Tarrytown United Methodist Church

Sunday Worship Services
8:30am // 9:30am // 11:00am
Learn More
©2017 TUMC AUSTIN

Showing Radical Hospitality

By

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
—Hebrews 13:2

These lovely girls are not strangers, and many of them are our own TUMC daughters, even if perhaps not angels all the time.

They did receive hospitality on a recent Friday afternoon as I participated in earning their “My Promise, My Faith” pins and finishing up the “Give Back” badge. “My Promise, My Faith” pin is earned using the Girl Scout Law as a guide to discuss what faith and Scouting have in common, and “Give Back” provides them a way to direct funds from cookie sales in a philanthropic way. Led by Ashley Zimmermann, Misty Bray and Laura Howard, the Brownies discussed and voted on recipients of a cash gift: Haitian children’s relief. They also learned about Freestore Austin and sorted toiletries and other gifts to donate right here. They very naturally practiced our mission of “serving neighbors far and near.”

BK_girlscouts

Nearly every day of every week of every month, TUMC serves neighbors near through hospitality. Not only do we welcome Scout Troops, in these first days of 2016, we have shown hospitality to:

  • Conspirare Youth Choir
  • Six different Twelve Step Groups
  • Retired Doctors Monthly Gathering
  • Austin Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas
  • Alzheimer’s Support Group
  • Central Austin Young Life – Capernaum
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness Support Groups
  • Dream Come True Board Meeting
  • Austin Rotary Mission Project
  • Retired United Methodist Pastors Gathering
  • Full-time office space for Drive a Senior

Before I was appointed here, Sr. Pastor Robert Hall invited Bishop Robert Schnase to come and teach from his denomination-sweeping book Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. Radical Hospitality is chapter One. Why? In Bishop Schnase’s words, “Out of genuine love for Christ, vibrant, fruitful growing congregations focus on those outside their congregations as much as they attend to the nurture and growth of those who already belong. The words radical and hospitality are not usually together in one phrase. To advance the church of Jesus, perhaps they should be.”

Hospitality streams through Scripture: Deuteronomy, Jesus, Paul, and the early Christians. It is deep in our Wesleyan DNA. And it makes a difference. We are vibrant, fruitful and growing. Your generosity enables us to be so. At the beginning of my Brownie adventure, Gracie Greenway walked right up to me and asked, “Are you my mom’s friend? Her name is Virginia Greenway.” I said, “YES I am your mom’s friend,” and I was touched and pleased she wanted to make a connection on her own.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
—1 Peter 4.8

I’ll see you in worship on Sunday,

Bobbi Kaye

Welcome one another in Christ

By

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” —Romans 15.7 [ESV]

Surprise! A few months ago our family learned that twins were on the way.

We were expecting to receive one new baby: had planned, prepared, purchased and made plenty room for one. Double that. Young Jim—formerly DBA “baby Jim”—reviews the new arrivals below:

babybros
Young Jim reviews the new arrivals.

Jim knew Lucy and Jake were coming. He has been talked to about them, seemed to welcome the idea of them, and loved being in the waiting room for two hours with eight adults all focused on him, and him alone.

Reality is slowly, slowly coming into focus. These new arrivals require Jim and his parents to change much of what they had been doing, even how and when they had been doing such traditional things as baths, meals, bedtimes, going to the store and reading books together. A growing family is natural and normal and never easy at first.

“New places for new people” is one of four areas of focus throughout the entire United Methodist denomination. We are truly fortunate at TUMC that we actually have new people to make new places for—every Sunday! God is sending people through our doors and expecting us to welcome them, as we have been welcomed. In most churches and certainly in ours, we talk about new people and seem to like the idea of them; even though making the adjustments new people always require in any family lags a little coming into focus.”

We are looking toward our 70th year of existence as a Methodist Church in the Tarrytown Neighborhood.

Only one charter member remains, so literally every other person here right now has been welcomed along the way. Adjusted for. Included. Thousands of us have shaped events and experiences, altered existing traditions and created new ones.

I’m counting on Jim to scoot over, share his things, and love his brother and sister with an open heart to the blessings they will bring into his life. And Christ is counting on us to do the very same thing.

Look for an unfamiliar face and be the first to say, “Hello.”

Blessings be yours,
Bobbi Kaye Jones