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On Sunday, most pastors will look out over their congregations and see among the regulars all those not-so-familiar faces.

Those folks who make it perhaps two or three times a year -- such as on Easter, when pews are suddenly packed.

"They have a nudge that there is a God ... 'I need to check in once in a while,'" said the Rev. Mark Turnbough at Liberty United Methodist Church. "So even if it's just Christmas or Easter, we'll take that and use it as an opportunity to present the good news (of Jesus Christ).

"We just want people to know we're glad they're here."

The pastors and congregants expect these "pop-ins" and try to encourage them to return before Mother's Day or Christmas Eve.

"Easter presents the easiest opportunity to invite people to come to church," said the Rev. Jeff Clinger of Tonganoxie United Methodist Church. "It's a time when people feel, 'I want to go to church.'

"This is especially true if they grew up in church or even if they haven't, they have a yearning to come to church."

Churches use a variety of means to attract those occasional worshippers and visitors.

Driving by St. Agnes Catholic Church in Roeland Park, one sees the sign, "Welcome Back for Easter."

"People who don't come regularly can see the sign and perhaps think, 'Oh, God is waiting for me,'" said the Rev. Jerry Arano-Ponce, pastor. "We wanted something to let people know they can just walk in and they are welcome."

Bishop Mark Tolbert of Victorious Life Church in Kansas City uses radio spots and ads in newspapers and gives members 30,000 free tickets to an Easter drama and 20,000 handbills about the Easter service to distribute throughout the community.

The drama, "To Hell and Back," was Wednesday through Friday and will take place at the 10:45 a.m. service Sunday, when no tickets are needed. Another service will be at 8 a.m.

Tolbert calls the drama, with its cast of 50, an illustrated sermon "that really touches the heart and also gives people an opportunity to make a commitment to Christ."

Turnbough's church sent out 6,000 invitations to attend Sunday, when he will add a fifth service.

Community Christian Church in Kansas City uses social media to get the word out about its Easter service. The Rev. Bob Hill, senior pastor, said he and the church have Facebook pages. The church also runs newspaper ads and sends out mailers to surrounding neighborhoods.

"Although we have members in almost every ZIP code, I think people who are infrequent church-goers are most likely to go to a church closest to them," Hill said.

He also encourages members to take Holy Week schedule cards and give them to people who don't belong to a church.

"Even on Easter, about 80 percent of visitors come because someone invited them," he said.

Anticipating guests

Preparing for the infrequent attendees and visitors is just as important as getting them in the door, the pastors said.

At St. Agnes, worshippers will hear traditional Catholic hymns, many recognizable from their childhood, Arano-Ponce said.

"One lady said when she heard one of the hymns, she remembered she hadn't heard it for about 50 years when her mother brought her to church," he said. "She broke down crying and said she felt she was being welcomed by God."

As important as marking Christ's resurrection is, the celebrations are not the time to preach the whole Bible, he said.

"I try to have a rather short sermon and aim to be brief and brilliant, and if not brilliant, at least brief," he said with a laugh.

"I remind people God loves them and forgives them and is with them at all times. It's also important that we exude joy, have joyful faces."

Special music, popular Easter hymns and a bell choir help to make the service joyous, Clinger said.

And he presents "a light sermon," meaning one "not full of churchy words or language that creates barriers."

"Hopefully, it is practical, applicable to life, meaningful, and the people will leave desiring to experience God and to take the next step."

Clinger said he has heard pastors "do this guilt trip on the infrequent attendees.

"This is off-putting," he said. "They leave, saying, 'I don't need that.'"

At Community Christian, Hill said, "We don't put badges on them or embarrass them by asking them to stand up."

"We understand a lot of people are coming with a basic question: 'Is it still true?'" he said. "We are going to be boldly proclaiming it is true that Christ is risen."

The follow-up

Victorious Life all week has been asking people to fill out a contact card to be eligible for drawings. On the card is a place to indicate if the person would mind getting a follow-up call.

After the Easter services, Tolbert said, "We try to put something in everybody's hands before they leave that tells the upcoming events at the church."

Tolbert said most indicate they wouldn't mind getting a follow-up call.

At Community Christian, dozens of members are prepared to offer hospitality, welcoming everyone, especially those with whom they are not familiar. Everyone is asked to fill out an attendance card to provide contact information.

They also can share a prayer request, and a prayer team will call. If they want to hear from the pastor, Hill said he will call and pray with them. It may be more than 50, but he will call each one. Then they will receive a note that says the church is praying for them.

"We think the follow-up is very effective," Hill said. "Almost 95 percent will join or have their needs met or get information to join another church."

At Tonganoxie United Methodist, a hospitality team places a card in each bulletin asking for contact information.

Clinger said he sends out a hand-written note thanking the nonfrequent worshippers and the visitors for coming and includes a $5 gift card to a coffee shop, with the expression, "Enjoy a Treat on Us."

He believes a significant number are out there, searching.

"It is terribly important to help them reclaim God's unconditional love, grace, acceptance and forgiveness," he said.

Part of that is to meet their needs, offer something to which they can connect and welcome them back -- after Easter.