This year, we celebrated our 20th anniversary as a location of Church of the Resurrection. As I was preparing for our celebration – gathering old photos, digging through archives, and collecting stories from long-time members – I found myself reflecting deeply on how we got here.
While there were certainly plenty of big, milestone moments over the years that helped push us forward, I’ve come to believe that reaching this 20-year mark didn’t come from a single grand gesture. Instead, it came from doing a few simple things with excellence, day in and day out, for two decades.
That belief was completely cemented for me just a few weeks before our anniversary, when I met Cameron.
- 3 MIN READ
- Key Takeaways
- Reputations aren’t printed – why welcome must be proven, not posted
- Anticipating a guest’s anxiety keeps a first visit from ending early
- Hospitality as culture – how staff and volunteers model welcome weekly
A Nervous Visit
I noticed Cameron right away the first time he walked through our doors at Resurrection West on a Sunday morning. He looked a little nervous, carrying that unmistakable hesitation of someone stepping into a brand-new space, unsure of what he was walking into. I walked over, welcomed him, and helped him find a seat in worship.
About halfway through the service, he quietly got up and made his way back to me in the back of the sanctuary. He asked if it would be possible to speak to one of our pastors after church. I assured him we could easily make that happen, and he headed back to his seat.
When worship ended, our pastor naturally had a bit of a line as people gathered to chat. Knowing how intimidating a crowd can be – and worried that Cameron might feel anxious and slip away if he had to wait too long – I introduced him to one of our staff members who helps oversee care at our location.
It turned out that Cameron had been released from prison just a few days prior. Upon his release, he had made a conscious decision: he wanted to attend church and start moving his life in a completely different direction.
When he started asking around for somewhere to go, the first person he talked to told him he would be welcomed at Resurrection. So did the second person. And the third.
So, he came. And, true to his word, he came back again and again. By his second week, he was greeting people at the doors. By his third week, he shared that he was interested in joining our membership event.
Proven, Not Printed
That’s when it really hit me.
We didn’t build a reputation in our community as a place where everyone is welcome simply by printing it on a sign or typing it onto a website. A sign can say anything, but reputations aren’t printed – they are proven. It took 20 years of intentional effort, thousands of individual acts of kindness, and a daily commitment to proving we actually meant it. That cumulative history is what built us enough goodwill in the community that when a young man was standing at a crossroads looking for a fresh start and asked where he would be welcomed, our name came up organically.
At Resurrection, we take Radical Hospitality seriously. It isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a culture. Our staff and our incredible volunteers live this ethos and model it for our entire congregation week in and week out.
When we commit to this consistently, we do more than just create a warm, caring environment for the person walking through our doors on any given Sunday. We weave ourselves into the fabric of our community, building a lasting reputation that tells a searching soul: You belong here, and you are welcome.
Written By:
Melanie Hill
Director of Operations & Community Life, Resurrection West
Bio
Melanie has been passionate about connecting people to the church since she started in ministry 27 years ago, first as a youth director for 14 years, as part of our Guest Connections and Discipleship teams, and now on our location team in Olathe, KS.
She and her husband Britt have four kids who keep them on their toes as well as providing much needed comic relief in life. Her favorite things are reading, nachos, Jesus, and spring. Not necessarily in that order.