!

Thank you for your ministry and commitment to our community in Christ. Each of you, each member and friend of our congregation, is a valuable part of this Body of Christ. You are welcome here.

You are loved in Jesus’s name!

Bless you each day,

Pastor Chris