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Welcoming Ministry
The purpose of this ministry is to welcome first time visitors to our church, primarily with a letter and/or a phone call. As part of the Evangelism Committee, we all work in concert to maintain an atmosphere of hospitality with “Open hearts.  Open minds.  Open doors.”   The ministry’s duties include collecting and reviewing the weekly attendance sheets for first time visitors. The visitors’ name and address, if provided, is posted to a secure in-house database for the sole purpose of generating welcome letters and “call lists”.  Volunteers then call to welcome our first time visitors, describing church activities and inviting them to return.   Our updated New Members Class, Beginnings, consists of eight  sessions, each being about 45-55 minutes long.  The classes begin on the first Sunday of January, March, May, July, September, and November at 9:45 am to 10:45 am.  The seventh session is the actual joining ceremony during Sunday worship and the eighth session is two days later, on a Tuesday, with the Welcoming Ministry Team.  We educate prospective members about our church’s history, beliefs, and various ministries and programs, as well as its physical layout.  Interested persons can contact the Church Office (941) 625-4356 for more information.   We help our newest members to become more active in our church by: * Limiting their membership to 1 year with this Ministry * Providing definitive, easy to do job descriptions * Touring the church’s facilities to better assist others * Learning about the various ministries & programs to better assist others * Helping to assess their own spiritual gifts for service
Welcome Center With the guidance of the Evangelism Committee, the Welcome Center officially opened on Sunday, December 1, 2001. Since that time the Evangelism and church volunteers have staffed the location every week. The Welcome Center is open following the first service, and prior to and after the second service. During this period someone is always available to help with any concerns members or guests may have.   The purpose of the Welcome Center is to meet and greet visitors and new members. Many other church attendees also stop by to request information.   Several handouts, including an information brochure, the Sunday Bulletin, the monthly Meth-O-Gram and other brochures from various organizations and groups are available to all who stop by.   Free tickets to the Wednesday Night Together dinners and the monthly United Methodist Men’s pancake breakfast are presented to first time visitors. Church Blood Drive donors are also rewarded with free tickets to WNT dinners.   The Welcome Center also functions as an Information Desk by providing directions to requested locations within the church, allowing individuals to use the phone for local calls and answer questions for anyone who needs assistance. Questions are handled by referring individuals to the proper person or location for that program. The Welcome Center also tries to publicize upcoming events at the church.   Since 2002, the Welcome Center has become an important part in our outreach program: open hearts, open minds, and open doors of Port Charlotte United Methodist Church.   Anyone interested in serving as a volunteer in the Welcome Center may call the church office at (941) 625-4356.