Inviting people for dinner

[Sojourner]

Just wondering how many in here invite people from your local church fellowship around to your home for meals? 

For those that do, do you stick with people that you know well, or do you invite people that you do not know well in order to get to know them better? Do you invite visitors to church to your home for dinner afterwards? 

[Gail]

I was bringing home a group of girls for not only lunch but Bible study and fellowship. I would do it more except our dogs have well-nigh messed up our furniture, walls and floors. We need a major renovation! A couple of us have health issues, too. But when starting the group I purposely chose women who are believers but who don't talk much about faith. They really enjoy our times together.

There are a few reasons why I don't entertain more than I do, so I leave that to other households.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I think most churches around here have potlucks every Sabbath, to which all visitors are invited..

[Ted]

Theologian Madeleine L'Engle regularly had people at her dinner table; not always the "comfortable" ones.

 

Here is an interview with her: http://www.leaderu.com/marshill/mhr04/lengle1.html.  It's challenging reading, full of thought.

Carole Chase compiled selections from Madeleine's writings into "Glimpses of Grace" --- which can be had on the Web for about $5.

Highly recommended.

[Liz]

Our church tries to have potluck for visitors nearly every Sabbath. On the Sabbath's that they don't, I know that my parents often invite people to their home for dinner. When they invite visitors, they also try and get another church family to come, so that the visitors will get to know at least two families. I don't, I don't really have a kitchen table.

[Lauralea]

I used to invite people home for about 12 years when I had my own home. Or we would go to another friend with a larger house for fellowship and Bible study.Now I am helping my mother, and while it isn't practical to invite others home, I do appreciate that the church I now attend has a weekly potluck . We also tried to do this at another church where I helped organize them. When we add together SDA and non SDA visitors, singles, and those with non SDA family who may make it difficult to spend most of the Sabbath at home we may be talking about a large portion of the congregation. Inviting people home and/ or having weekly fellowship meals open to all visitors plus all members who contribute can be a real ministry. I read if we were more kind and courteous tenderhearted ant pitiful ( I think this is compassionate) there would be 100 in our churches where there is now one. 

[Ted]

I used to invite people home for about 12 years when I had my own home. Or we would go to another friend with a larger house for fellowship and Bible study.Now I am helping my mother, and while it isn't practical to invite others home, I do appreciate that the church I now attend has a weekly potluck . We also tried to do this at another church where I helped organize them. When we add together SDA and non SDA visitors, singles, and those with non SDA family who may make it difficult to spend most of the Sabbath at home we may be talking about a large portion of the congregation. Inviting people home and/ or having weekly fellowship meals open to all visitors plus all members who contribute can be a real ministry. I read if we were more kind and courteous tenderhearted ant pitiful ( I think this is compassionate) there would be 100 in our churches where there is now one. 

Where is that quote? I've looked for it for a long time.

[Ron Bakker]

If we would humble ourselves before God, and be kind and courteous and tenderhearted and pitiful, there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is only one. But, though professing to be converted, we carry around with us a bundle of self that we regard as altogether too precious to be given up.   9T 190

[LifeHiscost]

Where is that quote? I've looked for it for a long time.

Perhaps this is related to that thought, not necessarily the same quote alluded to.

 

If we would humble ourselves before God, and be kind and courteous and tenderhearted and pitiful, there would be one hundred conversions to the truth where now there is only one. But, though professing to be converted, we carry around with us a bundle of self that we regard as altogether too precious to be given up.

It is our privilege to lay this burden at the feet of Christ and in its' place take the character and similitude of Christ. The Savior is waiting for us to do this. {9T 189.4}

 

God is Love! Jesus saves!

[Ted]

Thank you!

[Sojourner]

We have made a tradition out of meeting together once a week at Church, yet the Bible suggests to me that the original church broke bread and ate together in the homes of one another on a regular basis. I think that would be a great model to strive to return to in some way. 

[Gail]

Anything that is home-churchy is a blessing!

[Lauralea]

Where is that quote? I've looked for it for a long time.

Ted it is 9T 189. I have tried to copy it from egwwritings.org but ran into technical problems. It is very interesting in context. It says we carry around with us a bundle of self Christ wants to relieve us of. Laura