Friendly faces create a hospitable community

A few years ago, our board chairman Dennis and his wife went on a holiday to the United States. Their preference is to drive south and take in the scenic beauty, along with the various local attractions they come across. As they plod along in their journey, they visit different churches. Certainly, they want to worship and fellowship alongside other believers, which ought to be the goal of a Christian on Sunday mornings. However, Dennis also enjoys observing how other churches operate. By looking at other churches and how they do things, we find ways to improve.

In one of these Sunday excursions, they came across a congregation called “Friendly Baptist Church.” At first glance, it’s a promising name. Yet as the saying goes, “You don’t judge a book by its cover,” and that applied to this visit. The unfortunate truth is that this church was anything but friendly. Nobody welcomed or talked to Dennis or his wife the entire time. When they got back, they relayed how their experience had impacted them, and that they never wanted any visitors to our church to feel the same way.

I should clarify that when I arrived at Pineridge Fellowship Chapel in 2020 to pastor, the church was already warm and friendly. My family and I instantly felt welcomed, which was important given all that was going on in 2020. It is easy to become complacent as a congregation. Sometimes when you have a smaller church, new people can almost be treated like outsiders, particularly if they’re different from the church. I’ve seen this in the past in a church I was part of; it ended up driving potential congregants away.

Candidates pray with church leaders as they prepare for baptism. Three men were baptized in September 2025, the first baptisms at Pineridge Fellowship Chapel in many years. (Photo supplied)

We were determined to make a more conscious effort to be welcoming to visitors. To this end, I think that we have been successful. Throughout the last few years, we have seen new faces coming on a regular basis. And in talking to a number of these individuals, many initially attended because they felt welcomed and accepted. Our ushers have been stellar at greeting people coming in, and many of the congregants stick around to visit after church.

This attitude isn’t centrally focused on attracting new people. The goal of being friendly and encouraging as a church is meant to glorify God through community. We are commanded to build one another up (Romans 15:2; Ephesians 4:29), and to devote ourselves to loving each other (Romans 12:10). We should be hospitable and sympathetic to each other (1 Peter 3:8; 4:9), knowing that speaking in an uplifting manner can encourage and cheer those who are weighed down in life (Proverbs 12:25). Ultimately, our hope is that this attitude within the walls of Pineridge Fellowship Chapel doesn’t remain in the church, but spills over to the broader community.