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greeting Tag

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

0 Comments

Guest Services Gathering – Posted on November 16, 2022 by Brendon

Mark 10:45 Jesus says – “ For even the son of man did not come to be serve d but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 13:34-35, Jesus says “ A new commandment I give to you, love one another as I have loved you, you must also love one another. BY THIS, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Paul talks about the church in scripture as being a body. One that is made up of may parts and all the parts have a purpose in making the body move, hopefully in a forward motion. As a Guest Services team, we are all a part of the body of Christ and we all have a part and purpose in making the church move.

If you are part of the parking team, you are the first line of experience for all of our guests. You are the first ones that will be able to smile to all of our new guests. You are the ones that take the edge off of where to park or where to go.

Golf carts, The Holy Rollers, you provide another experience touch when you drive those carts around the parking lot bringing people to the entrance doors. You provide a safe and easy environment for adults and kids alike to easily get to the building all the while smiling and having fun!

Greeters! You set the stage for what every guest will experience when coming into the building. Your warm and friendly smiles and hello/good morning make walls come down, especially for our new guests! You provide a safe experience touch that allows people to breathe easy as they come into the building.

Guest Central, you are the hub for all guests. And even when it is a little slow and may seem like you do more standing than you do talking, in the moments when a new family comes in and asks what the heck to do with their kids….you are there to greet them and walk them to Harvester Kids or the cafe or maybe even where the bathroom is.

Communion servers, we may not be serving communion by passing trays like we have in the past, but you are part of potentially the most important part of the service as a whole. As much as singing and listening to the word preached, you provide a welcoming face for those that are going to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus each and every week. And for those that clean up every service, you are providing a clean and put together space for all of our guests. Picking up the communion cups is definitely a role that is unseen, but you make a world of a difference. I like to think of it this way….if you walked into a movie theatre and were sitting down to a movie that you have been looking forward too and you sit down and have to walk over a pilled bag of popcorn and a couple of candy wrappers and soda spilled in your seat…..it wouldn’t be the best experience it could be.

Section Hosts, you are the hosts of the worship center. Your role is to help guests find seats and make it as easy as possible for them to enter into a worship space. You are also making connections and relationships with these guests that will mean more to them than you may ever know. Just two weeks ago, a section host brought back some new guests that she had met the week prior! You provide a service that is necessary and incredibly helpful for all guests when the lights go down in the room.

Living Room, this is the one space we invite every single new guest. Most churches don’t exactly know where to invite their new guests to and some preach this exact thought. The Living Room is where new guests move from being an acquaintance to a friend. There are two many stories of people that go into the living room nervous and afraid and coming out breathing a sign of relief. The connections made in the Living Room are some that will shape whether or not a new guest will find a home here at Harvester.

First Aid, you guys are the silent team that no one really ever sees, unless something happens, then you are in the middle of everything! You quietly and in anticipation wait for anything to come your way and whatever that might be, you are willing to help out. Trust me, at some point I know I am going to hear about someone bleeding all over the new renovation of Harvester Kids and its going to be my child……..I will breathe easy knowing who is in that room and what your hearts are about keeping people safe whether on a sunday or an event.

All of these teams have a place in making the Guest Experience a huge success!

A few months ago, we hired a new Local Outreach Pastor, Carissa Figgins, she brought with her a wealth of knowledge and an uncanny connection to St Charles county in a way that I could not even imagine. However she also brought the desire to see people encounter Jesus through serving. She introduced a book that we read as a team……aka I read about a 1/3 of it. But in the book it asked two questions:

What do you WANT to be KNOWN FOR? and What ARE you KNOWN FOR?

The difference in those answers could be the reason that an organization or maybe you as an individual could be missing something or in plain language, failing. Because if what you want to be known for, doesn’t match up with what you are known for…..then there is a disconnect somewhere in the organization or team or person.

So to ask this question of a Guest Services team, what do we want to be KNOWN For…….The answer:

TO BE THE MOST WELCOMING CHURCH ANYONE CAN EXPERIENCE

We see above that Jesus came to serve and not be served and also that by the love we show others, people will know that we are Jesus disciples. As a guest services team, this means the way we welcome each and every guest, old or new, should reflect the love we have for Jesus and the love Jesus has for every guest we encounter. This is what we should be known for.

I know, thats a great phrase and a great thought…..but How do we know if we are being sucessful or how do we know that we are being the most welcoming church anyone can experience…….by a measuring number.

