Hospitality Around the Table

                                           Consider this…

A church was moving towards closure when they determined through prayer simply that they shall remain open. They had no other mission or plan except to continue to exist. Shortly thereafter, new faces began to show themselves in the church. The response of the congregation was one of warm welcome. Crucially, in my view, the minister modelled this hospitality by having new people to his home for dinner each Sunday.

Church on a Sunday may be a place for welcome, but the home and a dinner table are the places for community and relationship.

Being invited to dinner in someone’s home is a special gift. You are brought not just into the home but into their life and into their family. You can see things that they value, how they relate to their children and who the person is outside of the role in which you have first encountered them.

 Sharing a meal with the minister communicates acceptance. Moreover, the minister gets to know the guests - their stories, their gifts, their needs. Connections are formed so that subsequent meetings build on the relationship. Such a gesture encourages other people in the church to extend the same kind of hospitality. These actions build community, make people feel welcome and open up the church.

If you were to visit today the church that was close to closing its doors, you would be struck by its diversity, but this is not all. If you observe who greets you at the door, who is making the announcements or doing a reading and who is serving on the leadership team, it is clear that people are no longer guests but a real part of the church.

- Contributed by Dr. Scott Boldt, Reconciliation Officer at the Edegehill Reconciliation Programme, Belfast

‘Riding the Wave’

Stephen McCartney

Stephen McCartney, student at Edgehill College, Belfast, reflects on his experience of a peace-building initiative in Tuzla, Bosnia.

In January, three of us from Edgehill College set out on an adventure to Bosnia. Scott Boldt, who works for the Reconciliation Programme that is based in Edgehill College, took Pauline Whan and me (Stephen) to the city of Tuzla in the North East of Bosnia.

 Bosnia is a beautiful country, which has been deeply affected by war and is now facing economic hardships without the help of the EU. The aim of our trip was to meet the local church in Tuzla and work alongside them as they do mission. The church in Tuzla has an ingenious outreach called ‘Wave’, which is an organic approach whereby the church reaches out in love and service to the community. This ‘Wave’ is invisible as the church asks for no return from those it serves, but it is powerful as many lives are impacted. ‘Wave’ is also moving, as similar projects are being set up in 18 other countries! (See http:wavecommunity.blogspot.co.uk/)

The church in Tuzla is small: about 20 Christians gather twice weekly in an upstairs apartment. Ti’s not an old church and it’s not a big church, but it is certainly a church on the move. All the activities that the Christians engage in are covered in prayer and the volunteers who come to help are welcomed with open arms. Bosnia is a predominantly Muslim country but people there are quite relaxed in their faith and open to hearing the good news of Jesus. The vision that this small church has for reaching people is vast and there’s such a need for hope in Bosnia.

Wave Intensive Course

We helped teach English to over 100 people who came daily to the ‘Wave Intensive English Course’, which runs for two weeks. This was done in three small rooms where the church meets, rotating rooms in between classes. It was quite a task to get that many people into the small space that we had, while serving them tea and coffee and correcting homework! While we were there we had great times of fellowship – building friendships and sharing food together. The sense of community that we experienced in Bosnia was amazing. The people care for each other deeply. When you enter a home it’s mandatory to take off your shoes and greet everyone with a handshake or a hug. This welcome really breaks the ice and strengthens bonds between folks.

Scott, Sanija, Pauline and Stephen

We also had the opportunity to help with the church’s orphanage ministry. The need for mentors to act like big brothers and sisters to the children in the orphanage is huge. In the orphanage the children are given clean clothes, and warm beds to sleep in, but it’s impossible for the small number of staff there to care for all their emotional and physical needs. When the children are too old to remain in the orphanage many of them slip off the rails, drifting into crime or prostitution. The intervention and help that the ‘Wave’ volunteers are giving is really changing lives. The mentors work one-to-one with the children, helping them with their homework, talking through issues, building friendships. The time that the volunteers give is huge; they meet with the children twice a week, all coming together as a group beforehand for training and prayer.

The three of us took precious experiences away with us. Bosnia has certainly remained in our hearts. As we reflect on all that happened, we value the friendships that we made there and hope to see our new friends again soon. It is truly encouraging to see what God is doing among our European neighbours. 

Hospitality in Action

There are many groups and organisations that work towards building peace. Each initiative is slightly different, focusing on and emphasising different things. The following organisations approach their mission of reconciliation and peace-building with an underlying principle of hospitality. For more information, click on the names below.

 The Corrymeela Community

For over forty years, The Corrymeela Community has been at the forefront of learning and practicingreconciliation. The document “Learning in Corrymeela” outlines some of the significant learning that has taken place, including a vision focused on openness and hospitality. For Corrymeela, hospitality and reconciliation go hand-in-hand. The importance of relationships formed out of meeting and encountering, creating a ‘safe space’ and building community are among the points of wisdom that have been learned over Corrymeela’s decades of work in reconciliation. For more information, visit Corrymeela’s website.



WAVE

A peace-building initiative in the Balkans, WAVE brings people from a variety of backgroundstogether who would otherwise not meet. Using English language classes and by providing opportunities for people to volunteer together, WAVE invites people to come together to learn and serve others. By extending hospitality to the local community and by providing opportunities for building community, WAVE has made a significant contribution towards peace-building in the city of Tuzla, Bosnia, as well as in seven different countries.