Chapter 4: Opening Your Home

Hospitality

. . . I have never met anyone who was offended because I opened my door and invited her (or him) to come in.{1}

Karen Mains

Hospitality is defined in Webster's dictionary as "the act, practice or quality of receiving and entertaining guests or strangers in a friendly way." It can be spontaneous or well-planned. Those you entertain could include a lonely international student, a roomful of faculty wives, or your husband's colleagues and their spouses from the university. The menu could range from popcorn to a seven-course meal. It is a ministry of encouragement to others that can have flexibility and many different "looks."

Hospitality is not what we have; it is who we are. The Christian home is a wonderful environment from which to share the message of Christ. Many have been won to Christ over a hot meal and conversation with an open and loving Christian couple or family. The home is a wonderful place to nurture new believers by modeling and teaching.

Flexibility and Availability

Flexibility in ministering from the home gives you freedom to be you. You can develop your own style of giving from your heart in your home. Just remember it has nothing to do with impressing people--it has everything to do with making them feel welcome and wanted.

The Lord delights to see our availability. We can begin to sort our priorities by asking ourselves questions such as, "How can I be the best steward of my time?" "What are my abilities?" "How can I best share my home given the interests and the burdens He has placed on my heart?"

Whether you are an empty nester or have a house full of children, there are students and faculty who need you. They need to experience the kindness you extend as you open your home in whatever way and time best suits your interests and schedule.

Children can bring a special challenge and opportunity. A mother with small children in the home may be limited by her lack of time, energy level, and her children's schedules. Hospitality can be a natural way to involve children in ministry. The way a mother of young children might use her home is very different from a mother who has teenagers or one who has seen her children start their own adult lives. Edith Schaeffer shares her heart in her book Hidden Art:

Often one is asked, "How does one get children to have compassion and love for others?" One important way is by demonstrating love and compassion in action, not just talking about it. . . . Nothing can be given in a course of study which can substitute for the day-to-day observation on the part of the children in the home of a mother or father who truly treat human beings as human, and not machines.{2}

As you and your family open your home, the impact on your children through exposure to Christian college students as role models, or the insight gained by knowing visitors from other cultures, cannot be measured.

If practicing hospitality is new to you, be prepared to face the fear of new situations. You are stepping outside your "comfort zone." Any insecurity you might have can rise to the surface. "Should I attempt this?" "What will they think when I call?" "My house will not be nice enough."

Remember, hospitality is not about impressing people; it is about making them feel wanted and welcome. Participating in hospitality is of great benefit to you and your family. It gives you a natural opportunity, in a comfortable setting, to impact your world.{3}

Providing Hospitality. . .

In General:

• Provide food for almost anything.
• Provide a welcome basket for new faculty in your husband's department or at the university. Include a list of Christian doctors, dentists, lawyers, plumbers, baby-sitters, etc.
• Have visiting faculty stay in your home.

To Students:

• Invite your husband's students to your home for a meal, dessert or brunch.
• Invite students to your home for a game night or to watch a football game. Don't forget the munchies!
• Bake cookies for your husband's classes, individually wrapping the cookies, and including a scripture verse appropriate for the season.
• Allow students to use your home to do things that they may not be able to do in their dorm, such as bake a birthday cake or have a quiet room in which to study.
• Invite students to your home who are not able to go home for the holidays.
• Volunteer to host an after-church luncheon for the college Sunday School class.
• Allow your home to be used for meetings.

To Other Couples:

• Host a potluck for Christian faculty, staff, and their spouses. This event can provide an opportunity to meet one another as well as to fellowship together, to share how God is at work in your lives and ministering through you, to pray together, and to announce and discuss future events (see The Faculty-Staff Potluck Social).
• Host theme parties for faculty couples. People from different backgrounds come together and experience fun in a relaxed setting. Theme ideas might include: "Hawaiian Luau," "Polyester-Paisley Party," and "Sherlock Holmes Party" (see Theme Parties).

To Faculty Wives:

• Have a "mug-and-muffin" party. This is an informal time when everyone brings their own mug and the hostess provides the hot water, a variety of instant hot drinks, and muffins. This is a good format for any purpose from meeting faculty wives to planning an event on campus.
• Host a faculty wives' tea, brunch, or luncheon. It can be a "get-to-know-you" time for other believers or possibly an evangelistic outreach.
• Offer to baby-sit for mothers of young children so they can be involved in activities related to the campus.
• Evangelistic Holiday Gatherings (Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, etc.). Many holidays provide a natural time to bring women together to get to know one another. These holidays also lend themselves to sharing Christ through presenting the true meaning of the celebrations (see A Christmas Gathering).

Endnotes

{1}Karen Mains, Open Heart--Open Home, David C. Cook Publishing Co., 1976, p. 139.

{2}Edith Schaeffer, Hidden Art, Tyndale House Publishers, 1971, p. 131.

{3}A handout on hospitality is available by contacting Christian Leadership Ministries, 3440 Sojourn Drive, Suite 200, Carrollton, TX 75006-2354. Telephone: (214) 713-7130.

{4}Vonette Bright and Barbara Ball, The Joy of Hospitality--Fun Ideas for Evangelistic Entertaining, New Life Publishers, 1995. Used with Permission.

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