Hospitality

In his blog post on hospitality, the Rev. Greg Syler discusses his first and primary sign of welcome in a church is a set of open doors.
Episcopal and Jewish communities engage with one another throughout the year, working together on local interfaith coalitions and service organizations. But for David Gastwirth, a visit to the parking lot or even the sanctuar…
Canon Annette Buchanan talks about the importance of hospitality in her blog post, Welcoming the Strange Visitors.
This month we offer five resources on radical hospitality.
This month we share five resources on welcoming families in worship.
In our latest blog, the Rev. Jon Davis talks about Dinner Church and how a return to church over food would serve us well.
In our latest blog, Linda Buskirk explores a fascinating idea, that every congregation should have a “story steward” to collect memories about their experiences with the church.
Linda Buskirk addresses a common issue in church architecture – that often it’s not built to be welcome to people of all abilities. In our latest blog, she recommends steps to remedy such situations.
As the holiday season approaches with its tables of bounty, Lisa Fishbeck advises us to consider how we think about food and how sharing our reflections might deepen our connections with God, one another and our planet.
This month we offer five resources on generous hospitality.
In our latest blog, Melissa Rau educates us about the best ways to accommodate our friends with gluten allergies. It’s not just the offering of gluten-free wafers, it’s the avoidance of cross-contamination that helps people n…
Melissa Rau writes our latest blog from the viewpoint of young parents who are interested in getting involved, but are ultimately turned off by their church. They are welcomed, but not welcome to change anything.
This month we offer five resources on community outreach.
The Episcopal Church of the Advocate lost its best loved greeter and mouser this spring. Smoke the Advo-cat came initially to take care of a pernicious mouse problem but soon began to make himself an indispensable part of the…
Lisa Fischbeck figured the Memorial Day concert and cookout would be a good way for folks to experience the hospitality of the church. It also proved to be a much easier entry point for newcomers than Sunday mass.
Charis Hill grew up an abled child in the Episcopal Church, where she was an acolyte. As a young adult, she became disabled by ankylosing spondylitis and could no longer take the steps up to the chancel. As a millennial with …
Lauren Kay examines personal authenticity and the Church from a LBGTQ+ lens and finds the Church lacking in hospitality. She draws strength from the recovery community and feels that people often find more acceptance, love an…
Millennials have grown used to portrayals as phone-connected, disbelieving, libertine, avocado toast-eaters. Such statements are usually followed by hand-wringing pleas for more young people in the pews. As a group, we crave …
Maria Bautista Vargas is privileged to have been supported in the church and connected to transformative leadership opportunities, but recognizes that there are many other young adults without such opportunities. Which is a s…
A member of the congregation asked if we might have pronoun buttons made for folks to wear in church -- simple pin buttons that would identify the pronouns with which people identify, such as he or she or they.