Where everyone knows your name
When I was younger, my brothers and I would watch the sit-com “Cheers” with our dad every Thursday night. It was a cool bonding experience for us. One of the most famous things people remember about “Cheers” is the character Norm played by George Wendt. Every time he walked into the bar people would yell out “Norm” because he was a regular there and everyone knew his name.
Well, I had a “Norm” moment the other day. Recently my wife has really grown to love a particular Bacon and Guoda cheese sandwich at Starbucks. So I have gone there my fair share of times recently. Well, this one particular day, I walked in and before I could place my order, she said, “Good Morning Tom. You are in earlier than normal”. This blew me away that this lady that I see pretty regularly when I go into Starbucks would actually know my name. Even though I felt a little bit embarrassed because I felt I spent too much time there, I ultimately felt important. I felt that I have “arrived” in Starbuck-world. A Barista knew my name! 🙂
I remember years ago when I was doing just middle school ministry, I greeted a middle schooler by her first name. When I said, “Hello Tiffany” she did a double take. She said in almost disbelief, “You know my name?” And I responded by saying, “Of course I do. Who doesn’t know Tiffany”. That short little interaction made her feel like I cared and I wanted to know her. I don’t know the world that all my students walk in, but simple little things like remembering a name and making someone feel like you care can go a long way in the life of another.
Do students feel like Norm when they walk into your event? Does everyone know their name? More importantly, do you and your other leaders know their name? I wish I can honestly sit here and say that I know everyone in my program’s name, but the reality is I don’t. I NEED to get better. What are you doing to make that happen in your ministry?
TAKE A MINUTE and…
- Break out your ministry roster. How many people are on that list that you do not know who they are?
- Start getting to know your students. Put the face with the name and see where the Lord leads that relationship.
Good post, I agree it's important to get to know the students names. It's something we need to encourage our volunteers to do. I don't know about you but I've found this as an intimidating task for them. They are afraid of messing up a kid's name. What I've found is if you messed up a kids name, they'll forgive you and later appreciate the effort that you take to make sure you never forget their name.
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Great post, Tom. You discovered something on your own that people either pay a lot of money to learn, take years to figure out, or simply never get. Your experience opens our eyes to the simple fact that deep in our hearts we all want to be recognized for who we are. During a portion of my training where I was learning how to develop relationships with people I did not know, one of the points was to simply be intentional about using that individual's name. Our instructor, who was clearly a great communicator, told us that a persons favorite word to hear in the whole wide universe (with a sigh and hands on heart) was their own name. Using someone's name is powerful magic, especially in new relationships. I can visibly see the effect sometimes when I do it. This goes both ways though. I feel that using someone's name brings me closer to them as well. Even in old relationships, like marriage, it is neat to do. When I call my wife intentionally by her name while in close conversation (not just yelling across the house) it draws us together even after 17 years. God Bless!
Thanks for the comments Blake and Chris. It is amazing the power of knowing someone's name.