Problem: Article: The welcoming process should start for visitors as soon as they park in the parking lot. Going to church can be an intimidating experience for a lot of people, so you want to make sure first-timers feel as welcome as possible. For this reason, it's common for churches to have greeters posted out in the parking lot, making sure that new visitors have some idea of where they should be and don't get scared off before they even make it into the building. Choose especially warm and friendly church members for this job. It can be an excellent way of giving particularly bubbly young members something to do before the service, or letting senior members feel valued. Make sure the greeters avoid accusatory or unwelcoming language, like, "What are you doing here?" or "What do you need?" Instead, just assume that everyone's in the right place. Say, "Hey there! Welcome! How're you doing today?" Listen and help out. Don't put the pressure on the visitors to introduce themselves and make the first contact. Visitors should be comfortable to relax and to sit back if they want to, or to have conversations and make friends if they're interested. Take the pressure off by introducing yourself and your family, and getting the names of the visitors. Treat the visitors as people, not as "visitors." No one wants to go somewhere looking to be welcomed and instead be made to feel strange or in a separate category. Ask them questions and learn about the visitors to make them feel welcomed. Look for common ground to discuss and help them to feel as if the visitors belong. Many church members forget what it's like to visit a church for the first time. Most first-time visitors aren't interested in deep matters of doctrine and the content of the sermonsthey're just looking to find out where to park and where to sit and listen. They just want to feel welcome. Slow down and focus on helping visitors get comfortable and make the experience easy and stress-free. Make sure visitors know where they can park, where to get a quick cup of coffee, and where to hang their coat. Get a pamphlet that outlines the service for the day and be available for any questions. Give a quick tour of the building, if time permits. Show visitors the room where the service will take place and any other attractive facilities, if they seem interested. Some back-story about the history of the congregation can be interesting for new visitors, be friendly! Say hi to people. Many churches have different procedures and steps involved in joining the church, and you shouldn't assume that all visitors will know how to sign up, or whether or not they even should ask for information. Make it available to guests, but don't make it mandatory and don't force it. Ask visitors if they're interested in information by asking questions and finding out what they're looking for. If someone's visiting because they're in town staying with relatives and live out of state, there's not much point in forcing materials on them. Make them feel welcomed, but don't worry about selling them on the church. This can be a tricky step in welcoming visitors, because you don't want to assume every visitor is interested, but the easiest way to engage is usually to get visitors to sign the guest book so you can have their contact information to follow up later. Everyone is different, and some guests might just want to enjoy the sermon and be left alone. If they have an enjoyable experience, they'll come back and you can get to know them a bit more later. Don't assume that standoffish or silent guests are displeased or uncomfortable, they may just be looking to sneak in for a quiet service. Recognize visitors who may tend toward this and back off. Make contact and introduce yourself, so they'll have a name in case they want to ask questions and learn more.
Summary: Appoint specific greeters for visitors. Introduce yourself. Show visitors around. Let visitors know how they can join without pressuring them to do so. Recognize when to back off.

Problem: Article: Face your partner and hold your partner's right hand with your left hand. Take 2 steps back as your partner steps towards you. Then, take 2 steps in place while your partner does the same. As you step, grasp your partner's left hand with your right hand. Gently push your partner back using both of your hands. Then, take 2 steps forward as your partner takes 2 steps back. Repeat the move as many times as you like for a simple way to dance West Coast Swing. Stand facing your partner with your right hand resting on their waist and their left hand resting on your shoulder. Clasp your partner's right hand with your left hand and walk side to side with them for 4 steps. Then, release your grip on their waist and extend your left arm out as your partner steps away from you. Walk in place for 4 steps as your partner does the same, then guide your partner back towards you by bending your arm. Resume the previous position and repeat the step as many times as you like for a simple dance move. Hold your partner's right hand with your left hand. Look in the direction you want your partner to go and guide them with your left arm. Walk in place for 4 steps, and then turn and walk 4 more steps as your partner walks 180 degrees around you. Then, pause and walk in place for 4 steps before guiding them back to their start position using the same arm and going in the same direction. Don't change directions during this dance move! Keep your partner moving in a counterclockwise pattern around you. Make sure to face your partner the whole time they are walking around you.
Summary: Do a sugar push by walking 2 steps back as your partner steps forward. Try a straight send-out by extending your arm as your partner steps away. Walk in place while turning to do a left side pass.

Problem: Article: Place the dust cover fabric over the seat base and cut around the edges of the set to get the exact dimensions. This piece will be hidden under the foam and fabric, so don't worry if the edges are a little jagged. A dust cover will help to prevent the cushion from sagging down into the seat base. Place the dust cover onto the seat base and staple around the edges to secure it to the seat base. Make sure that the fabric is taut. You may want to place 1 staple at the center of each side to start and then work outwards on each side, pulling the fabric as you go. Place the seat frame directly onto the foam. Trace around it using a pen or marker. Then, use a serrated knife or an electric knife to cut out the foam using the lines you traced onto it as guides. A bread knife or turkey carving electric knife work well for cutting foam padding. After you have the foam cut out, place it onto the seat frame so that the edges of the foam and seat are lined up. Place the foam directly on the batting and the seat frame on top of the foam. Make sure that the foam and seat are centered on the batting. Don't worry about the dimensions of the batting. Use a large piece and cut what you need after you have the seat and foam in position. The edges of the batting need to go up and over the edges of the back of the seat by 2 inches (5.1cm) on all sides. Check to ensure that you can wrap the batting around by 2 inches (5.1cm) on all sides and then cut the batting to these dimension. Mark the batting to indicate where to cut it or cut it while it is wrapped over the edge of the seat. Staple the center of each edge of the batting first, and then continue stapling along the edges on each side. Pull the padding taut along each edge as you staple it. Work from the center staple out towards a corner of the seat and repeat this on both sides of the staple. Then, do the same thing for each of the other sides. Gather the excess fabric at 1 corner of the seat, and then fold it over at the corner. Staple in the center of the fold to secure the fabric at the corner of the seat. If there is still some extra fabric, fold it again and place another staple over the fold to secure it. Repeat this for each corner of the chair. Once the batting is secured to the seat, cut the excess to reduce the bulk and prevent any hanging fabric. Cut about 1 inch (2.5cm) from the staples all around the inside of the seat. Don't cut the batting too close to the staples or it may come loose.
Summary:
Cut a piece of the dust cover fabric to the dimensions of the seat. Staple the dust cover to the top of the seat. Cut 2in (5.1cm) thick foam padding to the dimensions of the seat. Place the foam padding and seat onto a piece of batting. Cut the batting 2in (5.1cm) past the seat's edges. Staple the batting to the center of the seat and then work outwards. Fold the batting at the corner and staple to secure it. Cut the excess batting 1 inch (2.5cm) from the staples.