Sermon Central
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Asking The Visitor To Leave
Contributed by Jim Butcher on Apr 11, 2018 (message contributor)
Note: This story is told from my perspective - Jim Butcher of Madison WV.
I was visiting with one of our long-time members a few months ago and she related an interesting story about her visit to Madison Baptist decades ago.
Rosemary was sitting along the aisle, waiting on the service to begin, when a member of the church tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to look up at the member, who said, “You’re in my seat.” The visitor apologized, got up, and the member sat down. The visitor proceeded to walk down the aisle to exit the church, justifiably feeling unwelcome, heading for the doors.
Fortunately, an usher stopped her at the back of the sanctuary and invited her to sit with him and his family. That saved the day, the visitor stayed for the service, and then decided to return. It’s crazy to think, though, how close our church was to losing a person who would go on to be a valuable member of the church for decades because of one person’s rudeness to a visitor.
It’s easy to think that what you do or don’t do Sunday mornings really doesn’t make a difference, but this story is a reminder that it does. Are you welcoming to our visitors? Or are you someone who makes a new person want to head for the exit?
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