Spring finally has arrived – and our thoughts and feelings move outward to the warm beauty of nature growing all around us. And maybe that is a lesson for us as a congregation – God calls us to look outward in a warm way to touch the lives of others, to welcome and invite people to experience God’s love in a caring community like our church. Some suggestions:

· Wear your name tags in worship!

· Introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. Just say something like “I don’t think I know you – my name is…”  That way you don’t have to wonder if the person is a visitor or a member!

· Take some real, and deliberate, time to look around you at people you know (in the neighborhood, at work or school, at some social activity) and try to identify one or more people (who aren’t active in another church) that you would like to invite to worship or to some special activity coming up (the May 10^th Women’s Spring Event, VBS, etc.) – and be sure to offer to bring them or meet them here, to help them feel more comfortable in coming.

· Be on the lookout for visitors and go out of your way to make them feel at home.

· Be thinking of ways that we can reach out to our larger community to meet needs – and then help us act to meet those needs.

· Take one of the Teddy Bears in our sanctuary and give it to someone who could use a bear hug, in the name of our congregation.

· And think of what else you can to – be creative, and help spread the warmth of Christ’s love beyond our congregation!

—Pastor Richard