Ephesians 4:32
 
Patience and compassion are the foundation of accepting one another within the church.  But so often we get caught up in the hyper-judgmentalism and caustic impatience of the society around us, and then we do not enact the tenderheartedness, forgiveness and kindness that must mark our relationships.  Really, without these qualities we have no relationship.
As a Welcoming Church, we begin with these most needed of Christian virtues.  We cannot dig up the dirt to accuse someone of an error in the past and not forgive them, or even treat them as human.  These basic virtues are for our daily living and interacting with all that is around us, and they must become stronger as the relationship is closer to us. 
What is your default mode in responding to others that do not conform to your expectations?  As a church that wants to boldly state the welcoming God gives to all God’s children, the welcome we extend depends on our default responses.  As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression.  And unless our constant response to others is kindness, tenderness, and forgiving, we will fail in our mission.  Because any other response is a judgment that is often judgmental.  Isn’t judgmentalism the spirit that we want to overcome in our culture.
 
Pastor Greg