Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
This past Sunday, St. Stephen’s received incredible hospitality from St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church as we joined them for their church picnic. Their kids were in the yard playing when we gathered with them after their service for hamburgers, hot dogs, casseroles, salads, fruit, and dessert. Not a soul walked away hungry. And like the disciples, many walked away with a basket full.
I was reminded of one of the core principles of the Faithful Innovations training I received back in 2018: let yourself be hosted.
As much as we like to be treated well in the general sense, we Christians really like hosting people. We like people to come to our place and we can treat them well. For many of us, it is a more comfortable place being in the kitchen rather than first in line to be served.
We actually have to learn how to be hosted. And because we prefer to host, we actually have to intentionally go and let someone else do that.
And it was in the being hosted that I was able to have a good conversation with their pastor, Terry Clark, about their neighborhood. How it is changing. Borders are moving. So are the demographics, populations, and expectations. None of this is ever truly permanent.
Lots of good conversation, opportunity, food, friendship, excitement, generosity, and in all of it, gratitude. Genuine gratitude.
With love,
Drew