Is it a requirement to post our blogs in the morning? I didn’t realize that! Well, anyway…
Ryan and I were at a church in Tulsa, OK two Sundays ago. This was our second time to this church and Sunday School class there (it is Ryan’s parent’s church). Both times in the SS Class we noticed the same thing. Walking into the room, everyone in the room is standing up. We get greeted right away and told about the coffee and donuts, and offered to take a seat.
Sitting down actually feels kind of awkward there since all the members are standing up! They continue standing until the lesson starts. Oh, I should mention that because they are all standing, they are all talking to each other. They’re not facing the front wall, zoning into their own thoughts (which I am guilty of), but they are facing the entrance and communicating with the other members, greeting those who arrive, and not ignoring anyone (well at least it seems this way to us).
This just impressed us both times, so I thought it was something worth making a note of. Not that our class needs to stand up until our lesson starts (especially in the teensy room we’re in currently). But this SS Class made a good impression on us as visitors, and I thought it was worth making a note of.
By the way, I think our new class does great at greeting visitors, too!
Erika
Good thoughts Erika. We all need to work on coming out of our comfort zones to make people feel welcome and a part of our community. I know I need to. Thank you for the encouragement.
I think this is a great thing to make sure we are all doing. It is too easy to stay in our comfort zone and not really engage in conversation with anybody new. It is safe, right?But think of all the wonderful people you could miss out on meeting! I know that when I was first a visitor to the old young friends class there were very few people who spoke to me. You all know me, I am not really a shy person, however, entering a Sunday School class where most of the people have known each other for what seems like FOREVER was intimidating to me and I didn’t feel completely comfortable to just start talking to people. Aren’t we all lucky that changed
Later on, when I really started to be a member of the calss I said to Jason and Jen that I was going to make sure that I was not ever going to be treat a visitor the same way I was treated! So, whether or not somebody wants to talk to me I was going to attempt a conversation. The way I see it, sometimes we all need a little nudge! Think about it…how boring would your life be if you didn’t know me 
LOL!
Thanks for the comments, Marlaina & Marissa!
Marlaina, it’s definitely intimidating entering a room full of people you don’t know, and sometimes it is even when you DO know them (or maybe that’s just me?). I’m sorry that it was difficult for you coming to our class in the beginning.
It is good, though, that we can learn from your experience and be reminded of how visitors feel when they visit our class. This way we can try to reach out to them sooner.
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