Another church joins welcoming list

One church has joined the list of welcoming congregations, and two more have renewed their certifications.
Bee Creek UMC, Austin District, was certified as a welcoming congregation Aug. 8.
New Fountain UMC, Hondo, Kerrville District, renewed its welcoming certification the same day.
St. Andrew’s UMC, San Antonio, San Antonio District, was recertified Aug. 9.
Welcoming certification must be renewed annually.
The Southwest Texas Conference now has 137 certified welcoming congregations.
That total is the most of any conference in the United States.
The count of welcoming congregations by district stands at Austin, 29; Corpus Christi, 27; Kerrville, 18; McAllen, 28; San Angelo, 7; San Antonio, 17; and Victoria, 11.
Granted by the General Commission on Communication, certification means a congregation has systematically evaluated its hospitality and intentionally embraced a lifestyle of welcoming newcomers.
The certification program is part of the denominationwide Igniting Ministry hospitality and image campaign. The goal is to help congregations do a better job of relating to visitors and encouraging them to return.
Certified congregations earn a plaque and a special designation in the “Find a church” database at www.unitedmethodist.org.
To earn certification, congregations must qualify for at least 100 points on a yearly checklist of welcoming activities.
To earn recertification, welcoming congregations must earn an additional 100 points doing things they didn’t do the first year.
Checklists are available at ignitingministry.org.
District superintendents sign checklists to confirm reported information.