Churches open doors many ways during September

By Claudia M. Williams
Staff Writer
United Methodist congregations opened their doors and their hearts to their communities throughout September during Open House Month.
In some churches, Open House Month meant simply inviting a friend, neighbor or colleague to worship one Sunday. Because schools had just begun, many churches combined Open House Month with back-to-school activities and invited teachers for appreciation lunches.
Many congregations commemorated Sept. 11, 2001, often inviting members of the police and fire departments to come to worship and be recognized or to join the congregation for food and fellowship.
Many congregations planned special Open House Month events or services, reaching out intentionally to the communities with specific goals in mind.
Day Memorial UMC, San Angelo, had an objective for Open House Month: to bridge a gap in community diversity. The church is in an older neighborhood that is largely Hispanic, said Pastor Barbara Dyke.
The 48-member congregation had the image of being a close-knit family that wasn’t welcoming to others, Dyke said.
“We want the neighbors around us to know that we want to be part of the community,” she said in late August, when Open House Month events were planned. “We want to show that we are inclusive and welcome everyone.”
Day Memorial attracted about 50 people from the neighborhood to a community picnic, Dyke said.
“It wasn’t just kids bouncing in the Moonwalk,” she said. “Their parents came to the picnic, too.”
Dyke said she felt the congregation had made some connections, “which is a step in the right direction.”
Barnett Chapel UMC, Kerrville, took part in Open House Month for the first time this year. Pastor LaJoyce Lawton said the 73-member congregation was excited about the idea of reaching out to the “unchurched.”
“We should be doing that anyway,” she said. “But to have a special month set aside to focus on that reminds us how important it is.”
Lawton said Barnett Chapel offered nontraditional services every week, hoping to draw in people who would not ordinarily go to church. Members distributed 900 invitational fliers through a well-organized campaign targeting specific neighborhoods in Kerrville.
The special services included a presentation by Clifton Fifer, whose grandfather was one of the founding preachers of Barnett Chapel. Fifer spoke about Black Methodism in Kerr County.
Another Sunday focused on storytelling as a “traditional way to inform and inspire,” Lawton said.
“Storytelling isn’t a new phenomenon within the church,” she said. “The Bible is a collection of stories that God left for us as a guide for our spiritual journey.”
The most potential church members attended on the storytelling Sunday, Lawton said.
Lakehills residents encountered members of the Lakehills UMC evangelism committee handing out fliers at major intersections, inviting everyone who drove by to come to church.
The Rev. Teresa Welborn, pastor, said the people of the church wanted two things to happen as a result of Open House Month. The first was to invite people to become part of the church community. The second was to raise awareness that “we have a presence here.”
“One of the things that was exciting to see was not just welcoming visitors to church,” she said, “but church members becoming excited about who they are in this community.”
Wesley UMC, Austin, is observing Open House Month during October. The 321-member congregation is coupling Open House Month with a Family and Friends Fellowship Celebration.
University Day Oct. 9 was to be one of Wesley’s special services. Worship that day was to feature the choir from UM-related Huston-Tillotson University and to honor the school’s students, faculty and alumni.
Wesley plans a health and wellness worship service followed by a health fair later this month.