We have a special word for the type of welcome we want to offer and experience at RITI:
“Holy Hospitality”
Hospitality is more than an invitation, more than a pleasant greeting. Hospitality isn’t a set of actions, it is a practice – something that you live into as you make room for it in your daily life.
So, what does Holy Hospitality really look like in RITI’s day-to-day?
The phone rings. On the line is a mother fleeing domestic violence and seeking shelter for herself and her children. The Family Inn is full, and there is no Congregational Shelter host for the night. RITI’s Hospitality Coordinator answers the call, offers a listening ear, and looks through our list of community resources to share the most immediate options. She hears that the family also needs clothes, so she calls another organization and schedules an appointment for them to choose what they need from the community clothes closet. We don’t have all the answers or everything someone needs, but responding with compassion makes a difference.
A new guest enters the RITI campus for the first time. She and her family will be staying in the Family Inn. She’s uneasy. It’s a hard day – the day you move into a homeless shelter. Family Inn staff greet her at the door and begin to walk her through an orientation with a tour of the campus and an overview of the rules. A current guest asks if she can tag along. She remembers how she felt on her first day and wants to be sure the new guest knows she’s not alone. She’s not just receiving shelter, she’s becoming part of a community.
Hospitality looks like doing the best you can with the one in your path. Maybe that’s a listening ear, or eye contact and a kind greeting. Maybe it’s a birthday celebration or walking alongside someone new to help them feel comfortable.
We invite you to take time today to pay attention to someone in your path and see where this holy hospitality takes you.