Preparing for Easter

Beloved Kinney,

As you know, Easter is upon us! This coming Sunday we will likely have several visitors who do not know and/or have yet to experience the saving power of God’s grace in Christ. Here are some things we can do to welcome them like Christ welcomed us!

• Pray this week. Take a minute each day to pray for our gathering. Pray the Lord would

raise dead hearts to life through the saving power of Christ. We’re not doing anything
different or special this Sunday. We’re still going to sing, pray, read Scripture, observe
the Lord’s Supper, and hear the Word preached. Pray that God would work mightily
through the ordinary means of grace.

• Invite friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, etc. As I’ve said before, we still live in a

day and culture where many, who hardly go to church, make plans to come to church on
Easter. So, invite them!

• Come to church early. Arrive at 10am to greet guests as they come. We will gather out

front to pray together!

• Park further away. Leave the parking spaces closest to the entrances for our guests

and senior adults. Consider parking on the street!

• Greet everyone you see with a smile. A simple, “Hello! Welcome to Kinney!” is great! If

you’re comfortable engaging further, introduce yourself, ask their name, ask if they live
nearby, and ask how they found Kinney. Then tell them, “We’re so glad you joined us
today. It was nice to meet you!”

• Provide directional assistance. Especially for those with young children. Tell them

where our nursery is. But also tell them their kids are more than welcome to stay in the
auditorium for the service.

• Fill the front rows first. Latecomers and guests usually do not prefer to walk towards

the front to find a seat.

• Stick around after the service. Take some time to greet visitors. Thank them for

attending our services.

• Invite first-time visitors to come back. You might be surprised how much weight a

personal invitation carries!

(I adapted these points from: https://highpointeaustin.org/blog/2023/03/27/help-provide-a-welcoming-environment-for-our-guests-this-easter-sunday)

For Easter Sunday, we’ll take a break from Genesis and spend time focusing our attention on Paul’s sermon on the resurrection in Acts 17:16-34. Read over and come ready to worship!

Love,
Pastor Josh