When my husband Ryan and I were looking for a church after we moved from Kentucky, love was one of the most important parts of our search. I know what you’re thinking, that should be easy, and I thought so too at first but it seems to be a high bar for faith communities to achieve. We agreed we needed that love not only for ourselves but also for our children. We wanted them to be part of a church community where we knew they’d be loved and accepted for exactly who they are, for the exact people that God created them to be. That was something Ryan and I had never experienced in a church growing up but we both immediately knew when we’d found that at first on fifth.
When Emily asked if I would share a few words on this Sunday’s theme of hospitality I was reminded of that love we were searching for in a church. For me, hospitality is a physical manifestation of love. It’s a special kind of care that’s welcoming, and warm, and supportive. It fills you up in ways that are hard to describe. The love we’ve experienced within this church community fills me with excitement for the potential growth the new building project holds for hospitality.
Our community, visitors, and church members will see our building as they arrive and know that we’ve thought of them and their needs, that we love them, that they’re welcome and there’s space for them here. You can imagine the warm meals cooked in the new kitchen that will give support when words can’t, the contagious joy that will fill the air with weddings and birthdays in the pavilion and playground, and the thoughtfulness of accessibility that will give visitors a sigh of relief to enter a community ready to welcome them just as they are.
I pray the next chapter of our church’s life together will be filled with new faces, hospitality, and love.