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At our church, we want to make sure that our guests feel welcomed and wanted. So, we’ve recently changed some things up at our 11:00am service. Did you notice?
Here are a few changes that we’ve made to enhance the guest experience at our service.
The End of an Era: No More Announcement Videos
The announcement videos were great! They were a helpful resource. They helped convey important information to our regulars… and therein lies the need for a change. The very first piece of programming that guests experienced at the outset of the service wasn’t really for them. The announcement videos were for us, the people who already read the bulletin, see the pre-service slides in the lobby, see the pre-service slides in the auditorium, visit the church Facebook page, get calls and text reminders about events from our friends, and basically know what’s going on. So, it’s time to retire the announcement videos for now. I’m not saying that they didn’t serve a purpose or that they weren’t good. Honestly, I enjoyed making them. I enjoy being the “voice behind the curtain” so-to-speak. Doing voiceovers is awesome. But, we want to prioritize making our guests feel welcomed and wanted. Thus, the change.
Prioritizing the Guest Experience
So now, we’re opening up our 11:00am service with a welcome video. We think it will helpfully welcome our guests and engage them early. It should be a good set up for the opening song and handshaking time, which is already a hallmark of our welcoming experience. So, enjoy that welcome video, and get ready to welcome our guests with a friendly smile and a firm handshake.
And then, we’ve also upgraded our guest gift. Many of you have read with us The Purpose Driven Life, and you’ve been greatly inspired by it. Well, we now offer a taste of the book in a booklet entitled What on Earth Am I Here for?. It’s a great introduction to God’s plan for us all. And of course, we sweeten the gift bag with a handful of quality chocolate nuggets from Hershey. Our guests can even enjoy them during the service if they get a little hungry.
On top of the church service experience, we also touch base with our new friends during the week. We send a welcome postcard their way as well as a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. Everyone enjoys the cookies!
Summing It All Up
So there you have it, we’re enhancing our guest experience. The video announcements were fun, but we don’t really need them, and this transition frees up our staff to focus on other areas of ministry. Now, let’s get out there and make our guests feel welcomed and wanted!
February 11, 2014 in Blog, Church Events, On Mission by PABC
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Reading of Psalm 42:7
Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
Reflection on Psalm 42:7
This is a stretch to be sure, but this could also be taken to refer to a church service or body of believers. “Deep calls to deep” …in other words, in a river, “depths” of many rivers converge into one, until they all fall together off the edge of a cliff, making the resonant chorus that is a waterfall. The many rivers must all converge and go in the same direction, they must all take the plunge together as well. Then at the base of the waterfall, they achieve their greatest power and beauty, as “deep calls to deep.” God’s presence and power will be strikingly absent unless our churches accomplish three things. One, our rivers must converge. We have to have the same mission and be going the same direction. Two, “deep” must call to “deep.” God didn’t say “shallow calls to shallow.” We have to get in on each others lives, on the depths, really understanding who we are, connecting with, and praying for one another. Finally, we must all take the plunge together. All the rivers of the waterfall have to dive together, take the leap of faith together, in order for the waterfall to achieve maximum force. If a river cuts out early, it’s taking some force with it (not to mention other rivers). Our churches must be defined by missional agreement, true love, and risk taking faith. Only then will we begin to hear the depth of God himself in our choruses.
(This reflection was written by Chris Coultas, Worship Leader of the 10:0am Service)
May 11, 2012 in Bible Study, Blog, Christian Living, On Mission by PABC
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Sunday, March 25, at 2:00pm on WTLN 950
If you are in the Sanford-Orlando area, check out WTLN 950 on the AM dial today at 2:00pm. They will be airing an interview and a message from Pastor Williams. Pretty cool, huh?
You can also visit WTLN on the web at http://www.wtln.com
Spread the Word!
Tell your friends and family about this by Faceboook, Twitter, and text!
March 25, 2012 in Blog, Church Events, On Mission by PABC
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One of the churches that we have learned a lot from through the years is NewSpring Church in Anderson, SC. NewSpring’s pastor, Perry Noble, recently wrote a blog post for his church about understanding evangelism, and though Sanford, Florida is a long way away from South Carolina, we felt like this post was valuable enough to share with Palmetto Avenue Baptist Church today. So, read on…it’s good stuff.
Evangelism (telling others about Jesus) is not a great idea…it is a COMMAND issued by CHRIST Himself.
It’s not easy, it does cause us to get uncomfortable, people will think you are crazy and following the command of Christ will create tension at times…
Nonetheless we are still called and empowered to do this!
So, today I hope you will take a little time to read Acts 8:4-8 and then Acts 8:26-40 and let’s think about six things together…
#1 – Evangelism Is The Proclamation of Jesus Christ–PERIOD! (Acts 8:4-8)
One of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard in my life is, “preach the Gospel all of the time and, when necessary, use words!” DUMB!!!!
