Ministry and Hospitality: One and the Same? [November Prayer Focus]

TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission • Nov 02, 2017

Everyone needs food and rest — which may be why nothing has as much potential to bring strangers together as fellowship and sharing meals.

This gives missionaries around the world huge opportunities to share Christ’s love through hospitality, whether it’s providing a safe place of retreat for fellow missionaries who are feeling burned out or running a cafe in the heart of Tokyo that attracts people from all walks of life.

This November, will you pray with us for hospitality ministries around the world?

Click here to get a printable version of these requests, and sign up here to get the new prayer focus in your inbox each month.

1. Pray for new guests and curious friends.

Hospitality ministries should create atmospheres that welcome strangers with warmth and kindness.

For the past three years, TEAM missionaries Eric and Melissa Lundquist have hosted a Christmas celebration in their home known as “Advent Open House”. They invite as many guests as they can — neighbors, families they know through their sons’ Austrian school and people they just meet through the rhythm of daily life.

“The first year, we had just a handful of people that came,” said Melissa. “The second year, we had about 15 … and then last year, we were surprised that about 35 adults — and about 15 kids — came by!”

Pray that nonbelievers will come to these events and celebrations. Pray that God’s people will be able to create deepening friendships that lead others to Christ.

2. Pray for the upkeep of retreat centers and guesthouses.

Most hospitality ministries operate out of spaces that require plenty of upkeep and accommodations.

Take the Kelo Guesthouse and Seminar Center in Chad for example. The center hosts seminars, provides lodging for visiting theology professors, serves as a recording station for an audio version of the New Testament — and much more.

But doing all of this can be difficult with the center’s outdated plumbing. And the entire center struggles to run on two solar panels and a generator instead of normalized electricity.

Pray for resources to make places like the Kelo Guesthouse comfortable and inviting. Pray that repairs will be affordable and quick. And pray that God will continue to work despite outdated accommodations.

3. Pray that events and retreats will run smoothly.

At SonRise Café in Tokyo, Japan, the owners not only serve coffee and other fresh baked goods, but they also host various outreaches throughout the year. Photo by TEAM

Imagine you’re hosting a dinner and you burn the cake. You’d probably be too distracted to make good conversation with people. Or what if guests couldn’t find your place? They’d arrive stressed out or might give up on coming at all.

SonRise Café was launched eight years ago in the bustling city of Tokyo as a way to attract people from all walks of life. Throughout the year, the ministry team hosts various outreaches, including an annual Thanksgiving feast in November. Each member of the team contributes to the meal and invites people from the community. After the dinner, they give a slideshow presentation on the origins of Thanksgiving, with a special emphasis on the Creator to whom Christians give thanks.

“It is an evening full of chances for talking, getting to know each other and fellowship that lasts for hours,” said TEAM missionary Kelly Baughn.

Ask God to direct the details that go into events like SonRise Café’s Thanksgiving feast. Pray that hosts will be well-equipped, guests won’t be hindered from coming and God’s love will clearly show in every element of each event.

4. Pray for partnerships with local churche s.

When local churches see the value of showing hospitality to members of their own communities, it creates long-term, sustainable cycles of ministry. TEAM missionaries in Europe have started a ministry that reaches out to women who have been victims of the sex slave industry and/or caught up in a life of prostitution.

Every Christmas, the ministry packs around 1,000 boxes with homemade cookies, a new Bible verse calendar and an invitation to the missionaries’ annual Christmas party. Then, they distribute the boxes to women on the streets and in the brothels of their city.

It is an enormous undertaking that requires the support of numerous local churches.

Pray that local churches will come together to help with projects like this one. Pray for unity among God’s people as they strive to demonstrate hospitality to their communities.

5. Pray for restoration for worn out missionaries.

In Paris, the Robelots run an apartment called “The Upper Room,” which is specially designed for missionaries to come for a time of intentional care and relaxation. Photo by TEAM

Missionary work is draining — even Jesus needed a break from time to time. Missionary care often involves providing places for workers to find encouragement, prayer, counseling or just time for rest and renewal.

