How many times a week do you think you hear some variation of “a very warm welcome to you”? And what perception do you have of how to welcome people on the autistic spectrum?
I am confident that at almost any church service or event you will be verbally welcomed at least once, perhaps even several times... There might for example be an “official” welcome from someone at the door, one from the leader of the service, and any number of informal welcomes amongst the congregation.
Putting all this effort into welcoming makes sense. As Christians we are told to “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you” (Romans 15v7). It’s a key element of gospel culture, and one that we wanted to reflect on and consider in our autism peer group.
