Tuesday morning I was craving a good waffle, so I stopped at…you guessed it…Waffle House. I was not disappointed. It was good!

When entering the door, the staff greeted me with a chorus of “hi” and “hello” and “welcome to Waffle House.” Before you start thinking I’m somebody special or they all know me at that particular Waffle House, I’ve had the same experience at every Waffle House where I’ve eaten. Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina…it doesn’t matter. I’ve gotten the same greeting each and every time.

There are about 1,600 Waffle Houses in America and customers are greeted the same way when they enter any of them. It’s company policy. A friendly greeting is to be given to each customer.

Let me ask you a question. Who says “hi” to the guests who attend our worship services or Sunday School classes?

Well, obviously our greeters and ushers…since that is part of their job. But is it anyone else’s job?

What if we think about it this way: Every member of our church is the same as an employee at a Waffle House and every guest who attends our church is like a customer at a Waffle House. So… just like each Waffle House employee greets each customer who enters the restaurant, each member of our church greets each and every guest they see at our church.

As a member of the church, you’re part of the crew…the staff…the team…the family. Make it your job to welcome everyone. Hey, let’s do it even better than Waffle House.

Pastor Steve Hogg