Our plans are to make a concerted effort in May to encourage former members who no longer attend to come back for a special Sunday service. It might be hard for an individual to come to a regular service but far easier to know that they will be among several others who come for a visit.
There is so much to do between now and then, and it all begins this Sunday morning. We must have your help in making sure that we do not overlook anyone. At our morning service you will be asked for your list of those whom you have known in past years and who no longer are attending even though they still live in this area. It is vital that you take time to be part of this effort. Do you have old directories with their names in it? Even if you do not know much about the person (it might be that the best way you can identify them is to call the Joe or Jane’s brother who works at Walmart). From that list we will work together to come up with a complete list. I cannot overemphasize the important role you play in “Coming Home Sunday.”
Obviously, we are not talking about members who moved away or who are faithfully attending sister congregations. This is not a Homecoming Sunday where former members return for a special day of reunion with members they have known in the past. Our goal is to contact every former member to get them to come on that day. They are missed, and they need to know this. They need to again feel that special feeling of brotherly love which is part of this congregation. We must make a concerted effort to get them to come again.
Jesus told the story of the prodigal son who took his inheritance and misused it in a foreign land. He felt ashamed of what he had done. Because we know the full story, it may be that he knew before he returned how his older brother would respond. It is obvious from what that older brother said to the father, that he knew where his wayward brother was and what he had been doing. That older brother would have been far happier if he had never had to deal with the prodigal.
I know that this attitude of the older brother is not in the heart of anyone at Palm Beach Lakes. There will be several opportunities in the coming weeks to let former members, even those you do not remember, know that you will welcome them back on that special Sunday. Do not assume that someone else will turn in the names of the one you have on your list. We must not overlook even one person, and the first step is to be made this Sunday.
Imagine that you had wandered away. What would you want others to do to bring you back? That thought is the motivation for a great response of names this week!