Radical Hospitality Series

I. Introduction to 5 Practices

* Video - Drive Thru Church (found on YouTube)

Sometimes we expect the church to bend for our needs rather than us bending for it. Same thing with our youth group. Sometimes we want things to happen that we want rather than what is best for the ministry. We want to play the same games, hang with our same friends or do things how they have always been done. When we think of the 5 Practices of a Fruitful Youth Ministry, we need to think beyond ourselves and reach out to the kids in our schools, neighborhoods or teams. How can our youth ministry shift to become inviting to them? What can we do to make people feel like this is a place to be a part of something real. Over the next 5 weeks we are going to talk about 5 Practices that can help us transform our ministry.

II. What is Radical Hospitality?

* Bishops Definition - "Christian hospitality refers to the active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ."

* Story of coming to PWC, trouble finding anything

* Story of going to Covenant for the first time - greet by the pastor and others

** Ask the crowd if anyone would want to give a testimony to their being new to Flite

(These questions can be used in a small group of 4-6 or incorporated into the sermon)

Small Group Questions:

1. Have you ever been new somewhere? What did it feel like? What made you feel comfortable or uncomfortable? Talk about your feelings.

2. How could it have been better?

II. Why Radical Hospitality

** Story of riding the bus to church - Richard Dickinson

* Romans 15:7 - Welcome one another, therefore just as Christ has welcome you, for the glory of God

* Radical hospitality shows that we aren't just about ourselves, that we want to share the love of God with whoever walks into our doors.

* Each of us is here because of someone's hospitality. Whether it be your specifically that was invited here, or your parents were invited years ago. Someone extended hospitality to you and brought you into this church.

* It breaks down walls

* Makes people feel welcomed

* Shows Gods love in us

*** Story from 5 Practices page, 19 - Man in the hospital

* God built us to have community. Things like Facebook and texting are great to have surface level friendships, but our real friends are going to be those we talk to and spend time with. My best friend lives in Ohio, we talk often but I don't feel as connected to him as I did when I lived with him in Nashville.

(These questions can be used in a small group of 4-6 or incorporated into the sermon)

Small Groups:

1. Talk about how you came to Platte Woods? Whether with your parents or by yourself?

2. What others areas of our lives could we be radically hospitable? Is it just when we are at church or when we are in the world?

3. Have you brought friends to Refuel or another event that didn't feel like anyone was happy to have them there?

III. How to be Radically Hospitable?

* What does Radical Hospitality look like? More than just a process but an attitude of being hospitable

* Radical Hospitality starts outside our church walls. Our website, Facebook page, newsletters, etc are what people see before they even step into our building.

** Lay out our Hospitality team

Student greeted by me, an adult and another student

Student introduces the new student to other students in the room, takes them to a table to be greeted by the table leader.

Table leader introduces them to the other students at the table, make sure they feel welcome

Remember their names....

After Refuel, the new student is escorted to downtime to be introduce to other students or to the original student they met

Follow up during the next week would include a postcard, possible phone call from the table leader, "chance" meeting with a Flite student in school to let them know they were glad they came, to answer any questions and invite them back to Refuel

** We also need to make sure students are keep up with... We are developing a follow-up process that helps us keep track of students who miss a couple weeks and make sure we know if anything major is going on...

HEATHER FATINO, example

(These questions can be used in a small group of 4-6 or incorporated into the sermon)

Small Groups:

1. What do you think of the new plan? What would you change, add or take away?