2 more churches earn welcoming status

2 other congregations
renew certifications
for second straight year

Two more churches joined the list of welcoming congregations this month.
Two others renewed their certification for a second year.
The Southwest Texas Conference now has 54 certified welcoming congregations. That’s the most of any conference in the United States.
St. Peter’s UMC, Austin, joined the welcoming congregation list May 15. The 287-member congregation is the sixth in the Austin District to be certified.
First UMC, San Marcos, became the seventh congregation in the Austin District to be certified May 17.
First UMC, Falfurrias, and First UMC, Premont, in the McAllen District both renewed their certifications for a second year May 5. Congregations need to renew their certification annually.
First UMC, Schulenburg, first congregation in the Victoria District to earn welcoming status, renewed its certification for a third year April 5.
The count of welcoming congregations by district now stands at:
> Austin—7.
> Corpus Christi—6.
> Kerrville—6.
> McAllen—20.
> San Angelo—2.
> San Antonio—7.
> Victoria—6.
Lay Leader Jay Brim challenged local churches to become welcoming congregations during his address to the 2005 annual conference session.
“Nearly 90 congregations pledged at Annual Conference 2005 to be certified,” Brim said in his 2006 pre-conference report.
Brim said he was pleased that more than half had already fulfilled their pledges and that Southwest Texas was leading the denomination in the number of welcoming congregations.
Granted by the General Commission on Communication, certification means a congregation has systematically evaluated its hospitality and intentionally embraced a lifestyle of welcoming newcomers.
The certification program is part of the denominationwide Igniting Ministry hospitality and image campaign.
Certificated congregations earn a plaque and a special designation in the “Find a church” database at www.unitedmethodist.org.
To earn certification, congregations must qualify for at least 100 points on a yearly checklist of welcoming activities.
Those activities include designating a welcoming coordinator, training church members in welcoming techniques and doing various things around the church to make it more welcoming to visitors.
Checklists are available at ignitingministry.org or umcswtx. org.
District superintendents must sign each checklist to confirm the information reported.