Church as Hospitality School

When I first came to my job, we had many conversations about retention.  We talked about why students leave.  We talked about what might make them want to stay.  We talked about how to make the campus (our campus and each of the sister campuses of the school, along with the larger idea of the college campus) a more welcoming place.

As I've worked to implement some of these ideas, I've been comparing what we do at our school to what we do in church.  I've been thinking about church as a school that teaches us hospitality.

I realize it may not always be this way.  I've been to many churches as a visitor when no one said a word to me--especially disconcerting when I'm wearing a visitor badge.  I know that churches can be worse than chilly.  I know of all the lives wrecked by a non-welcoming church.

But there are also many stories of how churches save lives.  They work in the community to help the poor and the destitute.  In the best cases, churches are reaching out to those who are marginalized. 

How do they do this?  In some cases, it's as simple as talking to those who come through our doors, no matter who they are.  That talking becomes ever more extensive, and before we know it, we have all sorts of ecumenical outreach and partnerships with all sorts of groups.

As I've been thinking about hospitality, my thoughts often return to food.  Food makes the work of conversation a bit easier.  And there are more of us suffering food insecurity in our society than we might think.

I am trying to make our campus a better place to be, from having treats to greeting visitors to having cleaner bathrooms.  When our Executive Director asked us what we needed as a campus, I suggested having the custodial team come in the afternoon to clean the bathrooms.  Waiting until 11 p.m. was just too long a wait between cleanings.  And lo and behold, we were able to accomplish that.  It makes a difference.

Some of what I do no one knows about.  I spend some time in prayer as I move through the day.  I pray about specific situations, and I pray for us all in general.  That practice helps me keep my heart open to all.

And I try to remember to smile at everyone.  That act may be the one that is the most visible sign of hospitality.