Based on the recent success of a missionary open house held at the LDS Church building in Hamilton, Mont., here are 10 suggestions to make your own open house a success:
1. Ensure that the event has a Christ-centered theme that appeals to those both searching for truth or those with a well-developed faith in Jesus Christ.
"Come Unto Christ" was the theme of our open house and advertised to the community as an art show featuring prints, paintings, statues and other representations of Jesus Christ from Mormon families' private collections. Although our members live far from LDS distribution centers or bookstores, it was amazing to see the variety of beautiful art pieces brought for display. The work of many of our talented artists was also displayed through homemade quilts, paintings and hand-stitched projects. One talented member made dozens of oak easels to display framed pictures of all sizes throughout the building.
2. Allow the full-time missionaries to work hand-in-hand with all auxiliary leaders and dedicated volunteers.
Elder Smith and Elder Carlson and their enthusiasm were key in making our event a success. Over the course of two months, they formed a committee and contacted each auxiliary leader of two wards to receive support. They spoke in sacrament meeting to encourage members to be involved and invite friends to the event. They spoke on the morning radio shows in town and their invitation was printed in three area newspapers. They delivered fliers, hung posters and gave personal invitations to those who live near the church. Their organization, commitment and vision were key to inspiring members to share the load and be prepared for anyone who arrived.
3. Open every door to the church for visitors to tour.
Every classroom in the building was assigned to a group to create a display and prepare to welcome guests. The family history library was open and stayed busy all evening. The Scouts wore uniforms and created an impressive display of their accomplishments for families to admire. Extensive displays on emergency preparedness and the LDS Church's welfare program were very effective. Full-time missionaries filled the baptismal font and were ready to answer questions on baptism and other ordinances of the gospel.
4. Give the Young Women and the Relief Society sisters prime space to create colorful and welcoming displays.
A large portion of the recreation hall was used by the young women to display the new personal progress program, projects created by the girls, a rainbow of sugar cookies to be sampled — even a tent and camping supplies to explain the benefits of girls camp. As for the Relief Society sisters, they literally brought everything but the kitchen sink to transform the Relief Society room into a cozy home away from home where they shared the service and programs designed to enrich women's lives. Although they left the sink home, the antique stove display got quite a lot of attention from interested guests.
5. Have Primary children make their own invitations to give to friends and family.
A significant number of the guests at our evening open house came to the church at the invitation of children. Primary participants from ages 3 to 11 reverently created pictures of Jesus Christ and then colored invitations for family and friends to come and see the children's art show and their images of simple faith.
6. Serve homemade pie.
Not much explanation needed here. The spread of colorful fruit and pudding-filled pies displayed on homemade quilts in a café setting invited guests to stay and enjoy a sweet treat. And stay they did. Conversations in the cultural hall reunited old friends and started many new acquaintances in our small town.
7. Give something to every guest.
Whether a copy of the Book of Mormon, a colorful picture of Jesus Christ or information from the family history library, make sure guests don't go home empty-handed. Our missionaries personally gave a 5-by-7-inch picture of Christ to all who attended. Another important souvenir was a card with the missionaries' phone number and the times of church meetings.
8. Have young men and young women serve as tour guides.
Dressed in Sunday best, the smiling faces of our young men and young women proved to be the perfect recipe for guiding guests through each room of the building. The youth honed missionary skills and did a fine job teaching and making guests feel welcome and wanted.
9. Station bishops in a central location so they're available to greet all those who enter the building.
The bishops of both wards chose to stand in the doorways to the chapel to welcome those to the most important room in the church. They explained the purpose of the chapel and the sacrament and invited each guest to join us on Sundays. It was noticed that the bishops' reverent and friendly demeanor helped several less active members work through admitted anxieties of returning to the chapel to worship and renew their covenants.
10. Commit ward members to each invite a friend.
Our full-time missionaries made the rounds to members' homes for meals and never left without a firm commitment that the family would do their best to bring a friend to the open house. It was truly exciting to see our ward family members of all ages wander the halls with a friend on their arm. We were proud to show friends around the warm church building that was so inviting with the extra plants, lamps, artwork and well-marked signs.
In the weeks that followed, the missionaries have found greater success in our community and among our increasingly missionary-minded members.
e-mail: sduce@desnews.com