3 earn, 3 others renew welcoming-church status

Three more churches joined the list of certified welcoming congregations during November.
Three others renewed their certifications for a second year.
New welcoming congregations are:
> Oak Island UMC, San Antonio, San Antonio District, certified Nov. 6.
> Northwest Hills UMC, San Antonio, San Antonio District, certified Nov. 7.
> First UMC, Mertzon, San Angelo District, certified Nov. 12.
Renewing congregations are:
> First UMC, San Angelo, San Angelo District, recertified Nov. 7.
> Coker UMC, San Antonio, San Antonio District, recertified Nov. 7.
> St. John’s UMC, Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi District, recertified Nov. 14.
Welcoming certification must be renewed annually.
The Southwest Texas Conference now has 145 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, 30; Corpus Christi, 27; Kerrville, 18; McAllen, 28; San Angelo, 9; San Antonio, 20; and Victoria, 13.
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.
“Our denomination recognizes hospitality as a vital ministry,” said Royya James, certification coordinator for the communication agency in Nashville, Tenn. “Embracing newcomers and providing opportunities for discipleship in our congregations is a lifestyle.”
Certified congregations earn a plaque and a special designation in the “Find a church” database at www.unitedmethodist.org.
Recertified congregations receive seals for their plaques for each renewal.
To earn certification, congregations must qualify for at least 100 points on a yearly checklist of welcoming activities.
To recertify, congregations must earn an additional 100 points on the welcoming checklist doing things they didn’t do the first year.
Checklists are available at ignitingministry.org.
District superintendents sign checklists to confirm reported information.