It probably doesn’t need to be stated, but just in case, I do realize I’m not homeless.
In fact, we have a very charming little turn-of-the-century rental cottage we call home. And we have friends who are caring for it during our absence as we cycle across the states.
But as we cycle, we continually rely on the hospitality of strangers to take us in, otherwise, seventeen of us would sleep in a fifteen passenger van or perhaps on top of a fifteen passenger van. Every night, a church opens their doors for us, a group of smelly, sweaty, unknown young adults and lets us sleep on their floors, their pews, their couches.
They let us shower if they have one, sometimes feed us, or let us use their kitchen to make our own dinner. We’ve been greeted with ice coolers full of Gatorade, towels soaked in cold water, and always smiling faces.
Some of these churches are quite large, thousands of people calling them home. Their campuses sprawl and it’s easy to meander to a quiet spot to find some time alone. Others maybe just have a room or two, like the old and outdated church in a ghost-town in the middle of Arizona. But there was a floor, a kitchen, a shower, and a lovely pastor who opened the doors for us.
I realize quite a few people who may read this blog are on staff at a church, or are somehow involved in a decision-making capacity, and as I sit in the youth center at our church in Brownfield, TX, I couldn’t help but make a plea to you:
If you have the facilities or resources to host someone – do it. In fact, seek out those opportunities.
In the American church culture, we put a lot of bank in our building projects. We see this as an investment into ministry but it’s typically limited to the weekend. But what would happen if the doors were opened all week long? And if we can’t open the doors to our buildings for some reason, what about our own homes?
Every time I take a shower I find myself thinking, “I am taking a shower in a church in a place I’ve never seen before, and I’ll be safe inside this church tonight when I sleep because of people I’ve never met before.”
And every time I’m just humbled and blown away by their spirit of generosity, no matter how “much” or how “little” they provide.
The amount doesn’t matter.
The open heart and open doors do.