Reach Out

This month, New Era readers share ideas on how to reach out to nonmembers, new converts, and less-active members. One reader from Bellevue, Nebraska, learned from her formerly less-active friends that “one of the top things that kept them from coming was that they didn’t feel welcomed.” Here are ways to help others feel they’re a welcome part of your ward:

A friendly smile goes a long way.
Introduce yourself and your friends; help them feel they’re part of the group.
Sit next to them during class and fill them in on what’s going on. Offer to answer any questions they may have.
Don’t judge. Accept and love them. Help them to feel wanted.
Call and offer rides to church, activities, firesides, and camps.
At church functions, be a friend. Really get to know them and help them feel at home.
Pray for them.
When someone misses church, send a card. Each Sunday, a Young Women class in Gahanna, Ohio, writes a card to each young woman who isn’t there that day. They express their love, tell the person they’re missed, and invite them to the next church function.
Invite them to do things outside of church activities, like going to lunch, movies, dances, or sporting events; or invite them to your home to hang out.
Make an effort to talk with them regularly. Say hello to them at school. Phone them just to chat as friends.
Remember birthdays.
Don’t ask right off, “Why don’t you come to church?” First, show them you really care about them.
Give service, like helping with school problems, leaving a plate of cookies on their doorstep, or visiting them.
Invite them to a family home evening.
If you’re class or quorum president, prayerfully consider choosing a recent convert to be your counselor or class secretary.