Heart of Hospitality
It’s no secret that God is graciously growing our church. And as we grow, our fight to remain intentional with our efforts to know and care for the people God is bringing together here is going to be as necessary as it was when we first covenanted as a church.
Growth doesn’t have to threaten who we are. We should see it as a greater opportunity to live out who God has called us to be.
As God graciously brings new faces, new families, new stories—we need fight the temptation that might stir in us the assumption that “someone else” will welcome them, “someone else” will greet them, or “someone else” will follow-up with them.
Church family let’s be a church where everyone takes ownership of welcoming the guest with a heart of hospitality.
We have to guard our hearts from losing the warmth and intentionality that’s marked us from the beginning when we first started three years ago. Hospitality isn’t the job of a select few—it’s the calling of the whole church. And as we grow, it becomes even more essential. If you see someone you don’t recognize, don’t assume they’ve been greeted or connected with.
Yes, this means embracing moments that might feel a little awkward as you wonder, What if they tell me they have been coming for a couple of weeks now. Won’t that be awkward?
A simple way to ease that concern is instead of asking, “Is this your first time here?” maybe say, “I haven’t had the opportunity to meet you yet” when you introduce yourself.
Don’t let the potential of an awkward moment stop you from doing what you’ve been called to. Embrace the opportunity to get to know someone God has already placed among us. Let those moments open the door to conversation, connection, a shared meal, or even a new friendship.
For our homes to be beacons of gospel hospitality it must first start when we gather as a gospel family and welcome guests to our family reunion each Sunday. Remembering how God welcomed us through Christ should shape the way we treat every person who walks through our doors.
So as our church continues to grow, let’s not just become bigger—let’s become warmer. May every person who walks in feel seen, valued, and pursued—not because of programs and protocols we’ve put in place, but because we are a people shaped by the hospitality of Christ.
And to any guests with us today—if you haven’t experienced the hospitality we’re talking about, we ask your forgiveness. We are growing, learning, and sometimes we miss the mark. But we recognize that in God’s providence you are not here by accident. We’re thankful to God you’re here and would love the chance to get to know you.
Church family, may the hospitality we’ve been showed in Christ never grow dull in our souls so that we never lose the heart of hospitality toward our guests.