TEAM missionaries Paul and Missy Robelot have made their ministry all about caring for fellow missionaries in exactly these ways. They run an apartment just outside Paris called “The Upper Room” — and everything they offer is free of charge to the missionaries who come through.

In the words of Missy, “God’s most precious assets in missions are missionaries!”

Pray for member care workers to have wisdom when ministering to fellow missionaries’ needs. Pray that missionaries will be restored and refreshed so they can continue spreading the Word without growing weary.

6. Pray that people will come to know Christ.

The greatest way we can ever serve others is by leading them to the salvation of Christ. TEAM missionaries Buan and Theresa Anderson run a retreat center in France where church groups can meet and experience spiritual renewal.

However, Buan says the ultimate goal of their work is to help bring more people to Christ: “We just pray that young and old would come to meet … Jesus Christ, and that somehow our center can be a step in each person’s process.”

Pray that these ministries introduce others to Christ. Pray that all people will come to know the Lord’s grace and love.

7. Pray for an outpouring of workers.

At TEAM’s Karuizawa Retreat Center in Japan , missionaries have the opportunity to escape the pressures of daily life and find spiritual, emotional and physical rejuvenation. But sadly, the center’s long-term caretakers had to retire recently.

Short-termers are filling in for now, but the center is in desperate need of full-time workers who have a passion for missionary care and hospitality ministries.

Ask God to provide teams of people with a heart for hospitality and missions. Pray that the right people with the right skills will be led to places like the Karuizawa Retreat Center.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer! Click the image below to get a printable version of these requests to remember how to pray all month long.

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Loving Like Jesus Cross-Culturally (Part 1)

By Megan Lunsford • 23 Apr, 2024

When seeking to serve cross-culturally with an authentic love for others, there’s no better example for us than Jesus. If we sat around a table and threw out the question, “How do we love like Jesus?” I think we would have several commonalities as we respond. For example, Jesus loved all people right where they were. He loved those who were deemed the least, those hardest to love, or those who were His enemies. These are all beautiful realities of the heart of Jesus. When we step into relationships, it can be easier to take on the warmer, more gracious gestures of Jesus’ love, especially in cross-cultural relationships. Think about it––when doing life with those who look and act differently than us, we are already out of our comfort zones and would rather keep things as simple and familiar as possible. But there are other facets of Jesus’ heart we often overlook that can transform us and others even more into His likeness. Jesus is love because God is love. Everything Jesus did was out of love; it’s the mere definition of who He is. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to the same: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” (1 John:7-12) Every display of love we offer to others is an opportunity for them to encounter the ultimate love of the Father. That’s a pretty big deal! In this article, we’ll look at three expressions of Jesus’ love that we tend to overlook when engaging others cross-culturally. (Next month, we’ll look at three more.) 1. Jesus loved sacrificially. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed Him. We even see times in Scripture where Jesus had plans to step away for time alone but those who were hurting found Him and He had compassion on them and stayed with them. Can you imagine rarely having any time to yourself but, instead, constantly being surrounded by crowds of people wanting help from you? Jesus loved sacrificially. He welcomed all who came to Him with love and compassion, never turning anyone away. “When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36) In the same way, we can make room in our lives for Jesus to bring sacrificial interruptions which, in His eyes, are orchestrated encounters to transfer His love to others. It can be tempting to be so “on mission” that we are full steam ahead and find ourselves frustrated when the Holy Spirit sends an interruption into our path that we feel we don’t have time for. Or, perhaps, we have scheduled a meet-up but it’s the norm in another culture to be 30 minutes or an hour late. We anxiously think through how it will affect whatever we have planned next. While it’s normal to feel a little stressed, what if the very "interruption” standing in front of you was really a divine appointment sent by God? Or what if that person running late experiences how peaceful and gracious you are in adapting to their culture and therefore, they can encounter a beautiful display of Jesus’ love? To truly represent Christ, we should remain ready and willing for each assignment the Lord sends into our path, no matter the cost or how much we will have to re-route our day. He is always a hundred steps ahead and will work all things for His glory and our good. 2. Jesus loved by discerning each situation well. Think about how many situations Jesus had to respond to on a daily basis. We read in Scripture that there were lines of people waiting to be healed by Him, talk to Him, hear His teachings, or simply touch the hem of His robe. Jesus was fully dependent on His Father to discern each situation before addressing it. “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” (John 5:19) Another temptation we can have when in a relationship with those God has sent us to is to think we already know the solution or what God wants to do before we’ve even asked Him. We believe we are full of knowledge, so we just pull from the bank we have stored within and go with it. However, when we access what is familiar to us as our default, we risk missing out on a God-given solution that might truly be the key to unlocking whatever challenge is in front of us. What does this look like when interacting with others? We can simply ask, “God, what is on Your heart for the person standing in front of me?” Then we listen and respond as He speaks. When we make it a daily habit to pause and hear God’s heart for each situation before responding, we are guaranteed to be effective in loving those around us. He knows the heart of every person that will cross our paths. Imagine how impactful we can be if we first lean on His wisdom and discernment before moving forward. 3. Jesus loved by speaking truth. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. If we are honest, this conversation makes us a bit nervous as none of us would be comfortable with Jesus calling out intimate details of our lives that we would prefer to hide. But Jesus went further than just airing her dirty laundry. He offered her the hope of the Gospel and a relationship with Him - a divine fulfillment that could never be found in an earthly relationship. Jesus modeled a powerful example of loving others well cross-culturally. He took the low place and spoke truth, truly out of love––speaking to her heart from His. Like Jesus, our goal in sharing the truths about Him and His Word is to bring hope and satisfaction through Him alone. When we speak truth from Scripture, we are calling others higher into all God has for them. The tricky part here is we should avoid speaking truth if it isn’t first fueled by compassion. If it merely comes from a place of judgment, condemnation, or self-righteousness, it will fall flat 100% of the time. But if it truly comes from love, you are likely to not only win a heart back to the Father but, like the story of the Samaritan woman, even an entire village! If you see someone living outside of God’s best for their lives, ask God to show you your heart before engaging theirs. Once your heart is properly postured, you can speak truth out of an overflow of God’s love and trust Him for a transformation in their lives.

Hospitality, Help, and the Hope of the Gospel

By Suzanne Pearson • 16 Apr, 2024

TEAM Canada provides warm welcome and trusted friendships for diaspora populations living far from their native countries. As TEAM Canada workers Peter and Ruth (names changed) drive from their home to a nearby community center, they pass numerous apartment buildings and townhouses. Most of the families who live there are immigrants. They’ve left their countries of origin due to political unrest, trauma, and other difficulties. They’ve left family, friends, homes, jobs, and personal wealth behind. They search for peace, justice for the oppressed, and rest from fear and weariness. And as they adjust to a new country and a new language, they are often very isolated from others around them. “The sad reality is most immigrants are never even invited inside a Canadian home,” says Ruth. Peter and Ruth and their team try to change that reality. For the last nine years, the team, which includes workers from partner organizations as well as volunteers, has held English classes at the community center. Three days a week, over 60 students from more than 20 countries come together to learn English as well as to fellowship together and receive practical help in assimilating to a new normal. Meeting Needs and Building Trust That practical help may come in the form of procuring furniture, clothes, or dishes for newcomers, assistance with creating a resume and finding a job, or teaching people how to navigate Canadian laws and the medical system. As these tangible needs are met, relationships are built. “We invite them into our homes for meals and games,” Ruth shares. “We take them on hiking trips, picnics, outings, and out for coffee.” This is particularly important in this type of ministry because most immigrants come to Canada from cultures that value hospitality. Conversely, Canadians do not typically prioritize hospitality and consequently many newcomers feel lonely and isolated. Inviting folks to various gatherings and outings allows the team to spend extended time hearing people’s stories, struggles, hopes, and dreams. When she speaks about building friendships, Ruth’s heart for the people she serves is evident. “Hearing their stories, it’s easy to love them, and many have become close friends,” Ruth says. “We recognize the value of steady one-on-one relationships.”