Churches welcome 1,527 visitors despite Christmas Eve snowstorm

Snow appeared to hold down Christmas Eve worship attendance in parts of the Southwest Texas Conference last month.
Nevertheless, 15 Home for Christmas congregations reported 1,527 visitors to Dec. 24 candlelight services. Of that number, 496—or 33 percent—had come to the church for the first time.
“It snowed Christmas Eve, which cut down on our attendance,” said the Rev. Judith Sellers, pastor of First UMC, Laredo, in her Home for Christmas feedback report to the Communications and Public Witness Office.
Similar comments came from El Campo, Goliad and Seguin.
The Rev. Dixie L. Robertson, pastor of Island in the Son UMC, Corpus Christi, said road conditions and intermittent electrical power because of snow forced her to cancel the 9 p.m. Christmas Eve service.
“People couldn’t get across the bridge (to Padre Island),” she said.
Pharr UMC added an additional Christmas Eve service for 2004, reported Carole Lahti, Home for Christmas chair. The two services attracted 50 more people than the one service in 2003.
“We are certain attendance would have been greater in good weather,” she said.
Snow fell Dec. 24 on communities from Laredo on the west to El Campo on the east side of the conference. Victoria, which received 11 inches of snow, saw its first white Christmas in 86 years. Corpus Christi recorded 4.4 inches of snow.
With 1.5 inches in the Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville registered its first measurable snowfall since Feb. 14, 1895.
Austin, San Angelo, San Antonio and the Hill Country saw only flurries.
At least 34 of the 350 Southwest Texas Conference congregations indicated they were taking part in the fifth annual Christmas Eve outreach and public witness campaign. Fifteen of those submitted follow-up reports to the Communications and Public Witness Office by Jan. 7.
The 15 reporting congregations counted 7,313 worshipers on Christmas Eve. That was 100 percent more than the total crowd at those congregations on an average Sunday.
Despite the weather, all but two of the reporting congregations had more people in Christmas Eve worship last month than they did in 2003.
“We had considerably more visitors than 83, but they did not complete the visitor cards or register,” said Jack Massengale, Home for Christmas chairman for Wimberley UMC.
In Kerrville the weather Dec. 24 was cold but dry, reported the Rev. Warren G. Hornung, senior pastor of First UMC.
For the fifth straight year, the 2,179-member Kerrville congregation reported the largest number of visitors—674—and the biggest count of first-time worshipers—238.
“The ushers passed out the registration booklets during each service,” Hornung said. “These were special Christmas Eve registration booklets with special Christmas Eve registration forms that were printed to cater to the information supplied by visitors.
“The booklets were new and had a special Christmas Eve cover. These will be used each year only at Christmas Eve.”
A Home for Christmas committee, chaired by Bob Molder, a retired corporate executive, used a multistep promotional plan in Kerrville to invite people to Christmas Eve worship, Hornung said. Activities included direct-mail appeals to members and past visitors as well as advertising in local newspapers, on a local radio station and cable TV channel, and in local movie theaters.
“Since our 6 p.m. service was very overcrowded, we plan to offer an additional service at 2 p.m. next year,” Hornung said. “We had more than 20 people who stood through this (6 p.m.) service because we had 674 persons in attendance in a sanctuary and chapel that seat only 600.”
Eleven of the 15 reporting congregations had special Home for Christmas coordinating teams guide their outreach efforts. Nine of the 15 followed the eight-week step-by-step timetable for carrying out the Home for Christmas campaign. That plan is detailed in a 146-page Igniting Ministry Workbook for the Southwest Texas Conference.
“It was awesome,” said Jewel Hill, Home for Christmas coordinator for St. Paul UMC, San Antonio, about the outreach campaign. “Many of our church members were pleased and happy about it.”

Pastor Elizabeth M. Kevilus of First UMC, Carrizo Springs, said, “This (outreach campaign) was very successful, thanks to the efforts of just a few people. We had many visitors, but few turned in visitor cards, so follow-up will be difficult.”
Half the reporting congregations didn’t include a day of prayer as part of the outreach effort. Three congregations that didn’t schedule a specific prayer time said they encouraged members to pray individually for Home for Christmas outreach.
The campaign workbook calls for a foundation of prayer and specific invitational, promotional and follow-up activities.
“Without the prayer element, all you have is an advertising campaign,” said the Rev. Damon E. Relder, chair of the Board of Discipleship and pastor of Wesley UMC, Corpus Christi. “Prayer is what empowers our efforts of evangelism.”
The Board of Discipleship has sponsored the Home for Christmas campaign for five years. The purpose is to help church members invite acquaintances who don’t usually attend church to worship Dec. 24. United Methodists then continue the disciple-making process with those who come.
Eight members of Christ UMC, Kingsville, visited three recreational vehicle parks Dec. 9, said evangelism chair Kathy Baca. They said they would be back caroling Dec. 17.
In Seguin First UMC gave worship invitations to members to mail and asked business owners in the congregation to distribute invitations to customers, said the Rev. Linda T. Montgomery, associate pastor.
The 34 congregations participating in the 2004 Home for Christmas campaign was an increase of three from 2003. Sixty-four took part in 2002, 99 in 2001 and 142 in 2000.
Ads listing Home for Christmas congregations ran Dec. 23 in the Austin American-Statesman, San Angelo Standard-Times and San Antonio Express-News. The Communications and Public Witness Office bought those.
The final weeks of the Home for Christmas campaign coincided with a national United Methodist advertising effort on several cable TV networks. It was run by the General Commission on Communication in Nashville, Tenn. The TV spots were part of the denominationwide Igniting Ministry hospitality and image campaign.
Congregations in Corpus Christi, Kerrville, Laredo and Seguin ran Home for Christmas TV commercials in their communities as well.
Home for Christmas is one way the conference tries to empower ministries in local congregations so they can offer Christ to all.