Cool “first impression” from Granger

I’ve had the opportunity to be emailing back and forth with Mark Waltz from Granger Community Church over the past little while and thought I’d pass along the story I told him about our amazing first impression when my wife, my oldest daughter and I visited Granger on our way back from Chicago.

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting GCC back in June of 2006. I had made the trip down to Willow for the arts conference and on my way back decided to visit a few churches that we had been following. It was Father’s Day weekend and GCC was in the middle of the iPod series – I think the message that day was on iLove but I’m not 100%. I think it’s important to note that this was my first Father’s Day as a dad, our first trip away as a family and our first time leaving our daughter in the care of total strangers at another church.

Anyways, we had our 8-month old (at the time) daughter with us. We came in to the building and found a check-in station. The guy there asked for my last name and when I gave it he said “Chris?” I was a little surprised that I was already in your database but he asked if I was on the GCC mailing list and said that all of that info is connected. That was pretty impressive.

A nursery volunteer met us at the check-in station and brought us downstairs where we met some other volunteers before heading up for the service – which was fantastic. That was the morning that one of your music guys sang “Fix You” – gave me chills.

After the service we got Avery and then had a quick tour thanks to some of your production guys. We thanked them, grabbed some lunch and headed back to the hotel. When we went to get her ready for her nap she needed a diaper change. Okay – this is the good part!! :) On the back of Avery’s diaper was a bright pink sticker that said “I’ve Been Changed!” with a time and the initials of a volunteer. This sounds really silly but that was the most impressive thing of our visit to GCC. The amount of care, concern and intentionality that sticker communicated was through the roof for me as a new, overprotective dad.

As I said before, that small sticker impressed me so much that it is still the main thing I talk about when GCC comes up in conversation. I’m sorry to say that it wasn’t the lights or the video screen or Mark’s preaching or the coffee or the greeters or any of that which impressed me the most about GCC – although how you guys use all of things is incredible. It was the care for my daughter communicated through a silly little sticker that really showed the heart behind what you guys do.

Ever had a really great first impression?