Being the new person is not always easy, especially if you are prone to shyness. So it’s important that we as church members or members of a missions group be intentional in making new people feel welcome. How do you engage guests or new members in your church or missions group with hospitality?

Here are a few ways you can practice hospitality with them:

• Smile—Greet guests and new members with a friendly smile. Let them know how glad you are to meet them.
• Remember—Ask their name and find ways to remember it. When you see them again, you’ll be able to call them by name.
• Connect—Find a point of connection. Maybe you both enjoy the same hobbies or share similar tastes in food.
• Encourage—Offer a word of encouragement and let them know they are welcome in your church or group at any time.

Each day, the population of Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, increases significantly. Phoenix grows by about 300 daily, or about 100,000 annually.

With only 1 Southern Baptist church for every 18,500 people, it is an ever-present challenge to get the message of Jesus Christ’s love to newcomers and the 5.49 million people already living in the metro area, said Monty Patton, a Send City missionary and founder and co-pastor of Mountain Ridge Church in Glendale, located northwest of Phoenix.

Patton works with sending churches and their church planters to establish ministries in Phoenix and Tucson. He; his wife, Nancy; their 2 daughters; and their son-in-law are all devoted to area church-planting efforts.

They have found that building relationships is essential in proclaiming Jesus Christ to the burgeoning masses—1 person at a time.

Community is not static. Busy lives, fences, and transient neighbors often hinder our ability to build close relationships with neighbors next door and down the street. Whether we live in an urban community or a rural setting, we can always benefit from learning about our neighbors. Growing neighbor relationships can aid in times of crisis, help celebrate successes, and encourage efforts to look out for each other’s homes and families. Good neighbor relationships can lead to close friendships as well as lives changed with the gospel.

In a day when a wave is the most contact we may have with neighbors, a neighborhood barbecue is one way to begin. Neighborhood get-togethers also provide opportunities to share the gospel and discover ministry needs.

“How is our church using stories in VBS [Vacation Bible School] to connect with children?” I asked our children’s minister, Ms. Alexia, through email. “Do you have a story to share?”

Reading her response, I sensed her excitement.

She explained that one year, all the children had gathered for their VBS daily missions experience. The screen on the wall displayed the computer slide presentation, and the props set the stage.

Gaining every child’s attention, the teacher began pouring her enthusiasm into each young heart about our church’s participation with Baptist Global Response’s Bucket Project. She shared how many Africans suffer with AIDS and that sometimes the buckets contain the only provisions those people receive throughout their illness.

One child, who had been adopted by a church family, suddenly stood and pointed at the picture on the screen. “My mom got a bucket just like that. We got one of your buckets.”