Hospitality

I remember, in 2012, I was involved in the local planning group for the NEJ Conference.  It was held in Charleston, WV.  It was a great experience that took a lot of work, but was fruitful for me, and, I hope, for others.

One of my understandings that changed during the planning and implementation of the Conference was the word Hospitality.  It is so much more than we think it is.  As I was reading Impact! by Kay Kotan and Blake Bradford, I found some pages that talk about hospitality.

1. We mistake hospitality for friendliness.  So often in my church (where I have been a member since 1981) members say that we are very friendly - and they have experienced that.  I believe them when they say it.  However, it took many years for me to feel like I "belonged" to the church where I belonged.  Hospitality involves making room for relationship, not just hellos.  How do we offer people the opportunity to really belong - to develop relationships?
2. We mistake fellowship for friendliness.  Fellowship is an important part of belong to a church family.  When my Sunday school talks about what they value about life in a church, they talk about fellowship, even if they don't call it that.  The problem is that Fellowship is inwardly focused.  It is about the relationships that exist within the congregation.  It is doing life together; it isn't about being welcoming to the stranger.  How do we make room in worship and in the life of the church to demonstrate hospitality to strangers/guests?

What is hospitality?  Bishop Robert Schnase defines it as "the active desire to invite, welcome, receive and care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ.  It describes a genuine love for others who are not yet a part of the faith community."  It is outwardly focused.  (Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations)

How can we intentionally (and it has to be intention) demonstrate hospitality?