I am in Norman, Oklahoma today. I have the honor of speaking at the Synergy Conference for the Assemblies of God. While sitting in my hotel room this morning I realized that I was only 30 minutes away from the Life Church Campus in Edmond. So I found the address and took off to see what I could see.
The facility was very nice from the outside. Directional signs made it very easy to know where to go. I drove past the Edmond Campus Office, then saw a sign on the building for the Central Offices. I parked my car and walked inside.
This was a total cold call. I did not have an appointment.
When I walked in I was greeted by the receptionist named Dana. She shook my hand and asked how she could help. I let her why I was in town visiting and was just driving by to see if there was anyway I could see anything at the campus, auditorium, lobby, etc.
Dana was so apologetic that this was the campus and office folks official day off, so there was really no way for me to see anything. But then she proceeded to ask about my history in ministry, getting more info on why I was in town, and where I was staying. She then got on the phone and called her husband to ask what would be good places to visit, restaurants to eat at, or places to enjoy while I was in town. She was so incredibly friendly and welcoming. Dana went above and beyond to help someone that just walked in from the street with no appointment and wanting to see things he really could not see.
Today I saw first hand one of the reasons why Life Church is making such a big impact. They actually care about people. Dana was sorry that I took the time to visit the church and could not see anything. She cared about my story and went out of her way to help me find something that I could do while I was in town. She cared. My guess is, she is not the only one at Life Church that has this "go above and beyond" attitude about people.
I listen to Craigs leadership podcast several times each month. It was so inspiring to see the excellence that is talked about be lived out as well.