Every week I show up at church and say hello to everyone and give a smile. This is genuine and heartfelt. However, I still have my close friends who I always talk with in depth about life and Church and many other things.

It is fine to have close friends, but why do we limit ourselves? I know I am guilty. Every person at church is our brother or sister, no matter what age or nationality. God brought us together and expects us to rule together in the Kingdom. How can we be good rulers then if we don't know those we are to rule beside?

I have noticed how we tend to stay in our corners with the people we feel most comfortable, but shouldn't we feel comfortable with all of God's people? Perhaps we don't know each other as He wishes us to.

Make a plan. Every Sabbath, pick two or three members that you don't know as well as you would like. Say maybe a man and a woman or an older person and a younger one or a single member and a married member. How about a father or mother, son or daughter or a baptized member and a non-baptized attendee?

When you approach them and start talking to them, ask about their lives. Where were they born? Were they born in the Church? What did they study in school? What do they do for work now? How long have they been married? How did they meet their spouse? When were they baptized? What was their calling like? There are so many questions we can ask.

If you see someone new or a visitor, always make a point to introduce yourself to the person.

It's easy for us to make excuses to avoid meeting new people, especially if we are shy. We can pray and ask God to give us the courage to go up to these people and get to know them. Go as a group. Ask your friends to go with you. It also does not matter how large or small our local congregation is. It might take a little longer if it is a larger congregation, but it should give us more motivation to start now.

God expects His people to be friendly and to know one another. How else can we rule and be at one with God in the Kingdom? We can't expect someone else to always come up to us. Sometimes we have to take the initiative, so why not start this Sabbath?