Andrew Mills, lead pastor of Bethany Community Church in St. Catharines, ON once wrote in a blog that,
“Those who are hospitable in our world will change our world; those who don’t will become isolated and ineffective.”
That stuck with me. Our current world and culture are polarized, divisive and oftentimes angry. So many people are full of pride and posturing. We lack the ability to listen well, always more willing to give advice than to learn from others.
That is why I believe, more than ever, that now is the time to be a people that practice Christ-like hospitality, especially in collegiate ministry. With the nations represented on our campuses, intentional hospitality is a simple but effective gateway to give us a context to reach international students.
"I believe, more than ever, that now is the time to be a people that practice Christ-like hospitality, especially in collegiate ministry." -@jerome_stockert #collegiatedisciplemaker #hospitality Intentional Hospitality as a Gateway to… Click To TweetHospitality as a Lifestyle of Believers
When we read Scripture, we see that this act of generosity and friendship towards others, particularly strangers, is something that believers are called to practice as part of our duty to others and in gratitude for the salvation we have received from God (see Hebrews 13:2, Romans 12:13, and 1 Peter 4:9).
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Hebrews 13:2
Intentional hospitality is more than opening our homes to others; it’s opening our lives to others, welcoming them no matter how different they might be from us, including them in our life as we seek to demonstrate the gospel to all people. And that is something every campus ministry and student can do.
An Example of Intentional Hospitality from My Ministry
Each week, Central BSU, where I serve as a Campus Missionary, seeks to do this. To be a people and a place that is hospitable. Every week, we host a dinner and invite students to come and enjoy a home-cooked meal, make new friends, and just relax. Area churches provide the food, and our students, together with the church members, love on any and all who come.
This semester has been an exceptional one. Our hospitality during the dinner hour has unexpectedly connected us with students from all over the world. In particular, we have had a large number of students from India participate in our dinners. Through these dinners, they have both heard the gospel and seen it lived out.
At one of our dinners this fall, I was sitting at a table with a group of Indian students, and they were asking me about the winters here in Missouri. Through the course of our conversation, I discovered that none of them owned any winter clothes! So, we scheduled a time where we could go shopping for winter jackets and such. It was a BEAUTIFUL day!! Together we traveled to Kansas City where we shopped and talked and ate lunch [authentic Indian food]! The hospitality of Christ was on display for 9 hours straight!
It was obvious almost immediately that barriers came down and the level of trust came up. As a result, the spiritual conversations that I’ve had since then have become more fruitful. This is just one example. Through our dinners, American students are connecting with international students, and in these new friendships, the gospel is being both demonstrated and declared!
How Can YOU Make an Impact on International Students?
Not all of you reading this are college students or doing college ministry. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make an impact on international students—and the gateway is the same for you as it is for us: intentional hospitality. Here are four simple ways you can use what God has given you to be hospitable to internationals.
Start the Conversation and Use Your Space
I am often asked how a church can partner with their local campus ministry to make an impact with international students for the sake of the gospel. My first response is always this, “Sit down with your local campus minister to pray through and talk about ways to reach the nations. It may be that you can offer your home as a host home, a home away from home where an international student comes over, on a regular basis, and spends time with the family, eating meals, playing games, hanging out, etc.” With Christmas break just around the corner, now is a great time to have that conversation—many international students have nowhere to go when the campus is closed and no family to spend the break with. Your local campus missionary, or even the office of international student affairs on the campus, may know of students who could use a home away from home this Christmas.
Use Your English
Your local campus ministry or the on-campus international office may have opportunities for conversational English that you and your church could be a part of. This is where a student or a local church member, through the campus ministry, meets weekly with an international student, one-on-one, to talk and visit and learn more about each other. It’s a great time for the international student to practice their English—something international students are eagerly looking for—and an opportunity for you to make a new friend and encourage someone, and maybe in the process share the gospel.
Use Your Wheels
I know of churches that have set up regular Walmart runs, or grocery store runs for international students—most of whom do not have cars or access to transportation. These churches use their church vans and on certain days and times, usually once or twice a week, they shuttle international students to the local Walmart or grocery store to shop. One church in our area runs back and forth for 2 hours each Tuesday evening of each week picking up and dropping off international students at the store.
Use Your Dollars
Lastly, let me just briefly mention one other thing a church can do that may be really out of the box. There is a prevalent myth that all international students have financial security. Some believe that international students must have families who financially are able to send them to another country to pursue their education. While true for some, it is not true for all. Maybe your congregation has the financial stability to offer scholarships to international students. Financial aid offices will be glad to help you provide financial support to international students in accordance with applicable guidelines.
Take One Simple Step
My challenge to you is for you to look at the big picture. All of the things I mentioned share the same common root of intentional hospitality as a gateway to relationships that lead to gospel proclamation and demonstration. Yes, all of them do require sacrificing time, energy, and money—and that can be daunting. But do not let that stop you and your congregation in making a difference in an international students’ life. Take one simple step of hospitality toward international students today. Demonstrate the gospel as much as you can. Declare the gospel when given the opportunity. And support international students and your local campus ministry so that these international students may live into who God created them to be.
