Medina UMC certified as
welcoming congregation

The Southwest Texas Conference now has 30 certified welcoming congregations.
Medina UMC joined the list Dec. 2. The 220-member congregation is the fourth local church in the Kerrville District to be certified.
Southwest Texas has the most certified welcoming congregations in the eight-state South Central Jurisdiction. |

The count by district is:
> Austin—1.
> Kerrville—4.
> McAllen—15.
> San Angelo—1.
> San Antonio—4.
> Victoria—5.

Lay Leader Jay Brim set a goal of having at least 200 Southwest Texas congregations certified by June 2006. He announced that goal during his June 3 lay leader’s report to the Southwest Texas Annual Conference session in Corpus Christi.
Granted by the General Commission on Communication, certification means a 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. Certificated congregations earn 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.
District superintendents must sign each checklist to confirm the information reported.
Checklists are available at ignitingministry.org.