Hospitality and the Holy Spirit The Rev. Lisa Mason St. David’s Episcopal School San Antonio, Texas

Being the Body of Christ Matthew 25:34-40 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'

Hospitality as the Church What does it mean to be hospitable as a follower of Christ? Opening our doors Opening our hearts Opening our lives Seeking Christ Welcoming the stranger as a neighbor; welcoming those known as neighbors Listening hearts Being vulnerable Being willing to give of yourself and ourselves as a community

Invite Welcome Connect & St. David’s The Holy Spirit’s timing was perfect! St. David’s has a history of being known for hospitality Healing form a transition in leadership Growing Remodeled sanctuary in 2013: sacramental sign of healing and new life Needed to grow from only being hospitable to those already in the community and pay attention to welcoming those coming through our doors! Confident in who we were becoming Ready and eager welcome a voice from outside to help us sustain the growth and keep it coming. Ready to trust the movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst

January 2014: Welcome Mary Parmer! Mary met with vestry and rector on Friday evening for a dinner and intro to Invite Welcome Connect! Spent Saturday with intentionally invited leaders and open to whole parish. She helped us celebrate what we were doing well! Mary gave us the courage to “speak the truth in love” about identifying our “growing edges” and areas where people were “falling through the cracks” in each of the invite, welcome, connect areas. Helped us step outside of our inner perspective and context and see and experience our church as a visitor…..WOW!!! Change was palpable and visible the very next morning…literally! People were buzzing around to greet people.

Some of the many discoveries! People were proud of their church of the campus and the ministries (in a healthy way) and excited to be the church! With the remodeled sanctuary now reflecting the energy in the people and environment, people wanted some “invitation language”. Our ushers and greeters were not excited to pass out our current newcomers materials……and they were willing to name why outdated, boring, etc. We have new materials! With the new growth, there was some tension about greeting someone only to find out they were not actually “new” We wanted to make St. David’s a “stickier people and place. “ We needed a more effective process to connect people into the life of the congregation

Tangible Evidences of New Life

Spiritual Evidences of New Life Church and/or school families are on fire to invite people from the school community, the church neighborhood, and the community beyond New Member Covenant Lay people are inviting newcomers as well as some long timers to join them in their ministries Different groups within the church are meeting in houses and on campus to read and study together. Lay led and organically discerning their curriculum and fellowship Outreach, especially feeding ministries, have both expanded tremendously and connected more people within the church and in the community: SnakPak4Kids, Chow Train, Open Table, Catholic Worker House, Agape, Magdalena House, The Lighthouse Men’s Shelter+ more Community Groups meeting on our campus as well as a “house church” meeting in our parish hall Sunday early evenings

The Holy Spirit at Work Further developed an attitude of gratitude and generosity in regards to using our money, gifts, campus, and outreach ministries to make a difference in the life of the church and school community, our neighborhood and beyond. Mission verses maintenance Engaged in community, growth, hospitality, worship, and outreach Reconnected to the vision and identity of our founders…to be a city on a hill to draw people in to be formed as disciples and sent out as apostles.

Questions on which to Reflect What is working well in regards to inviting, welcoming and connecting people to your church? What do newcomers experience the first time they enter your church? What needs to change or be improved in the area of people being excited to invite and embrace people into the life of your church? How are you willing to use your gifts to make a difference in this ministry in your church?