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Pastor's Pen
Stay up to date on the life of our church with Pastor Gary Turk's blog, updated monthly. His blog features devotional reflections, reports, observations, and more!Of Disney And The Church
02 March 2010 / 09:15 AM
Recently, Linda and I visited Disney World with some of our family, including most particularly our granddaughter Caitlyn. Being our first visit to Disney there was a lot for us to take in. Disney is certainly an impressive place, and almost overwhelming in its size. The ingenuity and creativity that is displayed throughout the park fills you with amazement. We enjoyed the many different activities and events that were available for us to participate in.
However, of all that Disney had to offer the thing that impressed me most was not their ingenious or creative abilities. It was not their size or what they had to offer. The thing that impressed me most was the friendliness and cheerfulness of everyone who worked there. We happened to be there in the wake of the great February snow storms and it was cold in Florida. Yet, from the time we got there until the time we left every employee we encountered was friendly and cheerful, and they were all over the place. That was true of the maids and grounds keepers as well as all other workers. Wherever we went workers were coming up to us and welcoming us, or greeting us, or asking if they could help us. When we weren’t sure which way or where to go, they would often not just give us directions, but take us where we wanted to go. It was as if their one aim was to serve us, to make us feel welcome, that we might get the most out of our experience.
What was continually going through my mind that week was that this is what the church should be like. The church should be a place where each and every member goes out of his or her way to welcome others, especially visitors and new people. And we should do it cheerfully. But all too often it doesn’t happen.
How many times do we go to church, sit in our pew, surrounded by our friends, and never make a move to talk to people we don’t know, who may be new or who may even be members we have never taken the time to get to know them. Too often we are friendly toward those who are already our friends and we ignore those we don’t know.
I have visited in many churches where have gone in and out without a single greeting from a church member, or where, during a time of congregational exchange of greetings, they congregate in their groups and leave the visitors or new people out. This doesn’t just happen in other churches. I have seen it happen too often in our own church.
Friendliness to those who are already our friends doesn’t make us a friendly church. Being a friendly church is getting out of our pew and going across the isle to greet and welcome and get to know somebody we don’t already know. That should not be the responsibility of a few people, but the obligation of every Christian and church member. As Christians, Disney would put many of us to shame in the display of hospitality.
Disney workers offered the kind of cheerful welcome that even if you didn’t care for the activities, you would want to go back just because of the warm friendliness. This is a model of what we as the church are to be. There should be a warm and friendly welcome that radiates from each and ever member that would cause visitors and new people to want to come back. Let us so radiate the love of Jesus that others are to us through our genuine expressions of friendliness.
However, of all that Disney had to offer the thing that impressed me most was not their ingenious or creative abilities. It was not their size or what they had to offer. The thing that impressed me most was the friendliness and cheerfulness of everyone who worked there. We happened to be there in the wake of the great February snow storms and it was cold in Florida. Yet, from the time we got there until the time we left every employee we encountered was friendly and cheerful, and they were all over the place. That was true of the maids and grounds keepers as well as all other workers. Wherever we went workers were coming up to us and welcoming us, or greeting us, or asking if they could help us. When we weren’t sure which way or where to go, they would often not just give us directions, but take us where we wanted to go. It was as if their one aim was to serve us, to make us feel welcome, that we might get the most out of our experience.
What was continually going through my mind that week was that this is what the church should be like. The church should be a place where each and every member goes out of his or her way to welcome others, especially visitors and new people. And we should do it cheerfully. But all too often it doesn’t happen.
How many times do we go to church, sit in our pew, surrounded by our friends, and never make a move to talk to people we don’t know, who may be new or who may even be members we have never taken the time to get to know them. Too often we are friendly toward those who are already our friends and we ignore those we don’t know.
I have visited in many churches where have gone in and out without a single greeting from a church member, or where, during a time of congregational exchange of greetings, they congregate in their groups and leave the visitors or new people out. This doesn’t just happen in other churches. I have seen it happen too often in our own church.
Friendliness to those who are already our friends doesn’t make us a friendly church. Being a friendly church is getting out of our pew and going across the isle to greet and welcome and get to know somebody we don’t already know. That should not be the responsibility of a few people, but the obligation of every Christian and church member. As Christians, Disney would put many of us to shame in the display of hospitality.
Disney workers offered the kind of cheerful welcome that even if you didn’t care for the activities, you would want to go back just because of the warm friendliness. This is a model of what we as the church are to be. There should be a warm and friendly welcome that radiates from each and ever member that would cause visitors and new people to want to come back. Let us so radiate the love of Jesus that others are to us through our genuine expressions of friendliness.