Because…GOD SAID in Romans 10:14-17 its through THE WORD that people are saved.
Listen, good deeds are never a bad thing…but please don’t try to convince me that cutting someone’s grass or paying for their coffee is evangelism…it’s NOT! The BIBLICAL definition of evangelism is when we PROCLAIM CHRIST…and unfortunately a cowardly church culture has turned it into a whole lot of things that Jesus never intended for it to be. The Bible says in Acts 8:5 that Phillip proclaimed CHRIST…Acts 4:12 says there is no other name by which we must be saved…I Timothy 2:5 says there is ONE mediator and we’ve been commissioned and commanded by Jesus with this calling/responsibility! (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:45-48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, II Corinthians 5:17-21!)
#2 – Evangelism Will Disrupt Our “Normal” Routine!
In Acts 8:4-8 Phillip is declaring Christ to the masses…but notice in Acts 8:26 God specifically speaks to His heart and leads him in a different direction. One of the things we’ve GOT to do is beg God to disrupt our “normal” routine and make ourselves available to do whatever He wants us to do. (I HIGHLY recommend “Just Walk Across The Room” by Bill Hybels, the BEST book I’ve ever read on the subject of Evangelism!)
#3 – God Is Preparing The Hearts Of The People He Is Prompting Us To Share Christ With!
Check out Acts 8:27-28, the reason God sent Phillip down this road is that He was working on the heart of a man who desperately needed Him! Please understand that we NEVER know what God may be doing in someone else’s life. They may portray that they have it all together and they are not interested…but you never know what God is doing in their heart. If God is prompting you to share Christ with someone then He has gone ahead of you and is preparing them as well!!!
#4 – Be Normal!
Please notice in Acts 8:29-30 that Phillip did not say, “Hello hell bound sinner, did you know that unless you repent of your sin and give your life to Jesus you are going to fry like bacon in a devil’s hell?” He did not scream, yell, hold up signs…
He simply listened to the Spirit, ran up to the chariot (it does take effort) and asked a simply question, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
It’s amazing the opportunities that God puts in front of us every single day…and when we see them and embrace them we simply need to be normal, engage them in conversation and communicate that we are interested in them.
#5 – Evangelism Must Come Back Around To A Conversation About Christ.
I said it in point one…I will say it here…we are called to PROCLAIM CHRIST!!! Notice in Acts 8:31-35 that Phillip began where the eunuch was and brought the conversation back around to JESUS! It HAS TO come back to Christ…we can’t allow the conversation to get sidetracked with political and sociological issues…no one EVER surrendered their lives to Christ because they had all of their questions answered!!! Always bring it around to JESUS!!!
PLEASE understand this…if Phillip had simply said, “I am not going to share Christ with him…I’m just going to buy him a cup of coffee and give him a warm smile” then we would have had nothing more than a story about a caffeinated eunuch who felt good about himself for a moment but NEVER HEARD ABOUT JESUS!!! BAD STORY!!!
#6 – Evangelism Isn’t A One Time Deal.
Notice Acts 8:36-40 (one of the coolest sections in the Bible…God literally teleports someone!!!) The eunuch receives Christ, is baptized and then God moves Phillip someone else to KEEP proclaiming Christ. We are NEVER done with this…God has strategically placed each one of us in places of work, in neighborhoods and in certain social situations NOT for our comfort…but rather He placed us there with specific relationships so that we can literally tell others about Jesus!!! It’s NOT a one time deal…it’s a core value that we must embrace in our lives if we are going to follow Christ!!!
August 17, 2011 in Bible Study, Blog, Christian Living, On Mission by PABC
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Here is the video from our disaster relief efforts in Alabama. Thanks to all who supported us on mission.
And, a special thanks to all who traveled with us:
Don Ador, Austin Adcox, Sandy Adcox, Bruce Collett, Austin Dickson, Carlos Duncan, Semaj Eaton, Tony Fidel, Hal Fues, Chris Gardner, Kolbi Ivey, Mike Jackson, Jason Jenkins, Louis Loudermilk, Joe Ortkras, Dalton Murphy, John Sexton, Ed Smith, Brittany Unsworth, Doug Ward, Jason Williams, Pastor Williams, Zach Winfrey
June 15, 2011 in Blog, On Mission by PABC
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27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them.
28 If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say,
“Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
Proverbs 3:27, 28
A principle our church runs on is helping those who we can help. The sad reality is that we cannot help everyone in the world, but those whom we can help WE ARE GOING TO HELP! Part of our philosophy at Palmetto Avenue Baptist Church is to live a life of purpose, to intentionally live on mission and help those around us.
If you are part of our local, faith community, we want to challenge you to go out on your own and help those around you. PABC holds special projects through out the year, but generosity is not something we turn on and turn off. It is who we are. Take your generosity with you everywhere you go. Live a generous life!
(Contributed by Jason Williams)
June 15, 2011 in Blog, Christian Living, On Mission by PABC
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