2 more churches earns
welcoming status

Two more Southwest Texas congregations earned welcoming status in recent weeks.
The Southwest Texas Conference now has 56 certified welcoming congregations. That’s the most of any conference in the United States.
Jourdanton UMC joined the list May 25. The 179-member congregation was the eighth in the San Antonio District to be certified.
First UMC, Lyford, was certified Monday. The 94-member congregation is the 21st in the McAllen District to earn welcoming status.
The count of welcoming congregations by district now stands at:
> Austin—7.
> Corpus Christi—6.
> Kerrville—6.
> McAllen—21.
> San Angelo—2.
> San Antonio—8.
> Victoria—6.

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.umc.org. Certification must be renewed annually.
To earn certification, congregations must qualify for 100 points on a yearly checklist of welcoming activities.
Checklists are available at ignitingministry.org or umcswtx.org.
District superintendents must sign each checklist to confirm the information reported.
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.