La Croix church offers seminar on how to reach new audiences

Reaching people who have no church to call their own has been an important element of La Croix United Methodist Church's growth.

The church was formed more than a decade ago to reach the baby boomer generation and young families without a church home in Cape Girardeau.

It's done just that. With Easter Sunday attendance that topped 2,000 people, the church seems to have found its niche. And it's willing to share its success stories with other congregations.

People from throughout Southeast Missouri and around the state are expected at La Croix United Methodist Church this weekend for a conference on the "Outwardly Focused Church." The seminar begins at 9 a.m. today and runs until 4 p.m. It began Friday evening with a meal and guest speaker.

Church members and pastor Ron Watts today will present seminars and sermons on how the church has been able to reach a new audience.

The conference is about trying to teach other, more traditional churches about ways to develop seeker-sensitive services, said Tonia McGill, administrative assistant at the church.

"We're offering suggestions and new ideas," she said. "It's very important to reach out to lots of people in communities that have no church home."

This is the second such conference the church has sponsored.

La Croix has adapted programs and used catchy flyers and postcards to attract people's attention about the church. At Christmas, Watts developed a sermon series based on the idea of the popular TV show "CSI." His series was a Christmas story investigation that examined the events leading up to Christ's birth.

The conference is a teaching seminar designed to encourage churches to look into their community and implement new programs. Speakers include church members and Watts, as well as Dr. Bob Tuttle of Asbury Theological Seminary and Dr. Bob Pierson, senior pastor of Christ United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Okla.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126