Familiar Door
A door is an opportunity or an obstacle. It can be an easy decision to walk through a door. Some entrances are so welcoming or so familiar, we have no hesitation. We open the door and walk right in. Maybe we feel comfortable because we have been through the door a thousand times, but for a visitor or guest how does this experience play out? Opening the door to our church community is something the hospitality care team is working towards making a reality for everyone. Visitors, members, and everyone in between.
God’s Strength at the Door
One member that greets often on Sunday mornings explained there is a ripple effect of joy that happens when he stands at the door. A hug or a handshake can mean so much. Although not naturally extroverted, he relies on God’s strength and has found that He is faithful. “You have to try something. Until you start doing something you don’t know you’re good at it,” he says. This kind of reliance on God seems to be a theme running through the hospitality team.
Growing in Hospitality
Another member of the team shared that hospitality wasn’t something she learned growing up and although she doesn’t consider herself “good” at it, she is willing to serve in a role where she knows that God will stretch her. This is encouraging to know that there is a bit of hospitality in each of us that God can grow. He can use each person in the church community whether we are “on the hospitality team” or not.
The Invisible Door
The reality is, there is not always someone stationed at the door to welcome people into the church. One member of the hospitality team mentioned that the first time she came, there was not someone at the door. When she ended up in the foyer before the service, however, she was greeted and welcomed by someone who took the time to practice hospitality. Even this opened the door. Maybe not the physical door, but the door to help her feel welcomed into the community. We can very easily underestimate the power of acknowledging people. The words in Matthew 25:35 “…I was a stranger and you invited me in,” pinpoint the importance of practicing this hospitality. When we welcome the stranger, it is as if we welcome Jesus himself. This hospitality is a way of living in a way that we are ready to be a door opener and invite people into the community.
Bring the door
There are many ways to be a door opener. Sometimes it means meeting someone where they are at. Visiting people who live in care facilities is a way that some members of the hospitality team do this. Bringing love and care to people by making time for them can be a blessing. A flexible schedule where you can visit people and even bring your children with to brighten up the person’s day is a big benefit to this part of the hospitality ministry. It connects people to the church even when they are unable to be there in person.
Help
Helping each other can also fling the door wide open. Some from CNC worked to transition someone from apartment to assisted living, and then to a care center. This encouraged the person being moved and encouraged the hospitality team member who visits them. To see the community coming together with strength is a beautiful thing.
Helping those in financial need is another way our community comes together. Once a month there is a collection for the benevolent fund which can provide help to those in need. Using our resources to assist others brings us together.
Being the Difference
Whether it is a physical door or an invisible one, it can make a big difference if each person in our community is intentional about opening the door for others to be welcomed into the community. “We are like the gatekeepers, showing them where to go,” a member explained as we discussed how to welcome others. Explaining where things are in the building and then asking intentional questions to get to know them. All the while gauging how comfortable the person is with having conversations. Some people want to have short interactions and some are ready to share many things with us. But as we remember to be the door opener, we can welcome them and let them join in the community at their own pace.
Hospitality is
Hospitality can be defined as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.” The reality is when we are in our church building a visitor can be looking to each one of us to open the door of our community to them–to receive them generously. Practicing this kind of hospitality creates opportunities instead of obstacles. At the end of the day don’t we all want to have the opportunity to come in and to belong? To find God’s love in fellowship, in Worship, and by hearing the message together. It all starts with the opportunity to come through the door.
