Generous Hospitality

The Most Reverend Dr Phillip Aspinall has released his New Year message, introducing this year's theme of 'Generous Hospitality'. His message, which you can watch here, is a good one to ponder on and a great next step after a year of exploring what 'Generations Together' could mean for us as a Church.

In light of this message, I decided to set myself the challenge of doing some reading and research to pull together a range of different ideas and inspirations on this very theme. Hopefully they can inspire you to think about how your Parish, School, or Ministry can reflect generous hospitality in the things that you do. So below, I've come up with one idea each for Intergenerational, Children, Youth, Young Adults, and Families ministries.

It is my hope that these ideas can inspire you and if you do end up doing one of the ideas below - please share them with us, as we love to hear about all the exciting things that you are doing! And for those of you who will be around Brisbane next Friday night, the Archbishop is hosting the official launch of this year's theme at the Cathedral starting from 5:30pm.

1. Intergenerational Ministry - Pray and Listen

I believe that one of the fundamentals to all age ministry is that of hospitality, it seeks to create spaces where all ages are not just welcome, but are actively part of what is happening in these spaces. These spaces can be both small and large.

A simple idea that you could do is to pray together as a church for the strangers in your community, for the heart of your church to become even more welcoming, generous, and hospitable, and for God to reveal the ways in which you can be both good hosts and guests in your local community. You could do these prayers by inviting members of different ages to pray different sections, create prayer stations that engage all ages, or to invite your church during the service to gather with those around them and pray together.

Prayer is simple yet powerful, but it's also important to make sure you're on the lookout for the answers and what you sense God is asking you to do amongst your community. Make sure to check in over the following weeks and allow for people to share what has been on their hearts. Who knows what amazing things could come through that your church could do together as a family, exploring the ways in which everyone can participate.

2. Children Ministries - Release and Learn

It's seems a little funny to me to think of ways in which to teach children about generous hospitality since so often, they teach us what it truly means. Their ability to make friends in no time at all, their willingness to engage and explore the unknown, the odd, and the different, and the generosity found in being purely, simply who they are is a constant teaching moment to me. So rather than look at how we teach children to be generous in their hospitality, how might we free them to do what they seem to do so well?

Maybe you could host your playgroups in the park, allowing other parents and children to join in if they wish? Maybe on the way back from Sunday school you could arm your kids with a single question that they are challenged to ask as many people in church about when they come back? Imagine the conversations that they might spark! Or simply throw a party and give each of your kids some invitations to give to their friends or take it a step further and encourage them to find those who might not often get invited to parties and invite them!

3. Youth Ministry - Explore and Engage

This is an amazing opportunity to challenge young people's thinking about the ministry of Jesus and the way He often engaged in generous hospitality - both giving and receiving it throughout His ministry. You might be able to spent a term on exploring different topical issues (refugees/asylum seekers, environment/climate change, reconciliation/indigenous issues, victims of injustice, poverty etc) each week and exploring what Jesus had to say about such topics, and how He and His disciples engaged in hospitality in response to such issues.

If you find that they really engage well in this theme, the next potential step is to pick one of the topics that they really connected and explore ways in which they can become involved. There are many different ways to get involved and so many organisations out there that it can be hard to figure out where to start. The best way is start local - look for branches within your community, maybe even find out if anyone is already engaging in this issue within your church. This will not only strengthen local community ties but also allows for the opportunity for ongoing relationships that can outlast the confines of the youth program.

4. Young Adult Ministry - Discover and Support

Young adults (in which I mean those between 18-25) are often quite busy, juggling full time study, part time jobs, and maintaining relationships with both their family and friends. However you might be surprised to find that many of them still fit even more into that busy schedule of theirs by way of volunteering, whether it be in Church or in organisations that engage in a topic they are passionate about. So why not find out and explore how they might become the bridge between your church and their social justice passion?

Young Adults don't always need teaching and inspiration, but rather support and guidance in what do with all the knowledge and energy that they have. So be inspired by them, join in their passion and ask the question of how the Church might nurture and support them to truly flourish and become examples of what generous hospitality can be. You might be able to give them the space to create avenues which allow the church to support the issues that they care about, or to help mentor them to become leaders of a ministry in this area. By being generous and open to allowing young adults to spread their wings, you allow them to disrupt their communities in very inspiring ways.


5. Family - Invitation and Authenticity


Family life is busy, chaotic, and full of good things. Children often learn and embrace not what their parents say, but what they do. Do your kids often ask if their friends can come over for dinner, to hang out, to play? Do you often see new faces if they do? The simple act of inviting someone into your home is a powerful thing and sometimes the most generous thing we can do on a relational level. It is also a great way to impress what it means to hospitable and generous to your kids. I don't know about you, but I happily jump at the opportunity to go to someone's for dinner, not because I'm a social butterfly, but simply because it's such a rarity in my life to receive such an invitation. And I've been living in the same spot for over a decade! Maybe that has something to do with my table conversation though; I might need to work on my good guest skills....

So next time you see that parent you've made small talk with, or even the new parents who have arrive at church or school, invite them over for dinner, or for afternoon tea (or wine). And just remember, authentic, simple dinners beats fancy course meals every time when it comes to feeling truly welcomed to someone's home. Take that from someone who has hosted many a fancy dinner party vs what I've whipped up from the bottom of the fridge; both have had joyful moments, but the latter always created a greater sense of relaxation and comfort. Because let's be honest, seeing someone's less than perfect house makes all of us feel a little more secure and at ease about the chaos in ours.


If you made it all the way to the end here - well done! If you noticed what I did when writing this, that these ideas aren't new and radical, but have already been around for quite some time, don't you find that interesting? Generous hospitality I'm noticing upon reflection isn't something new, exciting, and brimming with many ideas. Rather it is found in the act of doing, the simplicity of invitations, conversations, and exploring what and who is already out there. Yet sometimes the doing is the hardest part, but quite often the most rewarding.

All the best!
Erica

P.S. Don't forget about the launch of Generous Hospitality next Friday at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane starting at 5:30pm. You can find more details and RSVP HERE.