Aug 2007

What is Hospitality?

How would you define hospitality? 2007 & Beyond has been pondering what hospitality is and how a church should embody it. During the last week of June, I spent a week up north praying, planning and connecting with God during a Study Break. I requested a weekend away so that I could worship at other churches. My plan was to experience hospitality at other congregations.

During Sat., June 30 and Sun., July 1, I attended five worship services in the St. Paul – Minneapolis area. Some were United Methodist Churches; some were not. Some were very large churches and some were medium-sized churches.

The first church I attended is a large non-denominational church. Upon entering the church, I walked over to a wall display filled with brochures. Immediately, a woman welcomed me and shared information about the church. This middle-aged woman said that while the music is not exactly what she and her husband prefer, they get a lot out of the messages. During worship, a worship leader told of a couple who have been attending this church for over year and are ready to become more involved at the church. They weren’t sure if anyone there knew there name but they really like the church!

The next worship service was smaller with about 125 people. The worship folder included a card for first-time visitors to turn in at the visitor’s center and receive a free gift! To find out what the gift would be, I filled out and handed in the card. The gift: an insulated coffee cup, a copy of a paperback book of my choice and a brochure about the church. The church served ice cream sundaes after worship in the foyer. One lady serving ice cream said that she wasn’t familiar with me. Other than the lady at the visitor booth, this is the only person who spoke to me, even though I intentionally hung around to see if anyone else would visit with me. I receive a letter from the pastor thanking me for attending worship, even though I never met him.

On Sunday morning, I squeezed in three worship services. The first was a medium-sized church near downtown Minneapolis. What impressed me about this service was the variety of racial people worshiping: African-Americans, Hispanics, American’s with adopted foreign children, Russian-looking people. In addition, there was a wide range of ages. Worship began with 15-20 minutes of praise music. It then transitioned into a more traditional worship style with a choir. The people really enjoyed worshiping at this church! Unfortuantely, I skipped out a little early to make the next worship service.

This church is a well-known, impressive church at a highly visible location in downtown Minneapolis. The building is an old, ornate facility. Because I was a little late, I sat up in one of the high balcony sections. The worship service had a completely different feel than the service I had just left: more dignified, intentional about traditional worship elements and less homey. Once again, I left just as worship was finishing up so that I could make it to the third church. This church is in a smaller community. I attended the identified “contemporary” worship service. After worship, one of the pastors asked if this was my first time visiting. Even though I hung around the bulletin boards and purposefully looked for information about the church, it wasn’t until I was in the parking lot and nearly at my vehicle that a lay person greeted me.

While there are many other reflections about the worship services, let me share with you a few observations:

·         People like to worship in very different styles. This is one of the reasons why there are so many different churches. No one worship style is best.

·         The churches that came across as the most welcoming were those in which the people really were enjoying worshiping God. Whether many people spoke to me or not, I would be most inclined to return to the churches in which the people had a heart for worship and this came across during the service.

·         Hospitality is the responsibility of every person who participates in worship on a regular basis. Actually, the most meaningful opportunities for people to share with me would not have been with the pastor but with other lay people. The woman who took more than five minutes to speak with me and share about their church receives my recognition for wonderful hospitality. There is no way that I would have had an opportunity to speak with the pastor. And it was OK because she made sure I felt welcome.

·         I believe that hospitality must be a high priority for Midland. While the entire worship experience is very important for visitors, having a meaningful encounter with a lay person is also key.

When you see new people in worship, please introduce yourself and ask who they are. Take interest in them and ask them questions. Invite them back and encourage them to sit next to you when they do. If you aren’t familiar with someone who you have seen before, please approach them and get to know them a bit. Hospitality is an important part of worship. Let’s be the very best at it!

See you at Sunday or Wednesday Worship!

Pastor Dianne

On a personal note:

This fall, Rick and I will be hosting a foreign exchange student from Denmark. Laerke Holm will be arriving on Aug. 31 and living with us for three months. She is 16-years-old and will be attending Wisconsin Heights High School. We’re excited that she will be joining our family this fall!