HOW TO BE A GOLD CUP GREETER

Every Sunday, as I welcome first time visitors to our service, and invite them to join us at the coffee hour, I also encourage them to speak with one of our "Gold Cup Greeters" -- church members who are willing to act as "hosts" to our visitors, and answer whatever questions they may have about First Parish or Unitarian Universalism in general.

Yet I've never really talked about how one BECOMES a Gold Cup Greeter, or what is expected of someone who makes this particular commitment.

The first part is easy. One becomes a Gold Cup Greeter by picking up a Gold Cup. It's really as much a matter of attitude and willingness as any special training or expertise. A prospective Gold Cup Greeter should feel comfortable about embracing the "Ministry of Hospitality" -- or in other words, be someone who ALREADY thinks of First Parish as their Spiritual Home, and who delights in welcoming guests into our parlor, and helping them feel at home as well.

The next part requires a little effort. As tempting as it is just to stand around and wait for someone to approach you, Gold Cup greeters need to be PROACTIVE in their hospitality. Look around the room for people you don't recognize, and when you see one approach them and simply say "Hi! My name is ______. I don't think we've met." That way you don't have to worry about whether they are a first-time visitor or their family has been attending First Parish for three generations. They'll tell you what you need to know.

It may well be that your visitor doesn't have any questions. But you can still continue the conversation by asking a few questions of your own. You might ask them whether this is their first time in a UU church, or what inspired them to visit today? You can ask whether they have family with them, or how long they've lived in Portland? -- basically, it's just a matter of taking a genuine interest is another person, and trying to learn a little more about them. Above all, try to learn (and remember) the visitor's name, and (if they haven't already) get them to fill out a visitors card. Those two things are the most important factors in our early efforts to establish healthy, long-lasting relationships with newcomers to our congregation.

Likewise, they may have questions that you just don't have the answers to. Rather than making something up on the spot, take advantage of that opportunity to introduce your visitor to someone ELSE in the congregation who just might have the answer you're looking for: one of the ministers, or Membership/Hospitality Coordinator Val Blais, a church officer, other long-time church members, or simply somebody passing by. The whole point is to help our visitors connect with real people, rather than simply standing alone in a corner waiting for something to happen.

As you do converse, try to keep the conversation focused on the needs and interests of the newcomer and what First Parish has done for you and might do for them, rather that starting off by talking about all of the expectations and responsibilities of Formal Membership. Nobody in their right mind joins a church because they want to give away their money and attend committee meetings. Furthermore, if we CAN'T meet their expectations as a Faith Community, we have no business asking them to do those other things in the first place. So once again -- keep it focused on the needs and interests of the newcomer, and what we might do for them rather than what they might do for us.

Finally, make a point to Remember the Name of the person you greeted, so that when you see them again in two or three weeks, or on the street or in the check-out line at Hannafords, you can greet them by name and thus let them know that someone cared enough about them to remember.

And that's all it really takes to become a Gold Cup Greeter: the willingness to welcome someone new into our Spiritual Home, and to care enough about them to remember their name.