Spotlight on: The Welcome Team

Recently, our younger age youth (Adventurers) were thinking about how we welcome here at St John's. Although I was feeling a little frustrated myself as I tried to help them engage with the service, on closer inspection of their 'Worship Focus' sheets (which I had previously written off because of the amount of drawing on the back) I found the following encouragements as they thought about our welcome here at St John's:

• Even when young people come in very late, they are still welcomed

• The welcome one received inspired them to share that welcome during the week

• Some of the young people received a welcome that made them feel

  • like they belong

  • like they matter

  • safe enough to open up to God

They wrote the following prayers:

Thank you God for St John's because...

• they make me feel welcome and at ease.

• they are such a community where everyone knows each other.

• from babies to adults, everyone can come together as one family.

There is of course more still to be done in terms of helping our young people engage in our services, and the role the welcome team can play in that. However, there are encouragements when we look for them!

Blessings,

Mike

Director of Emerging Generations