Dear Friends,
In the late 1990s, I had the privilege of serving as a chaplain in the British army. One of the nicer duties some soldiers pulled was called a KAPE tour. ‘KAPE’ was the acronym for Keeping the Army in the Public Eye. Sadly, for many churches, it is hard for the wider community to know that they are active because their doors are closed for most of the week and their public profile is low.
At UPC Flanders, we have a number of opportunities to maintain our visibility.
1. Our place of worship is also the venue for a pre-school.
2. We are located on a busy street, close to a major road.
3. Our online presence is growing, from Sunday worship to our new website.
But the X factor which has the potential to make the biggest difference is you the members of our church. A couple of weeks ago, our Youth Group went bowling at Rockaway Lanes bowling alley. This kind of activity has an impact on the people we meet when we are out and about. On this occasion, the staff were keen to know who we were, and we got talking to them.
Another example was when two independent groups went to a trivia night at Man Skirt in Hackettsown. There was the Trotter clan occupying a major table downstair and a group of couples from UPC upstairs. The night was great fun and prompted people of neighboring tables to ask who we were and contact was made.
I recently wrote about the brief encounters we have in car parks and school drop-offs. Last week, Max and I went to a school fun-raising Bingo night. We sat beside two other mums and got to know them. And it is these interactions with the wider community that create opportunities for outreach and raising the church’s profile.
So, next time you have the chance to go somewhere, with or without friends from church, realize that you have the power and potential to share the Good News of Jesus Christ through your impact. Impact, evangelism or recruitment could be an effective way to win new members. So, let’s get out there and have fun in Jesus’ name.
Pastor Cliff