It’s with pleasure, and a smile on my face that I get to introduce Tim and Margaret Eakin, leaders of the Vineyard Boise Greeting Team. When I started on staff here at the Vineyard four years ago, one of my responsibilities was to oversee and restructure the Greeting and Ushering Team. As with anything, you need time to observe and participate before making changes. As you may know, at the Vineyard, change is a constant process. You never really “get there”. Change is a daily, weekly, yearly process. As God grows our church, the ministries constantly need to be reviewed and modified. As the Greeting and Ushering Team was growing, so was the need for more leadership. I first put in place leaders for each week, since the commitment to serve was and is once a month. I then felt God urging me to replace myself in this role. That’s what Tri is also encouraging us to continually do—raise up leaders.

I was talking to God while I was driving in to the Vineyard one morning about who that might be, and he clearly showed me Tim & Margaret Eakin.

I was excited to talk with them about that, since God was so specific and I felt such joy about His direction. They gladly accepted the role. I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to work with both of them. They have a humble heart of leadership and desire to serve God in whatever capacity they can. They truly are servants and doorkeepers in the house of God. Feel free to encourage them and their teams today as you are aware of those great greeters in the cool denim shirts. The teams are currently understaffed since we have moved into the new sanctuary and have opened the doors to Heritage Hall. If you would like more information about joining the greeting team, stop by the Outreach Counter located in the old lobby through the west doors of the sanctuary.

Tempe McFarlane

The Bible is alive with the history of greeting and ushering.

1 Chronicles 9:19 talks of the Korahites being responsible for guarding the gates of the tabernacle, just as their fathers had been responsible for being keepers of the entry. King David said in Psalms 84:10a, I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God.

What an honor it is to serve our King! My wife Margaret and I have been serving in the greeting ministry for 5 years. It has been a blessing to serve our King and His people, the body of Christ. Each time we walk through the doors of the Vineyard we pray for a heart of servantship, love, humbleness, and discernment. We couldn’t imagine coming into the church and not greeting. To us it seems so natural.

We were really seeking God and wanted our lives to change. When we began greeting we thought it would be a great way to become plugged into the church. We were right; however, greeting became that and more. We soon discovered just how important the ministry of greeting was.

The greeters are significant in so many ways. Our attitude, friendliness and compassion for all must be accepting and transparent. We want our church to be a home for every person that walks through these doors; a place to feel God’s love and presence not only in church but also in each of us. Greeting is an attitude that comes from the heart. It is a special gift. We knew from the first few months that this would become more than just a passion.

We greet not only because we want to serve God and the church, but we want to be active members of our church family. Serving has brought us more than just joy; we have grown spiritually closer to God. We never imagined we would be serving our church in this capacity.

Margaret and I oversee the Greeting and Ushering ministry under the leadership of Tempe McFarlane. The Greeting and Ushering Team is a lot of fun, and with it comes many responsibilities. We set the tone for the day. It is our job to keep disturbances and noise down to a minimum during the services, not only for the pastor, but also for the people attending church. We want everyone to get the most out of each message. We also look out for people who may need assistance or special help, so we can be the hands and feet of Jesus, stepping out to help.

Many times greeters are the first people newcomers see. Most newcomers make up their mind whether a church is friendly and welcoming within the first one and a half minutes of being there. That’s a very critical minute and a half that we don’t want to miss. We desire to be a city on a hill, shining the light and love of Jesus to all people. Many who are broken and hurting hear about and visit the Vineyard. We want to be ready to accept and love them all.

This ministry takes a large team of people working together. Every greeter is important. We are here for God and the people in our church. We serve once a month for both services and the teams do so with a willing and open heart.

Greeters provide the newcomers with directions around the church. They maintain a positive attitude and are ready to help our brothers and sisters at any time. We chose to be on the Greeting Team because we want to share God’s love with everyone. Serving God and our church in this capacity is a privilege and an honor. We get back so much more when we serve God and the Vineyard. Being active members of our church community also helps to feed our spirit. The closer we draw to church and God, the closer our fellowship with our community becomes.

A day in the life of a greeter:

It starts with anticipation and excitement. It is a time of thanks as they don their greeter shirts. Upon arrival at the church, their gift of servantship starts to manifest itself. It is early in the morning and those serving in ministry of all kinds are starting to show up at the Vineyard. Tithing envelopes need to be put out; boxes of tissue are placed about the sanctuary; oh, and of course, that free cup of coffee must be redeemed at the Coffee Bar. Doors are opened and bulletins are put in place. As we go about preparing for the morning, we can hear the band practicing in the background. What a beautiful start to the day.

At 8:00 a.m. the Greeting Team meets to pray and receive their assignments for the day. The time together in pray and community is important. It prepares our hearts; it brings us in tune with God’s heart and thoughts. We clear our minds of our own trials and tribulations that we might be used by God in a greater way. Greeting and ushering is not just about meeting God’s people as they come through the door, it’s about a life style of worship and seeking God. Colossians 3:23, 24 says “what ever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for theLord not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord.”

Greeters take their assigned positions designated positions a–m. Today I am greeting in position “i”. I love to greet and meet people at the front doors of Heritage Hall. I always pray that God would give me a heart of discernment for those that are new or in need. After worship I help take the offering. During first service, I keep a watchful eye on the parking lot and Heritage Hall. I want everybody to be safe and have a wonderful experience. During second service, I get to relax and enjoy the sermon. We split the team up so half of us can enjoy first service and the other half second service. It’s pretty simple really.

Some of the greeters are helping people find seats, others are passing out bulletins. Between services, some of us are cleaning the sanurary and preparing it for the next service. When needed, we assist mothers and/or fathers and their children to one of the cryrooms in the back of the sanctuary so they can listen to the service on the television provided, and still attend to their baby in need. There is a lot of responsibility in being a greeter, however the joy always comes back ten-fold.

Although I only serve in the greeting and ushering service once a month, I somehow always have my greeting hat on. (Well, that’s just a figure of speech.) Every time I walk in the church, I have a joy that fills my heart; another day with my family; my bothers and sisters in Christ. It is my hope that everyone in the church would have a greeter’s heart. On a given Sunday if you see someone looking around maybe a little puzzled, ask them if you can help. Introduce yourself. Maybe they are new and just want a friendly smile and someone to offer to sit with them. God has blessed us with a beautiful community in which to come together, make friends, and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Let’s share the joy together.

The Greeting and Ushering Team is recruiting people with a heart to serve. We want people with a bright smile and a positive outlook. If you are a regular attendee of the church and have been through Vineyard 101, we would love to hear from you. Contact us at tmeakin1@cableone.net or call 321-7736 or the church at 377-1477.

Tim and Margaret Eakin