1750 New Guests in 2023.

That is a large number! But it is one that is attainable as we venture into the new year. We will hopefully welcome and connect with close to 1300 new guests by the end of 2022 and I know that we have had more new guests come through our doors that have not made themselves known to us. But with the number above, what it will hopefully do is create an eyesight that looks and seeks out those that seem new or maybe just look lost. When we begin to shift our eye sight from our normal people to all those that come through the doors, our eyes start to see the new faces that we can introduce ourselves too.

Be Bold when you are parking. Be Bold when you are driving the golf carts. Be Bold when you are greeting. Be Bold when you have someone come to Guest Central. Be Bold when you are serving communion. Be Bold when you are helping someone sit in your section. Be Bold when you are speaking with someone in the Living Room. Be Bold when you are watching for injuries.

What does this mean for each one of us as individuals not just a team???

It means that all of us are Ambassadors for Jesus. As we step into a serving team, we are now being the hands and feet of Jesus which means we are ambassadors for Him. Do not ever think you are in a lowly spot or a lowly position. All the positions that you fill are important to the body of Christ and all of your have the ability and power to help lead someone to find and follow Jesus.

It means, all of us have to be recruiters. Because as we continue to see and identify more and more new guests, we will need more and more hearts to meet theirs. So we are going to be focussing on growing our teams so that we can continue to add and make more room for more Guest Services team members.

It also means that we are going to create more space. Starting January 8th, we will be moving to 3 services on Sunday mornings. 8am, 9:30am and 11am. This will allow us to create more space in the prime service times and hopefully begin to see more and more guests come into our building.

Guest Services is a team. A team built by multiple teams and hundreds of people. Together we can be a light in the world that is full of darkness and craziness.

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC, Jesus

by Brendon

0 Comments

amidst the chaos – Posted on November 9, 2022 by Brendon

” A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her ” Give me a drink.” – John 4:7

Could you just imagine this scene with me for a minute…a woman…in Jesus time being spoken to by a rabbi. Not likely. Jesus asking for a drink by this woman….more not likely. Then the woman in conversation with Jesus, a rabbi, not likely. But yet this is exactly where Jesus wanted to be. This was exactly the person that Jesus wanted to see and talk with. I have a feeling the woman had no thought of someone being at this well when she went. Historically, groups of women would go to the well to draw water together, but not this samaritan woman. She was by herself with no one to accompany her. She was by herself and minding her daily business by getting water.

Yesterday was voting day. It was a crazy scene at Harvester Christian Church. The church serves as a polling site for two precincts. One in our north lobby and one in our south. People were everywhere! People were also confused at which site they were supposed to be. No one was upset or angry, but just confused at where they should be. It reminded me of this moment with Jesus when this woman came near to draw water. As the people yesterday came wondering into the building looking for the civic duty they were about to perform, some of them came into the place that Jesus wanted them to walk in to.

I had the privilege of meeting one of these people yesterday. I have been charged with overseeing the candles for Christmas eve services. Doesn’t sound like much, but when you have a story that will never leave you, it is a big deal. The story is for another time, but as I power walked through the worship center to check on the battery powered candles…..I noticed a woman glancing around the lobby and the building. I could tell that this lady was looking for something, so in my grandest knowledge, I spoke up…..” can i help you?”

” Maybe, are you a member here?”

I was taken back. Not, I don’t know where to go or which precinct is this or where is the bathroom……are you a member here. There was something special about that question. She wasn’t looking for a staff member. She didn’t ask for a pastor. She didn’t ask for anything other than a member.

It struck me in a way that I wasn’t expecting. But then as I thought about it more, it made sense. The woman at the well didn’t ask who Jesus was when he addressed her. She actually never asked him his name. She spoke to him as if he was just asking for a drink. Until she realized he was a rabbi, then she talked to him a little different. What struck me about this lady that asked for a member was, she just wanted to talk to someone that goes to church in that church.

She had a lot to say. I listened to her concerns and how she had moved to the area 8 years ago to take care of her parents that have both unfortunately passed away. But now she was looking for a church to be a part of but she wanted to make sure that she was a part of a church that she could fit in to. That was one that she felt that she could ask questions and be heard and be able to grow in her relationship and understanding of Jesus.

The thing about asking a staff member something, or maybe it is a manager at a restaurant or a lead salesmen at a car dealer…..is more often than not, we have a canned answer. We live in a world where scripts and robots answer our phone calls and attempt to answer our questions. More often than not, we end those conversations being frustrated and our questions still not answered. So what did this lady do…she wanted to get the opinion and the answer to her questions from someone that goes to church.

