Don't get me wrong - I love chips and salsa. It's dangerous for us to have them at home because if they are there, they will get eaten. It becomes a daily snack until either the jar of salsa or the bag of chips runs out. But, we're talking about almost every five minutes or so, having a server come by with a tray and either asking us if we wanted more or simply swapping them out without asking. And it continued right up until the bill came, long after an attentive person would have noticed that the folks at the table were stuffed.

Admittedly, that's a nitpicky problem. It's a good problem, so to speak. The opposite is equally frustrating - when you need more of something and a server doesn't come by for 20 minutes. But in their effort to be hospitable, this restaurant almost went too far. This same phenomenon is not unlike what we see in churches when it comes to hospitality. Some churches are full of the frozen chosen, who were well taught about stranger danger, and rarely speak with new folks, while others can smother a stranger, like a man lost in the desert for days dives into well to slurp up a drink. There is a whole spectrum of responses to hospitality in churches, and most fall somewhere in the middle.

I've heard stories from the two spectrums reported at Christ Church, although most of what I hear is in healthy middle ground. We don't tend to stray past the middle ground to smothering at all, yet we do still create experiences for people closer to the stranger danger approach on occasion. We are working to step up our game on hospitality. With the number of visitors we see at Christ Church we should be pros by now (maybe we were once and have since forgotten). We're on our way, but in some respects we're still grinding it out in the minor leagues.

That's about to change. Between the work of our Newcomers Task Force and our Communications Task Force, we're going to work on our hospitality ministries to make sure they fall somewhere in the comfortable middle between a satisfying snack on chips and salsa and a Costco bag of chips and a gallon of salsa. We want to be hospitable, but not scary, and we certainly don't want to be aloof. If someone comes to a church, they are looking for something - often a sense of community - even if it's just for one Sunday a year on their annual vacation to Saint Simons. And for those who are seeking a church home, what happens on those first visits often decides if they decide to stick with a particular church or even an entire denomination. No pressure there.

In all seriousness, we're going to try some things, and organize ourselves a bit better in this area. This weekend, if you're in church, you'll be asked to fill out a brief survey about your assessment of our welcoming ministries. It will help the Newcomers team get a read on where we are and what we need to work on first. Whether you've been here for a year or a hundred years, your feedback is helpful. Also, I've asked before, and I'll ask again - if you have a gift for hospitality, we need your help. We need smiling faces to make a lot of things happen, from tea and lemonade on the lawn this summer (you've been warned!), to meeting new people at a periodic brunch; you might be someone to help us. Let me know if you want to join us.

In the meantime, remember that we're all ambassadors for Christ and for Christ Church. If you don't know someone, introduce yourself. It's a part of being in community. It doesn't matter if they're a regular you've just never noticed, or a brand new visitor - people in communities greet one another. People who come to church are hungry for something, and it's our mission to feed them. So feed them. Just lay off the chips and salsa.

Tom +

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen. 

Friday, May 23, 2014

11:30 a.m. - Healing Service

Saturday, May 24, 2014

5:30 p.m. - Worship at St Ignatius

Sunday, May 25, 2014

8 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m. - Worship at Christ Church, Frederica

10:15 a.m. - Coffee Hour

10:30 a.m. - Adult Sunday School

Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Day - Office Closed

9:30 a.m. - Manna House

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

7:30 a.m. - Men's Bible Study

5:30 p.m. - Mission and Ministry Committee Meeting

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

9:30 a.m. - Manna House