These are a few thoughts that came to me this morning as I was thinking about what the joy of fellowship and the gift of hospitality looks like, specifically in the context of seminary life.
An alternate title could be 'Why I think potlucks are Good'.
It’s not about the food:
We have fellowship as a community when we share communion in chapel on Wednesday. We are sharing our faith as disciples.
As we are to become ministers, pastors, chaplains, and teachers, we need to know fellowship with others who are also on this journey. Our fellow students will be part of our support system as we journey beyond these walls and into our individual ministries.
Therefore we need opportunities of time to gather together. These are times to meet and join with others beyond who we are in class with, who our study buddy is, and who you and I always hang out with everyday. These are opportunities for growth of individual self, of new friendships, and growth in our pastoral skills.
Everyone needs to eat. And potlucks that may seem old fashioned, are a great way to gather and share hospitality. There is generosity in the act of cooking more than you as individual needs. There is greeting each other in a casual setting and learning something new about our neighbors.
A way to enliven conversations may be to have 3 unique questions placed on each table; questions that could motivate fun discussions or new ways of learning about each other. Encourage people not to sit with only the people they know (if you brought dessert tonight sit at table 2/is your name has an ‘m’ in it sit at table 4).
It is not about the food, it is about building community through fun, fellowship, and faith.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
