For I was Hungry...

Extending hospitality does not seem so difficult when it’s a friend or family member that I’m inviting in for tea or offering a place to stay for a night’s rest. What happens when a stranger shows up on my doorstep in need of a bite to eat, a drink or a place to sleep? From a Christian perspective, Jesus’ words “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in” (Matt 25:35) don’t leave much room for interpretation. What does this look like today? How do I balance the need for personal space and safety with the call to extend hospitality and welcome to others? How can I make sure that I do not dehumanize or disempower a person by my desire to extend hospitality? Is there a difference between ‘charity’ and ‘hospitality’?

These questions, among others, churn in my mind. And as I ponder them I find a host of organisations around the world and in Northern Ireland that seek to answer these questions by extending hospitality to the homeless in their area.

In the United States, a group called Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), a partnership of church congregations within a community helping families who are facing homelessness, brings the faith community together to help families regain their housing, independence and dignity. For example, a church will volunteer to provide hospitality to people registered with IHN for one week every few months. The church provides dinner, a bed and a safe place for people to gather after a day at work or school. In extending hospitality, the ‘host’ for the evening often finds their own perceptions of homelessness challenged as they hear the personal stories and situations that people find themselves in. By sharing a meal and spending an evening with someone they might not otherwise encounter, they are building connections that can encourage relationships and ultimately promote a more peaceful community. Interfaith Hospitality Network currently has 165 groups operating in 41 states.

In Northern Ireland, the Simon Community, the WelcomeOrganisation and Home Plus NI all seek to provide services and hospitality to those in need of something to eat, drink or a place to sleep at night.