My husband and I have long craved real community, but for many years, our calling has been nomadic. We’ve moved from place to place, participating in what God is doing across the country and around the globe, quickly adapting to new communities and becoming familiar with the grief that comes with leaving for the next adventure. We've grown comfortable with this ever-shifting lifestyle, which often brings a sense of freedom. However, with it also comes a loss of deep, lasting community - one where we are fully known, and we truly know others.
Last week, I had the privilege of spending time in Lincolnshire, working on a new film with Fuel Cast productions, telling the story of a pioneer church in a rural village. I've visited this village many times before, and as I drove up to Pete and Kath’s house, it felt like coming home. Why? Because this beautiful community treats everyone who walks through the door like family. Food is shared generously, meals are eaten together, and beds are made with care, complete with a towel at the end. Households open their doors to strangers, offering a place to belong. Conversations run deep, children are free to be noisy, and God is always near. This is the gift of hospitality.
Acts 2:42-47 came to mind - the picture of a family of believers, genuinely sharing all they have, with Jesus at the centre. It felt like home because I’ve experienced this kind of church family in our travels - God’s pockets of hospitality and welcome. Ironically, most of these communities have been in large cities or towns. From what I’ve seen, it’s not the size of the church that creates a sense of community, but our love for one another and an open, welcoming spirit - hospitality.
The Holy Spirit always seems to be working to bring people together in love for one another, as we see in Acts 2. So, I believe this is the Spirit’s work. However, I’ve also found genuine community among non-believers, people who have shown radical hospitality, generosity, and love in ways that reflect the heart of the Church. If we follow Missio Dei theology - the idea that God is at work in the world around us - perhaps this is also part of God's good work. Or maybe these people, made in God's image, are simply responding to the deep human longing for connection.
There’s something important to note about the Acts 2 church: it gathered for a season around a festival moment but soon became a global community of believers. There’s both a local and global aspect to how we gather and, more importantly, to God’s mission. While we all desire the joy of a local church living out its call to be God’s community, some of us are called to go, to start or join new communities elsewhere, or to share stories that encourage the church. We must be careful not to idolize hospitality and local community or force ourselves into someone else's calling, forgetting that God has created each of us with unique gifts and a specific purpose.
So, keep being who God has made you to be, using the gifts God has given you. If you have the gift of hospitality, thank you for sharing it. If you are called to begin a new community with God when it’s lonely, I encourage you to find rest with others who are on the same journey or enjoy the hospitality of others whose calling it is to cook good food, and to have a welcoming home. If you are a wanderer, keep enjoying the beautiful pockets of family and welcome you find along the way. We can be fully known in those moments - they are God’s gifts to us as we travel and encourage others.
Jo Allen
Director South West
Comentários