3 more churches join welcoming congregation list

Three more Southwest Texas churches have joined the list of certified welcoming congregations.
Floresville UMC became the first congregation in the San Antonio District Oct. 28 to earn the welcoming-church designation.
Ozona UMC became the first congregation in the San Angelo District Oct. 5 to make the list.
In late August San Juan UMC became the 15th congregation in the McAllen District to be certified. A message to the Southwest Texas Conference about that certification was misdirected.
Southwest Texas now has 23 certified welcoming congregations, the most of any conference in the eight-state South Central Jurisdiction. Five of the other welcoming congregations are in the Victoria District. One is in the Kerrville District.
Granted by the General Commission on Communication, certification means each congregation has systematically evaluated its hospitality and intentionally embraced a lifestyle of welcoming newcomers. Congregations need to renew their certification annually.
The certification program is part of the denominationwide Igniting Ministry hospitality and image campaign. Certified congregations earn a special designation in the “Find a church” database at www. unitedmethodist.org.
Lay Leader Jay Brim of Austin set a goal of having at least 200 Southwest Texas congregations certified by June 2006. He announced that target June 3 during his lay leader’s report to the Southwest Texas Annual Conference session in Corpus Christi.
To earn certification, congregations must qualify for at least 100 points on a yearly checklist of welcoming activities. Those include designating a welcoming coordinator, training church members in welcoming techniques and doing various things around the church to make it more inviting to visitors.
District superintendents must sign each checklist to confirm the information reported.
Checklists are available at www.ignitingministryorg.