It’s amazing how hard Paul works (Col 1:29) for people he hasn’t even met!
His goal is to present everyone fully mature in Christ.  The main way he does that is by proclaiming Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom (Col 1:28).
As a Church our goal is to help everyone find life in Christ.  That means we put energy into teaching God’s word to one another, discipling one another and loving one another as a Church.  But it also means, we put energy into people we haven’t met yet coming to know Christ in our evangelistic efforts, and we are a welcoming and inclusive community.
There are increasingly more people coming to our Churches, and it can be overwhelming to be constantly meeting new people.  Let me encourage you (our regulars) to persevere in welcoming and caring for new people and to have a heart of generosity and a big view of God’s growing Kingdom.  Think about sitting next to and introducing yourself to a new person.  Ask them about who they are and why they came along.  Introduce them to others.  Below is a draft version of our Welcoming Pathway – so you can help them know what to expect and how they can get integrated into our Church family.  If you have any questions or ideas about how we can do this well, please let me know.
Yours in Christ,
Ben

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