Skip to main content

Everyone who attends Fultonville Reformed Church has committed himself or herself to the work of welcome. Our small church of approximately 15 active members began to take God’s call to hospitality very seriously. As these members enrich their community—the small, rural, upstate New York village of Fultonville—they also grow closer as the body of Christ.

By Sue Schwabrow and Terri Vrooman

Everyone who attends Fultonville Reformed Church has committed himself or herself to the work of welcome.

Our small church of approximately 15 active members began to take God’s call to hospitality very seriously. As these members enrich their community—the small, rural, upstate New York village of Fultonville—they also grow closer as the body of Christ.

Fultonville Reformed Church is open to the community for more than just Sunday morning worship. Rummage sales, monthly pancake breakfasts, an annual Children’s Ministry Bowl-a-Thon, family movie nights, and community dinners all play a vital role in allowing the church to serve God’s people and meet their needs.

On September 28, we hosted our annual free community dinner. The night before the dinner, nine people came together to make 10 large pans of lasagna to serve the crowd of more than 150 people. All enjoyed the dinner and fellowship. We did more than just fill bellies with delicious pasta—we also offered listening ears and a warm welcome to all who entered our doors.

Recently we concluded a Bible study on the subject of hospitality. It has altered the way we serve God’s people and has become the bedrock for how we identify as a congregation. Our worship is not just on Sunday mornings, but also during the week as we interact with our community. We worship with our giving hands, with our feet that go the extra mile, and with our words that speak kindness inspired by Christ. By digging into the Word and exploring what God has planned for us, as small as we are, we are convicted to say, “Here I am, Lord; send me.”

On June 20, our hospitality was put to the test when a stranger pulled into our parking lot during our annual rummage sale. This woman reached out to a deacon of our church and demanded our assistance. The deacon brought the needs of this woman to the rest of the consistory, who in turn decided without hesitation to assist her in the best manner possible.

The elders of the church brought the woman to the nearest gas station and filled her gas tank and added oil to her car. While at the gas station, the woman indicated that she was hungry and needed food. Back at the church, sandwiches, chips, desserts, and drinks were packed into a bag and given to the woman, who then told the elders that she needed money for tolls to get to her destination. The elders were able to provide her directions to her destination that would avoid tolls.

Our elders worked together in order to meet all the woman’s expressed needs. The woman pulled out of the parking lot with no indication of gratitude for the assistance provided to her. As we reflect back, we know that as we were tested by this stranger, we were able to meet all of her needs and would do it again if asked, because this is how we are called to serve.

Churches are a resting place for people who are tired, weary, and weak. As we have learned, not only through this Bible study but in actual experiences, people usually come to our church because they are in need, be it financial, spiritual, emotional, health-related, or due to some other crisis. It is up to us, as God’s people, to serve each person as Jesus would, and not with judgment and hostility as the world has taught us.

The Bible teaches us that being servants of God cannot be a passive activity. It takes cooperation with friends and strangers, long hours scrubbing toilets, flipping pancakes, and pumping gas. It takes putting ourselves in uncomfortable situations. It costs us time and money. It can be frustrating and heartbreaking, but there is no other way we would conduct ourselves. Hospitality is how we live out our Christian fellowship together. It’s how we’re a beacon of Christ’s love in our community.

What matters isn’t the number of people you have in your pews, but your commitment to serve God and his people. With God, all things are possible, even if you only have 15 people leading the way!

Sue Schwabrow is an elder and Terri Vrooman is a member of Fultonville Reformed Church in Fultonville, New York.