Monday, December 23rd---Guest Writer, Mrs. Lois Ormsby

“Use hospitality one to another without grudging.”

~ 1 Peter 4:9

Webster’s Dictionary defines hospitality as “The act or practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward, or with kind and generous liberality.” Hospitality is something we hear and think, “oh, that’s for our moms to do!” But did you know that you can practice hospitality, even as a teen girl?

Because of Christmastime, we have had a lot of visitors at church in the month of December. Single mothers, widowed fathers, teenaged girls, young adult men, elderly grandparents…I believe we have had someone from each of these categories and more, just in the past four weeks! What a blessing to have so many new faces to greet and welcome to our church.

Hospitality is not just something we do at home; hospitality is the way we treat those around us, every day, at church, in public, at school…hospitality is a way of life!

What can you do as a teen girl to show hospitality to visitors in our church?

• Look around on Sunday morning, and notice those whom you have never seen before or those whom you have never really talked to yet. (You girls have a great chance to do this from the choir loft, before you come down to your seat!) During handshaking time, go to those people on purpose and greet them with a smile!

• Be in a good mood at church! If something is bothering you, ask the LORD to help you. You would be surprised at how much the attitude of a church’s teenagers affects first-time visitors. The best thing you can do when you’re having a bad day is to look for something you can do for another.
• Be kind to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Yes, I am talking about the members of LHBC, the people we see at least 3 times a week! If you can’t be loving/hospitable to your brethren, you won’t be loving/hospitable to the world.
• If a visitor looks like they’re looking for someone or something, go up to them and ask them if you can help them with anything!
• Consider the property/buildings of LHBC as part of your home; if you see trash on the floor, pick it up. If you see a plant that could use some TLC, take care of it! If you see a stack of hymnbooks out of place, put them where they belong! If each of us do little things like this, together we can make our church a visibly welcoming place.

All of these tips can be summarized in this:

Love people the way Christ would love them.

Scripture Reading for the Day:

Proverbs 23
Colossians 3