By Rev. Bob Holliday, First UMC in Safford, AZ

I remember when I was growing up; my father owned a small business where he never met a stranger. He had this uncanny way of connecting with people and it didn't really matter where he was or what was going on around him. If it was in a business setting he would pay attention to the business at hand but at some point in their business he would take the time to show an interest in the other person and begin establishing a relationship based on what he learned about them. More times than not, a tenuous situation seemed to be strengthened simply by the way he would find some common ground or common interest with that person and then their business seemed to be between two people who knew each other rather than the two strangers who met at the beginning of their contact. What was even more amazing was what happened during subsequent contacts. They were like old buddies. Each knew something about the other. They had identified what they had in common and they both felt accepted by the other, which made whatever business they had to take care of all that more pleasant and reassuring.

I saw that small business grow over the years into one of the largest family-owned businesses in the area and I'm convinced a lot of it was due to the way he connected with people. He appreciated their business. He didn't treat the relationships as one-time deals. Word of mouth, a warm atmosphere, and a positive attitude brought even more people into his business. I saw him interact with people out of what Stephen Covey calls an abundance mentality in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. My dad was a good ole boy from West Virginia, and I don't think the success of his small business had anything to do with his conscious thought of how to be a more effective person. Besides, he was in business way before the 7 habits were even thought of. But I think it did have everything to do with making people feel more comfortable doing business with someone they felt they had something in common with and someone who took the time to show a genuine interest in them no matter who they were. But this is really not about my dad. It's about how United Methodist churches all across the Desert Southwest Conference are being just as intentional about connecting with people so they can look forward to and anticipate experiencing the joy of God's grace.

There have been hundreds of books written about this stuff, and we've all experienced going into one setting or another where the hospitality, customer service, guest services, welcoming or whatever you want to call it has been real and genuine and made a difference in someone's life. That's what's happening within many of our United Methodist churches. We're touching people's lives, making new disciples, inviting, and then engaging people in the mission and ministry of the local church in new and creative ways where no one ever leaves as a stranger. I can't help but think that's exactly what Jesus meant for us to do when he said "I was a stranger and you welcomed me." (Mat 25:25) He wanted His disciples to know that everyone should treat those they don't know just as they would treat God walking in their midst. It was their Jewish tradition that pointed to the example of being strangers in Egypt (Deut. 10:19) as a reason for such hospitality. And then again Paul reminds us, sometime after his "come to Jesus" experience on the road to Damascus, that we "should not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some people have shown hospitality to angels without even knowing it." (Heb 13:2)

I think it's our United Methodist heritage of "open hearts, open minds, open doors," where we really extend and show the love of Christ to those outside our church, just as much as those inside our church in ways that when someone leaves they don't feel like strangers anymore. When my dad met someone he would ask where they were from and then he would find some common ground. That extra effort showed people he really cared about them. He wanted them to know he appreciated them for more than just their business. They may have had an unpleasant experience at one of the other businesses in the area, but this one was going to be different and everyone who worked with my dad did the same thing. Everyone, even the kid that swept the floor made the time to get to know the customers. It was everyone's responsibility to make people feel welcomed, accepted, and appreciated no matter who they were or where they were from. Our churches are doing the same thing. From greeters to the Pastor, people feel the love of God in the local church like never before. In vital congregations newcomers no longer feel like outsiders, they feel like beloved members of the community, valued, listened to, and invited to get involved.