Hide & Seek?

Some churches play Hide & Seek with potential visitors. I first experienced this last year when we were vacationing and looking for a particular church to worship with one Sunday. I found them on the internet, and they had a nice website, but it didn't list a service time. Yup, a beautiful website with lots of inviting information, but it was missing this most basic piece of information.

Only a few weeks into this sabbatical, I have already played Hide & Seek with two other churches. The first was an Abbotsford church we had hoped to visit two weeks ago. It is my understanding that they are a small congregation with a unique ministry to families. Hoping to worship with them, I attempted to find more information about them--like location, service time, website, etc. That's where the game began. I found their email address and a phone number. The phone number was out of service. So I searched some more, and found another phone number. I called and left a message requesting their service time and locations. I also send an email, asking for the same information. I then called again--twice. More than two weeks later, I have received no return phone call and no return email.

Last week, I payed Hide & Seek again with another church. I had heard of this church a few years back. It has some affiliation with the Reformed Church, and is located in Bellingham. I was really interested in visiting this church. Their website was really inviting and it seemed they are doing some unique things. This particular church--according to their website--only meets every second Sunday morning as a large group (and as small groups on off Sundays). OK--but which Sundays are which? The website didn't give that information. I tried phoning--and got a dead line. I tried a couple more times--the line is dead. So I emailed, and the email bounced back to me. Yup, the website lists old contact information. Not to be deterred, I contacted the denominational office for information. They gave me some new contact information. So I called and left a message--no reply. I emailed--no reply.

Hide & Seek is a fun game to play with kids or a group of friends. But its not a church game. I am happy that we have a good clear website with all our current contact information. I am happy  that we answer our phone messages and reply to our emails. If a church really cares about its community--it needs to be accessible. How can a church grow in the Kingdom if its playing Hide & Seek with potential visitors. The question for me is this: In what ways are we playing Hide & Seek at Bethel Church?

Blessings, David