Newcomer Shepherds

As members of the Hospitality Guild, Shepherds are assigned to newcomers or visitors who have registered at the Newcomer's Table following a Sunday service. Shepherds contact newcomers by telephone to invite them to church activities and to church-related social events, thereby allowing them to connect with parishioners and vice-versa.

Welcome events are held in parishioners' homes to allow all to become better acquainted in a social setting. Other social events with food and fellowship are being considered for future formats to welcome newcomers into our parish. Shepherds maintain contact by telephone for three, or more, months, if necessary. Many of the current members of the Hospitality Guild were served by a shepherd when they were new arrivals.

This ministry of showing hospitality to strangers is the mission of the Shepherds. In a sermon on "Showing Hospitality" Stephen Elkins-Williams stated that genuine hospitality lies at the heart of the ministry God calls us to do. He continued that true hospitality, which requires our time, our money, and our openness to others, embodies and expresses God's love for all and makes it known in concrete ways. In the words of the scripture, "Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."