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“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
Hospitality is the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. There are some great examples of hospitality within the business world today. Think about Chick-fil-a, “My pleasure.” CFA is a place that takes hospitality and they really believe in going the extra mile. First, it is rare to go into a CFA that is not clean. They are meticulous about cleaning the dining room and the restrooms. They are quick to open another register if there is more than one person in line. Look at their response to COVID19. Almost every CFA has figured out a way to open multiple drive thru lines. They have placed up to four employees outside to take orders. Many of them have added tents to the drive thru to keep the vehicles and employees cool. CFA goes way above and beyond when it comes to hospitality.
Another place you typically find top notch hospitality is within the hotel industry. A good hotel will go above and beyond to make your stay comfortable even during a pandemic. In our recent trip to Florida we experienced both sides of hospitality. I will not name hotels on but will do my best to explain. While in Ft. Lauderdale, we stayed at a hotel in a suite as we needed the two rooms and living space for my family to gather. We got there late on check in day. In the morning we found that there were only enough towels between both rooms for five people to shower even though the room slept eight. When I went to the front desk to ask for more towels the agent did not know what to do and acted like he wasn’t allowed to give out more towels. The next day we were short towels again. Someone else went to the front desk and was told you have to have the towels in the hallway by 10 am or you don’t get towels for the day. It was crazy to think that it took 2 full days for us to learn this information and they were not willing to do anything to help make our stay better. They were not even offering breakfast in the morning and that was not posted or stated anywhere.
The next hotel was completely opposite. We were greeted at the front desk by someone with a smile. She even asked if we needed anything for the rooms, like a crib for Lilah. When we got to the rooms it was clean and well stocked. The next day, they were offering coffee and a bagged breakfast to all guests. There were enough towels for everyone in the two separate rooms. Everything was up to date and worked properly. It felt like the hotel staff would go above and beyond to ensure our hospital stay was amazing.
It is interesting to see the difference in how companies handle hospitality. Some companies really get it while others don’t. When we receive great hospitality from a place we are willing to return and stay at that location or dine at that restaurant again. When we receive a poor hospitality from a location we mark it off of our places to stay or dine list and are willing to tell everyone about that experience.
The same can be said about a church but there is a difference. While a business requires the employees to be hospitable for us to find hospitality, the church requires more. The church really must have more than employees that are hospitable. Our greeters must be a welcoming and warm face. The greeters must be willing to help find seats and even take a moment to introduce the person to the pastor. A greeter that can remember a guests name from week to week is above and beyond but most guests find it above and beyond when you mention you recognize them. But, how can we welcome Jesus’ disciples during a time of COVID 19?
That is a great question. A handshake are a great way to greet a person when they arrive. I was raised with the concept of a firm handshake is a sign of respect and the proper way to greet someone. But, in this day, we cannot do that. Shaking hands is a way to spread germs. Especially when we shake a lot of hands, we pass the germs from others onto the next hand we shake. So, how can we be welcoming while not touching or sharing germs?
Our actions and words will speak loudly during this time. The actions we use that show hospitality is by keeping our 6 feet distance from others. This lets people know that we care for their well being and spirituality. The next is by wearing a mask. While we may not have the virus, wearing a mask shows that you care completely for a person. There is more to what we can do as a church.
Not only are the greeters responsible for hospitality but the we all are responsible.