Visitors can be a vital part of church life in popular tourist locales
Scott Self begins his sermons with “Aloha kakahiaka,” unless it's the p.m. worship, in which case the proper phrase is “Aloha ahiahi.”

His congregation is a mix of native Hawaiians, Koreans, Samoans, U.S. military, retired “mainlanders” and vacationers lodging at the hotels on Waikiki Beach.

After Sunday morning worship on what's locally known as “Lei Day,” members grab the nearest visitors and invite them to the monthly potluck. Down in the basement, church members set out plates of pineapple, pizza and marinated octopus.

Visitors are a weekly reality at the Honolulu Church of Christ, which averages 110 people on Sundays. The record number of visitors is about 40 — reached two consecutive years on weekends when the University of Hawaii hosted the football team from the University of Alabama, Self said.

“The fact that members of Christ's body place a priority on worship and eagerly join us while they are on vacation is a real blessing — especially those who come on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights,” Self said.

“On the other hand, it can be a real distraction on a number of fronts. Being sensitive to these can mean the difference between 'doing church' and 'ministering to the church while on vacation.'”

An ocean away, on the Atlantic coastal island of Hilton Head, S.C., the local church averaged 89 people per Sunday in 2004. Fifty-one of them were out-of-towners, said church member Wayne Busey.

Busey, his wife, Maranell, and fellow islanders Wayne and Swanie Smith planted the church in 1989 to avoid the hour-long commute to churches in Savannah, Ga.

From the beginning they realized that the congregation would depend on seasonal visitors — especially those who own time shares and make annual trips. Real estate on Hilton Head is pricey, but by 1996 the small church had paid off its debt. One-third of the funds came from visitors, Busey said.

Today, Hilton Head members are proficient at accommodating overflow by putting chairs in the church foyer. And Maranell Busey doesn't mind making a quick trip to the copier when her Bible class for ages 3 to 5 unexpectedly doubles — or triples — in size.

“Somebody's got to do the work here on paradise,” Wayne Busey joked.

In Pagosa Springs, nestled among the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado, the local church can swell from its regular attendance of 45 to 160 during the peak visitor season in July.

But Dorman Diller Jr., pulpit minister for the past 11 years, said he doesn't feel compelled to tailor his sermons to a come-and-go audience.

“I believe my first responsibility is to the local congregation,” Diller said. “Without local members, the congregation could not exist and be available for tourists.”

REACHING LOCALS IN A SEA OF VISITORS

Diller and church members in other vacation locales said they do what they can to make out-of-town visitors feel welcome.

At the Palm Beach Lakes church, West Palm Beach, Fla., greeters seek out visitors, give them lapel-sized palm trees, invite them to church functions and send them a thank-you e-mail message, said Joe Holland, an elder for the church, which averages 475 people on Sunday.

In addition to families who spend the winter in Florida, “it is a joy to have 20 to 25 out-of-town visitors every week,” Holland said. “Even more exciting are the 25 to 30 local visitors we have every week.”

Distinguishing between out-of-town visitors seeking a temporary place to worship and local visitors who may be seeking a church family can prove challenging. In Honolulu, well-meaning, out-of-town church members may interrupt conversations between local members and local non-members, Self said.

While out-of-town visitors can encourage local members, they also can discourage, especially if they treat the church merely as a place to take communion while on vacation, Diller said. Some church groups opt not to visit the local church and have short devotionals to give them more time on the ski slopes.

“While our local work goes on after they leave, we enjoy joining hands with our visitors in fellowship,” Diller said. “It can be a brief glimpse of heaven.”

The challenges for churches with high visitor traffic sometimes leave members jaded and indifferent toward out-of-towners.

Lonnie Jones Jr. said he's visited at least one church while on vacation and received an icy reception. Now he's the pulpit minister for the Essex Village church in the historic city of Charleston, S.C.

Essex Village members make a special effort to reach out to visitors, Jones said. Though they come through the door almost every Sunday morning, “you just don't know who they are,” but they might be seeking Christ, he said.

MAKING GOOD IMPRESSIONS

For more than 10 years George and Charlotte Grant have served as greeters for the Concord Street church in Orlando, Fla., where thousands flock annually for conventions, extended hospital stays and, of course, to visit a cartoon mouse.

In the past decade Charlotte Grant said she's become adept at determining if a visitor will respond better to a hug or a handshake. She's surprised by the number of visitors who return years later and remember her warm greeting.

“On any given Sunday (we greet) 10 to 20 visitors,” she said. At least one of those will have the opportunity to come back in the future. “First impressions mean a great deal - even a small conversation.”

In Honolulu, visitors make good impressions when they reciprocate the “aloha spirit” shown by local members, Self said.

Instead of viewing attendance as a requirement while on vacation, “make visiting church a part of your vacation experience,” Self recommended. “If joining the church in worship is important to you, plan worship into your vacation.”

A visitor card at the Honolulu church gives guests a traditional Hawaiian greeting.