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THE PASTOR'S MESSAGE

A book was brought to my attention at this year�s Annual Conference when it was cited by one of the presenters.� The book is by Bishop Robert Schnase, of the Missouri Annual Conference.

To be honest, my reading of the book left me unimpressed; however, the subject is one that appears to grab the attention of many in the church today.� As suggested by the title, the Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations,.tells the reader all he or she needs to know about the subject.� Although there was nothing new, it did bring up some interesting points that need to be taken to heart by those who seek to be a people who are about the task of making disciples.

The first chapter focuses on hospitality � something that is often overlooked in the church today.� Hospitality is a gift; it is one of the aspects of early church ministry that Paul often notes in his letters.� And it is one that we, as the church, confess to being important.� Yet the church may, in many subliminal ways, may not be as hospitable as we think we are � or as we ought to be.

Schnase defines Christian hospitality 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 t themselves the unending richness of life in Christ.� It describes a genuine love for others who are not yet part of the faith community, an outward focus, a reaching out to those net yet known, a love that motivates church members to openness and adaptability, a willingness to change behaviors in order to accommodate the needs and receive the talents of newcomers.�

The section that really caught my attention was the end of the quote that talks about openness and adaptability - a willingness to change behaviors in order to accommodate the needs and receive the talents of newcomers.�� I think that one of the things that can block our openness to hospitality is our inability to look beyond our own environment.� Very often we inadvertently draw boundaries that limit hospitality.

Again, the bishop notes: �At every turn, [Jesus�] disciples seem ready to draw boundaries and distinctions that keep people at a distance from Jesus.� They have a thousand reasons to ignore, avoid, and sometimes thwart the approach of people, reminding Jesus that some of these people are too young, too sick, too sinful, too old, too Roman, too blind, or too Gentile to deserve his attention.��

When it comes to being a hospitable people it might serve us well to take a personal check to see how we might fair on a �hospitality checklist�.� Do we go out of our way to introduce ourselves to people that we don�t know � even if they might be members of the church?� It is amazing how many times I have church members ask me who another church member is.� When a church gets to our size, it is not unusual to not know everyone.� And who knows, we might even meet a visitor.� Do we go to the trouble of inviting visitors to join us for refreshments following services?� How easy is it for people with disabilities to worship with us?� Is our church disability-friendly?� How easy is it for a visitor to negotiate in our church?� (There are a vast number of members who have never seen all that there is to see in the church, and would be lost trying to find certain rooms.)

Most of us would strive to make visitors in our homes feel welcomed.� In the same way, the church needs to be a place where we seek to show the welcoming words of the gospel.
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