I was humbled to talk with this woman for about 10 minutes or so as we talked about everything from how the worship service is created to how the old testament is just as important to understand as the new testament. We talked about the length of the service and what she could expect when she came in to encounter Jesus. All questions that anyone that goes to church could answer.

However, when the conversation was over, it struck me just how important and impactful being a member of a church is.

In the midst of the business that surrounded the moment and the day, a woman was looking for a place to encounter Jesus. She just wanted to talk to a member.

What if that was you?

What if you were approached by someone in the midst of your busyness and chaos of the day, would you have stopped?

The amount of chaos and hurry in our lives is sometimes just completely overwhelming. I feel it, almost on a daily basis. We wake up in the morning hurrying to make breakfasts and lunches for the kids to get to school. We have to get ourselves ready at the same time to take the kids to school or to go to work. And we go and go and go all day long until we get home to get the kids from school. Then the fun starts, balancing play time with school work and dinner prep and showers and picking up the house. Then bedtime is always, one more kiss, one more cuddle, one more song, 5 more minutes of reading, bedtime takes too long and you hurry through it to be able to just sit and do nothing. You finally get a chance to sit, then you look at the kitchen with all the dishes and the toys that are still out on the floor that you don’t want to step on in the middle of the night. So by the time you actually get to sit, its time for bed.

Go to sleep. Wake up. Do it all over again.

As much as I know Jesus was where he was on purpose. Jesus demonstrated something in this encounter with this samaritan woman that we need to be aware of……

When we have the chance to talk with someone on how they can encounter Jesus, it is better to stop and be in the moment rather than think about all the things you need to get done.

Being a member or an attendee is more than just going to church and leaving church.

Being a member or an attendee gives you the ability to help others encounter Jesus, wherever you are.

Don’t miss that opportunity because of the busyness and chaos that might be surrounding you.

February 23, 2023

in Church, HCC

by Brendon

0 Comments

A Recap Posted on May 17, 2021 by Brendon

” There will be so many of Gods sons/daughters there today who feel like they don’t belong. You get to be the grace of Jesus in flesh to them!” – Nikomas Perez

Receiving a text message like this on a Sunday morning is such a great reminder and a truth to what First Impressions is, each and every weekend.

First Impressions is so much more than just opening a door, or keeping a table full or helping someone park or driving them to a door.

First Impressions is the starting point and ending of an entire experience.

John 13:34-35 says ” A new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I love those words from Jesus. They are so true and so meaningful in today’s world. As much as Jesus was teaching the disciples that were with him in the upper room that night when he said these words, Jesus was giving us a new command to follow through with always.

First Impressions is a team that consists of multiple teams under the umbrella of that phrase. The teams consist of parking, golf carts, guest central, greeters, communion, Living Room and Belong. All of these teams combined create the First Impressions umbrella that we all serve under. Each one doing it’s own part and each serving a different function of the whole.

The whole? Is the mission of Harvester Christian Church and hopefully all churches, it may sound different, but to lead people to find and follow Jesus is the mission. That is the whole that First Impressions is a part of. No matter which position you fill or role you play in the umbrella of First Impressions, you are playing a critical role in the mission.

Each weekend there are guests that come to a building whether being for the first time, church shoppers or someone moving into the area looking for a place to be welcomed and loved no matter what.

No where in Jesus’ teachings or life did He say or teach that only certain people would be welcomed to the church. No where did Jesus not help someone that came to him. Jesus was always ready. Jesus was always welcoming and loving to anyone that came near. He teaches and commands the disciples when He was on earth and as He is in Heaven to be ready for any and all that will come and listen to the good news of His life and grace.

The goal of our First Impressions teams, is to create a remarkable guest experience each and every weekend for all guests that come to worship Jesus. Whether it is their first time or their millionth time. Every guest that comes into church should have a remarkable guest experience.

Think of it this way: when we do our part, Jesus will do his.

So what is our part?

Mark 10:45 says “For even the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

Our part in this whole thing……is to serve.

We have a part in creating a remarkable guest experience by being there. Showing up us one of the hardest things to do in life. Whether it is in church or in life. There are so many obstacles and so many hindrances that can stop us from showing up.

When we show up, Jesus shows up.

Be willing. Be ready. Be part of the whole. Be present.

Our First Impression team has the ability to shape an experience for someone that has never been to church and be able to meet Jesus for the first time.

A great example of this is the experience that you get when you go to Disney world. Everything is immaculate. It is clean, it is organized, it is fun and the memories that are made can last a lifetime. My own kids remember our first trip as a family to Disney World. I remember it like it was last summer but in reality it has been 3 years. We took our 3 year old and 5 year old to Disney for the first time and we last 11.5 hours without one meltdown or fight or argument. We got there early and stayed for the fireworks at Cinderella’s castle.

