On November 1, 2008 six members of our congregation (Keith Hepler, Helen Caliendo, Tom and Laurel Foryt and Ralph and Emily Hayes) attended the Radical Hospitality Event at the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, FL. The event was sponsored by the Florida United Methodist Conference and was designed to help congregational leaders expand their knowledge and skills in one of the core missional practices of “making disciples of Jesus Christ for transformation of the world.”

The event included breakout groups that covered such topics, such as: The E-Word (Evangelism) – unbinding the Gospel; Becoming a Caring Congregation; Responding to Conflict Biblically; and Making our Guests Feel Welcome, etc.

Each of the breakout groups provided statistics/information and opportunities for discussion on the various methods of practicing “Radical Hospitality.” One such set of statistics is as follows:

The statement was made (and I would have to agree with it) that it is almost impossible for those of us that were raised in the church to really understand how un-churched persons feel about Christianity and about visiting our worship services. However, a recent sociological study titled the “Fermi Project,” reported the following findings on how16-29 year olds outside the church think about Christians:

When Philip told Nathaniel about finding the Messiah, Nathaniel asked where he was from. When Philip said, “Nazareth,” Nathaniel’s cynical reply was, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46). ( I would imagine that many people today wonder if anything good can come from the church!) Philip’s response was simply, “Come and see.”

With the above statistics in mind, it is my belief and prayer that we like Philip need to develop a primary “Come and See Ministry” that will overcome the heightened sensitivity of people with the goal of having our visitors encounter a situation where they actually say, “Wow! This is more than I expected! These people have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. It’s obvious that they actually thought about me and care about my needs in advance.” –Radical Hospitality!!

As we prepare for the busy holiday season, it is my prayer that each of you and your families will have a very blessed Christmas Season.

“In His Service”
Ralph Hayes