DEACON UPDATE
Problems viewing this e-mail? View as Web page (use CTRL+ for larger print)
| View older issues | Connect to deacon website |
 | Beware the Bear Hug |
February 2014
A couple of weeks ago both of our grandchildren spent the night with us. Two-year-old Fiona was up first; her older cousin Paul joined us about an hour later. With a toy in each hand, Fiona ran to greet Paul: "Good morning! Do you want to play soccer with me? Cars? We could build towers with blocks!" With each of Fiona’s excited suggestions Paul literally took a step backward, and eventually left the room mumbling that he was going to find his own bag of toys.
I've experienced similar things in the narthexes and fellowship halls of our churches. The Fionas among us rush to greet visitors, pumping hands, asking questions, and breathlessly explaining all of the options for Sunday school and toddler care and even Wednesdaynight Bible study, being as welcoming as they know how to be. And that's terrific, as long as the visitors are also Fionas. But when Fiona descends on quieter Paul, he may very well try to find a reason after worship to head to his car instead of the Fellowship Hall.
Our congregations need Fionas, without question. But we also need to learn how to be discerning, to adapt our welcoming ways to meet the needs not just of other Fionas, but also the Pauls who find their way to our communities. We need to start slowly, watch and listen carefully for the response, and adjust our enthusiasm up or down, accordingly.
This applies to ongoing care, too. Be mindful that we are caring for people with different needs--not just in terms of what they need, but also in how that care can most helpfully be offered. How might we learn to adapt our instinctual ways of responding to better serve others?
"Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers"
~~Romans 12:13 |
Church of the Brethren | 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, Illinois 60120
No comments:
Post a Comment