I friend of mine once went to a church that did the logistics of welcoming really well! They had greeters at the car-park, paths, gates and doors. they smiled and nodded at you as you walked in. But they didn’t say anything. Not even a hello. They were heard chatting to each other after you walked past, but they didn’t say anything as they greeted people.

Guess what? My friend didn’t actually feel very welcomed.

Words matter to humans. Words bring clarity and certainty to actions. So don’t just do welcoming, speak welcoming.