How did we last that long?

God’s grace…..but really it was the experience that we all received when we went. We were greeted with smiles…before masks….and sent off with a smile. And everything in between was treated with the utmost respect and accuracy.

We may not have face sized rice crispy treats or rides or characters running around in parades.

But what we do have….

Is a God who sent his son to die on a cross to take away our burden of sin and give us eternal life through grace that we do not deserve.

That is worth showing up for and being a part of.

February 23, 2023

in Church, Discipleship

by Brendon

0 Comments

Serving is hard. Posted on May 14, 2019 by Brendon

In life you hear a lot about serving. Serving here, serving there, serve when, serve now. Not a bad thing at all. But there is a larger aspect of this idea of serving that has come to light in recent days over conversation with friends and family. The larger question that we have to ask ourselves is: Why are we serving, or better yet, how do we serve for not just ourselves?

It is an interesting distinction when you begin to think about those two questions. Because on the one hand, we could all give the correct sunday school lesson answers that we gave when we were 6. But why does it seem to get harder and harder to serve when we grow up? Ok maybe some of us haven’t ‘grown up’ but our age in number has gone up.

Over the past few days, through some conversation and study there are few things that lead me to these questions:

To be frank, serving was never something that I got when I was growing up. When serving opportunities came around, I joined not really caring about the serving but because all of my friends were going and I wanted to be with them and have a good time with them. The serving was the backside of the reason for serving. However as I have grown and have begun to understand what it was that Jesus meant when he states in John 13:15, that his example is there for us to follow. It still seems blurry at times of WHY serving is so important.

John 13 is a passage that everyone has probably heard whether in story or in a sermon somewhere. But John 13 is one passage that can outline and shape the way we look at serving:

John 13:1-17 is the story of Jesus, in his last week of life coming to a table with his disciples as they are about to partake in the holy supper for the Passover feast. At the beginning of the night, before anything even happened, Jesus noticed that the room was prepared but there was nothing or no one to wash the feet of those reclining at the table. So Jesus, the Son of God gets up, takes off his outer garments (because cleaning feet is not clean or neat – it’s messy) and grabs a towel and a basin and begins to wash each and every one of his disciples feet. To the amazement of the disciples as they watched this happen, they really didn’t know what to say or do. Jesus at the end of this even states – ” You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” It was a perplexing moment in time that left people speechless and even the ones that did speak just spoke, with no thought.

A few moments later, after he calls out the disciple that is going to betray him, Jesus takes to the stage again for a swan song lesson and a command to his disciples and anyone else that was there with them.

John 13: 33-35 – Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

A new command I give to you – to love one another.

So if we are going to be disciples of Jesus and if we are going to say that we follow Jesus – then we ought to love one another the way that Jesus loves us.

Peter was one of the ones that were in the room with Jesus when this timeless situation took place. He was actually one that really just didn’t know what to say and just started talking. He was always like that, Peter even took off a guards ear because he was zealous to protect Jesus.

Peter went on to lead the church from the beginning in the book of Acts and he continued to raise up disciples and became an elder in the church. Peter also wrote letters that are in the scriptures. One of those passages take this a little idea of serving and the questions of why do we serve and how do we serve without worrying about us a step further.

1 Peter 5:5 – ……And all of you, serve each other in humility for ” God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

So why do we serve? Because Jesus told us to serve others the way he served us.

How did Jesus serve us? We see in John 13 that taking on the role of a slave or house keeper, that he humbled himself before everyone else and washed their feet.

How do we serve not just for our own needs? We humble ourselves like Jesus and put others before us.

The outcome – we become disciples of Jesus that listen and follow the new command that Jesus gave to his disciples in the upper room.

When we gather together to serve, when we serve each other in our homes, when we serve our kids, when we serve our wives, when we serve our neighbors, when we serve our parents, when we serve the annoying neighbor or grouchy lady in the grocery store…….

We will be loving others the way Jesus loved us by humbling ourselves and serving everyone out of the love that we have from Jesus in our lives.

Humility leads us to love one another. Loving one another leads us to serving those all around us.

greeting Tag

Guest Services Gathering – Posted on November 16, 2022 by Brendon

amidst the chaos – Posted on November 9, 2022 by Brendon

A Recap Posted on May 17, 2021 by Brendon

Serving is hard. Posted on May 14, 2019 by Brendon

From the HCC Outreach Team: