|
 While
we are familiar
with soup kitchens,
homeless shelters,
and prison
ministries, we have
neglected the deed
of welcoming the
stranger. We have a
biblical mandate to
address the needs of
those we do not know
and call them our
neighbor. Yet, today
as in biblical
times, welcoming
strangers is not an
easy or desired
task. This resource
will help us
understand
hospitality and
community in the way
God intended
it.
Content
Writers Frances
Frazier and Mary
Zentner designed
Welcoming
the Stranger to help
the church family
open its heart to
people —
especially those
marginalized by
society — who seek
the gospel,
fellowship, support,
and assistance. It
invites discussion
and reflection on
what it means to be
in relationship with
God and to be
faithful to that
relationship in the
face of a stranger.
- The
"Frames of
Reference"
section helps
participants
reflect on
attitudes that
get in the way
of hospitality.
- Scriptural
references
provide biblical
reflection on
the sacredness
of hospitality.
- Role
plays provide
encounters with
those we may
call strangers
and challenges
our assumptions
about them.
- Action
plan suggests
concrete steps
to take to
welcome
strangers.
- Closing
devotions ground
participants in
the Word of God
through song and
prayer.
There
are two possible
formats: presenting
the 45-minute
components in a
multiple week series
or presenting the
entire resource in a
3-hour retreat
setting.
You
may download
Welcoming the
Stranger from
this Web site or
call Augsburg
Fortress, Publishers,
at 800-328-4648
to request
your copy. |
