Coming Home Day

Several years ago, there were several congregations that had a special Sunday, designated “Coming Home Day.” Several congregations have Homecomings, maybe every year or every decade, but Coming Home Day is different. Last Sunday, we had a Coming Home Day at Lebanon Road. I’d like to share what we did, and maybe it can encourage you to do something similar.

First, what is it? Coming Home Day is designed specifically to reach out to those who are erring members of the church. It is a day designed to invite and encourage them to return to the Lord and to their church “home.”

It takes a lot of prayer and work. I first mentioned it to our elders about 6 months ago, and they liked the idea. About 4 months ago, we got serious in the planning, and prayers began to be offered in earnest. I contacted several friends who have held these before, and asked what they did. That information was passed along to our leaders, and we tweaked the timelines a little, but they were very similar. Here is our timeline:

• 8 weeks out: Place date in bulletin. Public announcement by a deacon of the date and purpose of Coming Home Day. Beginning at that time also, our elders began to compile a list of our erring members. It was also decided that members could turn in the names of friends who used to worship elsewhere, but who are not attending. We emphasized that we were not trying to “steal sheep,” but that we wanted to encourage the erring.
• 7 weeks out: Our elders crafted a letter to those who needed a special invitation. The letter was very encouraging and explained the purpose of Coming Home Day. While brief, it made sure those who were invited were encouraged to attend. These were sent out at various times over the coming weeks.
• 4 weeks out: We began to mention Coming Home Day every week in the bulletin and on our PowerPoint announcements. Those who led public prayers began to bring this effort before God’s throne at nearly every service.
• 2 weeks out: We finalized our committees for the potluck (set up, clean up) and we made sure Coming Home Day was mentioned from the pulpit. More emphasis was placed in the bulletin, and members were encouraged one final time to turn in names. Our elders spent these final two weeks following up on contacts.
• Throughout the whole process, prayer!

So, what happened?

Our attendance was good, but not quite what it could have been. We had 348 in attendance, but those numbers only tell part of the story. We did have some of those who were contacted in attendance. We were also told that the elders had some good and informative conversations with some who were contacted but did not attend. Both are helpful!

Above all, the day was truly encouraging. I preached a sermon on returning to the Lord, and the others who led services did a tremendous job. We had a huge number stay for our potluck meal, and our fellowship hall was filled to overflowing. Though many were involved in a great community event in the afternoon, we still had a good number who helped clean up the fellowship hall, which was encouraging as well.

Now it is up to us to follow up and continue to encourage. Pray that those who came were touched and will want to continue to return. Pray that our elders will truly shepherd their souls, so they can return to the Father.

If you ever think of having a day like this, let me give the following simple suggestions:

1. Pray, pray, and pray some more. An event like this one needs to be bathed in prayer, both public and private. Pray for the erring, and pray that the congregation will be welcoming and encouraging on the actual day.

2. Look at the calendar. We had a conflict with a community event later in the day, but it didn’t hurt us too badly. Don’t schedule a day like this during Spring Break, and summer is probably not a good time, either.

3. Make sure the leaders are behind it! Our elders were amazing during this process. They prayed. They sent letters. They visited. They planned. They truly stood behind the effort, and it was obvious to anyone paying attention.

4. Follow up. One thing we are doing is that I am going to begin a series of lessons on the subject of repentance. It is not going to be all fire and brimstone, but will hopefully help people see the importance of aligning their will with God’s.

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What are your thoughts on such an event?