Tables full of donuts. Tables and chairs full of people visiting. Starting this Sunday, a table and hosts featuring a different First Free Rockford ministry every month.
What once was flyover land on the way into the Sanctuary now buzzes with community. We spoke about the lobby transformation with Erin Blume, Director of Adult Ministries; and Dave Creek, Associate Pastor of Family Ministries.
What can you tell us about the new lobby arrangement? It seems to be evolving over the past few months.
Erin Blume:
We say that we are a church that worships, grows and serves together. We talk a lot about the “together” piece of our church but our lobby didn’t scream, Let’s all hang together and be together. Because there was nowhere to sit, nowhere for people to actually spend time getting to know one another and just encouraging each other, catching up. And so at Easter, Meredith Domanico (Director of Student Ministries, who also has played a big part in the lobby changes) brought up furniture from the Rooted room and put it in the lobby and had seating around for people to enjoy.
Our deaconesses made a bunch of treats and foods and whatnot. We just really wanted the community feel. And that day was very encouraging because we saw both services connecting and talking and just being together. We want the togetherness but our lobby didn’t communicate, Stay a while. So we put a proposal together and asked if we could put some furniture in the lobby. We’d like to continue to add to it because there are so many people who enjoy it.
For years we had coffee and donuts between services in Fellowship Hall. That seemed more like more of a destination, rather than having to walk through it to get into church.
EB:
By bringing it out in the lobby, it just creates more of a family atmosphere and connection point. And it’s just a simple donut, but people look forward to it and kids talk about it. Kids come early for it.
Dave Creek:
I know I’ve said this before, but church doesn’t need to be made up of silos and groups here and there. The collective body is the church. So how do we do life together? And that’s just a small way to try to build that with each other, because hopefully those kinds of relationships that can happen and engagements transfer out of here.
I think of the words of a former boss: “It’s a point of contact in which to build a relationship.” So we want the lobby to be that. With a church this size, you can bypass a lot of people, but if you have to walk around somebody, there’s a literal slowing down. And that’s what we want. People make eye contact.
What are you observing so far since we’ve made these changes?
EB:
We’re a multigenerational church and I love seeing all the generations enjoying talking to each other. You see families gathering together, but you also see people who aren’t family, who are sitting together, pulling up a chair, sliding over to make room. And I just love it. My husband and kids go first hour. And there’s a group of the kids that attend Sunday school, first hour and it is their thing. They now will grab a donut, grab a cup of water, and they take over the Fireside Room. I love it. I want my kids to stay a while.
I want my children to know people in all generations within our church. I think there’s so much benefit to that. Before, my kids would put on their coats and walk out after church because there was nothing to stay for. And now it’s like, “Nope, we’re going for donut time.” And they grab their donut and they talk with people and they get to know them. And the love that the older generation has for the kids in our church—just caring for them and saying, “Hey, how was your week at school?” Getting to know them is huge and there’s a spot to do that now.
That seems pretty important as a constant, church culture thing.
DC:
So often we think of memory-making as being events like Christmas Traditions. Those are all well and good, but memory is made in the small things and in the things that are consecutively done over and over. Church isn’t just an hour-long thing you attend, but it’s a place that the Body of Christ goes to. We tell our kids all the time, especially when they would rather stay home and watch cartoons or something, “No, we go to church to be with the Body of Christ.” This is the significance. It’s not to go and attend. It’s to go and be with.
And so, those memories that are being shaped and formed through the multigenerational, interactive kind of dynamic simply through just having a lobby that is designed for that to take place, are significant. It’s important.
This was really good, Jim. I’m so glad that the idea (though a bit modified) of getting together again is back, like donut time before COVID.
Hello First Free!
My 3rd time attending service at 10:30 here in your beautiful house of our Lord.
It is quite the change for me, actucally seeing and being here in-person than listening on internet “live” while walking two miles. You might say the Lord has the best timing as I do feel he is drawing me closer to him and it seems like home.
Thank you for being open and taking emails from people that are newbies.
Carol
BTW.. I do go to another church called Forest City Fellowship on Sat evenings.
I must say everyone here that greets people are very kind. From the door people to the person standing inside.
Many people are gathering but I don’t get approached much after coming inside.
Might be because I am new but in any case I will meet many as I continue coming.
Welcome, Carol! Thanks for your comment and we are so glad you’ve been attending lately. My advice as an introvert is, give it some time and you’ll meet lots of great people here. One of the hazards of being a big church is that not everyone knows everyone else — which means we also don’t always know who’s new. We do almost always have a couple of staff members present near the welcome center (spot in the lobby where there’s a wall full of brochures). If you introduce yourself to one of them, they are great about helping you meet more people and finding a good fit. I look forward to meeting you, too!