Comments on: Radical Hospitality: The Provision of People http://www.zonegathering.com/2008/02/21/radical-hospitality-the-provision-of-people/ The Online Community for the Leaders of National Community Church Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:23:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Heather Z http://www.zonegathering.com/2008/02/21/radical-hospitality-the-provision-of-people/#comment-24337 Heather Z Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:33:57 +0000 http://www.zonegathering.com/2008/02/21/radical-hospitality-the-provision-of-people/#comment-24337 Sharon- great insights! I LOVE the fact that you are throwing a group member a Baby Celebration! That's awesome! I love hearing the stories of community and transformation coming from our small groups! Sharon- great insights! I LOVE the fact that you are throwing a group member a Baby Celebration! That’s awesome! I love hearing the stories of community and transformation coming from our small groups!

]]> By: Sharon http://www.zonegathering.com/2008/02/21/radical-hospitality-the-provision-of-people/#comment-24309 Sharon Fri, 29 Feb 2008 04:35:48 +0000 http://www.zonegathering.com/2008/02/21/radical-hospitality-the-provision-of-people/#comment-24309 I thought I would comment on one of the Questions in #2- Do you have strangers in your small group? YES!!! :) In our small group, there are 10 people from 2 different NCC locations. 8 of those people have been attending NCC for 8 months or less (including us)! So, we are all strangers to each other in a manner of speaking. Even the 2 who have been NCCers for 4 years can't really know anyone else because they are all new. So, what does that mean? It rocks! It's a testament to the fact that our small group program works. I heard Pastor Mark make the comment recently that our Annual Survey showed that 45% of NCC attendees have been attending for less than one year. That’s basically, 1 of every 2 people sitting in the seats. So, at hand-shaking time, it’s fairly likely that we are shaking a stranger’s hand. They are much more likely to connect to a hand, a name, and an invitation then to just “show-up” at the Hospitality table. How can you invest personal resources into extending hospitality? My personal experience is that I can best invest my personal resources through both being available and through encouragement. I have time and skills to bring to the table and I extend hospitality each and every time I can FIND A NEED and fill it. It doesn’t have to be big stuff or time consuming. Kinda vague, you might say, but it’s because everyone’s need is something different. But, let me give you one practical example: in this new small group of “strangers”- one is about 7 weeks from delivering her second child. They have lived in the area for about 6 or 7 months and been attending NCC for less time than that. I discovered (by asking) that she had no plans for a baby shower because they don’t really know anyone here. [Translation: we don’t know anyone well enough that they would offer to throw us a shower] So, another small group member and I are throwing her a baby shower. It doesn’t have to be pricey or take more than a couple of hours. She can invite the moms from her daughter’s preschool that she knows and some folks from her husband’s work along with our small group members. We are inviting men and women and making it a “Baby Celebration” where gifts are Optional! It’s just a great opportunity to be a support and encouragement to them as they navigate life and connect with others. It helps them feel valued and to me, I guess that’s what hospitality is all about. I thought I would comment on one of the Questions in #2-
Do you have strangers in your small group? YES!!! :) In our small group, there are 10 people from 2 different NCC locations. 8 of those people have been attending NCC for 8 months or less (including us)! So, we are all strangers to each other in a manner of speaking. Even the 2 who have been NCCers for 4 years can’t really know anyone else because they are all new.
So, what does that mean? It rocks! It’s a testament to the fact that our small group program works. I heard Pastor Mark make the comment recently that our Annual Survey showed that 45% of NCC attendees have been attending for less than one year. That’s basically, 1 of every 2 people sitting in the seats. So, at hand-shaking time, it’s fairly likely that we are shaking a stranger’s hand. They are much more likely to connect to a hand, a name, and an invitation then to just “show-up” at the Hospitality table.
How can you invest personal resources into extending hospitality? My personal experience is that I can best invest my personal resources through both being available and through encouragement. I have time and skills to bring to the table and I extend hospitality each and every time I can FIND A NEED and fill it. It doesn’t have to be big stuff or time consuming. Kinda vague, you might say, but it’s because everyone’s need is something different. But, let me give you one practical example: in this new small group of “strangers”- one is about 7 weeks from delivering her second child. They have lived in the area for about 6 or 7 months and been attending NCC for less time than that. I discovered (by asking) that she had no plans for a baby shower because they don’t really know anyone here. [Translation: we don’t know anyone well enough that they would offer to throw us a shower] So, another small group member and I are throwing her a baby shower. It doesn’t have to be pricey or take more than a couple of hours. She can invite the moms from her daughter’s preschool that she knows and some folks from her husband’s work along with our small group members. We are inviting men and women and making it a “Baby Celebration” where gifts are Optional! It’s just a great opportunity to be a support and encouragement to them as they navigate life and connect with others. It helps them feel valued and to me, I guess that’s what hospitality is all about.

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