The hospitality team vision is to create a culture of hospitality within Open Heaven. We see in Acts 2 and 4 the disciples shared together and opened their houses to each other, which is what hospitality is about. Practically, this includes making teas and coffees on a Sunday before our gatherings, supporting the welcome team in promoting welcome meals and ‘dinner dates’, as well as inviting a few friends round for dinner, but it is so much more than that. It is an important part of church life and 1 Peter 4:9 emphasises it by saying that we should ‘Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling’. In many cultures around the world, hospitality is readily offered and it should be the same within our church communities also.

Hospitality is a practical demonstration of not just the inclusiveness of church, but also the love of God for all people. We are all made in God’s image and therefore are loved and treasured by Him, ultimately expressed in the sending of His son Jesus to die on the cross. The hospitality team aims to express this love by helping to make our gatherings more welcoming and accepting to all people by serving teas and coffees. As mentioned earlier though, it is so much more than that. We aim to cultivate and encourage this culture of hospitality by taking the lead in opening our homes, and by offering help and support to those who want to become more hospitable.

Anyone can be a part of this team, especially if you have the gift of hospitality. It is a great way to meet people that you may not already know, and is a fantastic way to help build community within church. It is also a fun and easy way to serve the church as a whole. We aim to have a good mixture of students and non-students as we believe that this will also help build community and a brilliant opportunity to learn from each other.

If you are interested in joining the Hospitality Team, please speak to Matt Penny