The New Guy

It’s hard to be the new guy. No matter how old I get this is something that never changes. I have watched over the past two months as my children have handled with grace and confidence being the new guy at school, at sports and in church.  I have seen my husband walk into places not knowing anyone and leaving with new friends, that is just the way he is. I can’t help but feel anxious walking into new places, just a little nervous. I used to get sick the night before I had to go somewhere that I didn’t know anyone, school, work, meetings, anything, I was sick with fear and worry. Thank God I don’t struggle to that extent anymore, but I know that I am not alone in those feelings.  

An interesting thing happened last night as Matt and I went out on a hot date for my birthday.  (I love hot dates with my husband, they are the best!)  I follow this tag on Instagram @nebraskafoodie and I had seen a picture of a chicken sandwich that looked delicious, it was from a place called 9 South Chargrill.  I found the website and plugged in the address to my GPS and off we went. When we pulled up to the restaurant I was a little apprehensive of this tin building.  It sure didn’t look as appealing as the food had looked in the picture. Immediately Matt says, "it’s your birthday, you decide".  I just kept seeing those waffle fries in my head and we decided to go on in. The food was amazing! Once inside we loved the atmosphere, it is a place we will definitely be going back too. As we were leaving, I thought about how hard it was to even go into an unfamiliar restaurant, it was hard to walk into a new place that we were not accustomed too. Quickly, I thought that is how people feel walking into new churches too…. 

For the past five months we have been without a church home.  Most of the time this makes me sad and sometimes I feel the loneliness that comes from not having a church home.  It has afforded us the opportunity that we have never had before, to be the new guy.  Growing up I was in the same church for 17 years then began to work there.  When we went to Georgia we went in as staff.  We have never had the opportunity to look for a new church.  How do people feel going into a church for the first time?  Nervous.  We are having a fun time checking out the great churches in Lincoln and over all have had good experiences.  When we get into the car we ask ourselves what did we like, what was good, what would we do differently?  How did it feel to be the new guy?  There is however, always that twinge of nervousness before we walk through the front doors.

One of the cool things about planting a church is that everyone will be the new guy.  My hope is that we will all remember how it feels to walk into a new church and be the new guy.  Jessie (who just moved here from GA) and I went a campus ministry at UNLESS and I have to tell you it was so hard for me to actually walk into the meeting.  Of course, I pretended not to be nervous since I am a 34 year old grown woman, why would I be nervous walking into a college age ministry event?  I gotta tell you, it was tough!  

How as a church can we make people feel calm and welcome from the moment they enter the parking lot?  The goal of Mercy City Church is for people to feel at home.  It is our goal to make everyone feel comfortable from the moment they step out of their car.  Sure it’s easy for me to say that now, right?  We haven’t even started yet, but I find myself praying to never forget that feeling of apprehension, to never forget how lost it can feel to walk into a place where you don’t know where to go, where to put your kids or how to get into service. 

The goal is always love.

The goal is always a smile, a hug, a personal connection.  Signs would help too, but a personal touch is what makes people feel the most welcome.  

We are 3 and a half months out from our first service and the goal is people.  Everywhere we go in this city the goal is people.  God is opening doors and making connections like we have never experienced before, God is building our team right in front of our eyes.  It is so amazing to watch as He puts this family together. 

Mercy City will be a place where people feel welcome, where they feel at home.

Isn’t that what church is supposed to be?  Will there be mess?  Will there be disagreements?  Of course, every family has those things, but the cool thing about family is no matter what happens, love remains. 

My encouragement today is to help make someone else feel at home today.  Look up from your phone, pay attention to the people you do life with and make a personal connection with someone new today.  You never know what that person may be dealing with, how they are feeling on the inside.  Look outside yourself today and see the new guy.