Reflections on: Visiting a church

On Sunday, the family went to visit a church and listen to one of my friends from high school preach. (He's a music minister, so this does not happen often) I came away with a few thoughts on visiting and a few observations from the service itself.

Visitor Observations:
1. Friendly faces greeting you at the door can make all the difference.
2. There is a big difference between someone greeting you and someone "smothering" you.
3. As a visitor, I appreciate a few simple questions or statements - when the person is genuine.
4. Signs showing me what is where are very helpful and appreciated.
5. Knowing how much time I have before the service starts is great (via a countdown on screens in the hallway).
6. As a visiting parent, I like being able to go back with my child(ren) and see their room.
7. Knowing my children are safe is important. Thanks for making safety a priority.
8. I like to know I'm not an inconvenience when I ask questions.

Observations on the service:
1. Standing during the songs can be contagious. For some people, all they need is to not be the first one to stand.
2. Watching someone use sign language during a worship song is simply beautiful. There really isn't anything else like it.
3. Even if you have already had one service, there is still potential for a mistake in the second service.
4. Mistakes during the service do not equal a bad service.
5. It was nice to worship with Amy for a good bit of the service (something we haven't been able to do much over the last month or so).

I am really glad we decided to make the trip to visit. It was a blessing to be a part of the service on this particular Sunday.