"I Have Called You By Name . . ."

But now thus says the Lord,

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine."

Isaiah 43:1 (ESV) 

"I have called you by name."  This is a statement that our Heavenly Father made to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, but it expresses well an aspect of our adoption into His family by grace.  He knows and loves us personally and deeply despite our brokenness.  He knows our name, in fact, He has given us His name through adoption.  We are His.

That experience should shape the heart of every believer in every Gospel-of-Grace oriented congregation, and then express itself towards the new people that the Father brings to our doorstep each Sunday.  At Christ Covenant, we call it "welcoming people well," and it is something we are mindful of.  Are we welcoming visitors in a way that they feel welcomed?  A way that is appropriate to them?  Not forcing our selves or our agenda on them, but available, responsive and welcoming.  Thinking about their needs as a visitor before our needs as regulars.

A component of that is learning, remembering and speaking to a person by name.  It makes a difference, we try to be diligent about getting names and faces connected, remembered and recognized.  I was struck by the importance of knowing a person's name by a blog post in "Church Volunteer Daily" that I reproduce here in full:

It’s funny, now that I am moving I have met so many of my neighbors! At my garage sale I had people come over to “finally” introduce themselves (after three years of living in this neighborhood). I learned the names of people I had seen walking or working in the yard, yet had not taken the time to get to know. I also worked on the sale with a neighbor I vaguely knew, but now we’ve had coffee twice and are making plans to get together in my new town. Funny.

It’s not funny however, that many of us serve with people we know about as well as I obviously know my neighbors. I was in a meeting recently when the leader made the statement that we can’t assume that people know each other’s names. In some cases, children may be uncertain what their Sunday school teacher’s name is, especially if there is a lot of rotation in a classroom. Her point was that knowing and using people’s names creates the personal connections so vital to a healthy church (and, I would add, volunteer program).

This is a personal challenge for me. I love people and I make friends easily. I just don’t have a great memory for names. Unlike my husband who remembers the names and faces of the people on his paper route when he was 12! Oh well, this just means I need to work harder to remember, create clues to help me remember, and not be afraid to ask if I forget someone’s name. Truly, taking the time to learn someone’s name is a way of honoring that person. It communicates that you see them and value them as part of your community.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. This week, make it a point to learn the names of three new people in your church, neighborhood, and even volunteer team. Watch how they respond when you take an interest in them personally.  Click Here To See the Original Post.

 I appreciate it when people help me remember their name by wearing a name tag themselves.  I wear one for others, particularly for first-time visitors.  Many times we have found that the name tag that my wife Mary Lynn becomes the only way people new in the service connect us.

We're also trying to collect photos from people.  By making those available through our secure ChurchBook site, more people have a chance to connect names and faces.  And here's a bonus: our intercessors use those photos as we pray for the congregation of Christ Covenant, so it helps us pray more personally and specifically for you.

I've been one of the walking wounded produced by the abuses of moralistic church life in the US, so I know the importance of giving people space to connect with Christ Covenant at their own pace.  But the Gospel of Grace has restored my own sense of hope.  It's also given me encouragement to offer a welcome and the offer of my own name to others, in hope that I might have the gift of knowing their name in return.