change my community

“Our society expects friendliness from Christians, and it minds if it doesn’t get it.”
[Paul Bayes - ‘Mission-shaped Parish]

•   One thing people aren’t is stupid. They can tell fake from real, phony from true, all from a hundred paces. The way we treat non-Christians has a real impact on our communities and either honours or dishonours God.

•   Church: How friendly is your church? I heard a statistic once that said the average newcomer to a church takes only 7 minutes to decide whether they’ll ever come back there again. Forget the songs and the sermon, it’s the welcome that counts. Think about your church’s welcome. Next time you walk through the door, pretend you’re a newcomer and imagine this is your first time. Observe what the welcome is like. What can be changed? What’s good? Do people welcome only at the beginning or do they spend time introducing newcomers to others after the service?

•   School: So, you and your mates are Christians at school. Do you make an effort to befriend those who don’t seem to have any friends? Or what about the new kid at school, looking lonely or a little afraid about some of the loud mouths in your class. What can you do to show friendliness to them?

•   Local Shops: What do you do when you buy a Mars Bar from your local newsagent? Do you just grunt, stick your hand out for the change and then walk out, or do you bother to make conversation? When did you last ask someone at the Supermarket Check-out, or the Barista at Costa, whether they were having a good day?

•   Family: Ok, families can be a hard place to exist in. Siblings get on our nerves, Mum or Dad aren’t always in the mood to be friendly or chat. However, this doesn’t stop you trying to be friendly! Have a go - be nice to your brother and see if your relationship improves!

If we say we worship a God of love, then love is what we have to show to others. So, with the above quote in mind let’s think this week about how we can really show friendliness to our communities.