Every month we submit an article to Great Shelford's monthly magazine. Here is our latest contribution for the April 2025 edition written by Mike Farrington, Operations Lead for Concrete Rose (a mission that the church is supporting this year).

The Power of Hospitality
 
 “I was a stranger, and you invited Me in”, Matt 25: 35(b)
 
I wonder what springs to mind when you think of the word ‘hospitality’; a whole industry of hotels and restaurants, inviting friends over for dinner, or the TV show ‘Come Dine with Me”?  These are all valid examples, but the life and teaching of Jesus (and the example of the early church) give us much richer understanding of hospitality; a powerful practice that is counter-cultural, subversive and with the power to change society as well as individual lives.
 
To expound on the scripture given above, Jesus envisions hospitality as distinct from simply ‘entertaining others’ but as practical care for the outsider (stranger) and a means of offering care to the needy.  Elsewhere Jesus encourages his followers not to invite friends or brothers or wealthy neighbours to dinner (given that they may be invited back in return) but “when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you” Luke 14:12.  This, to my mind, is not to condemn spending time with friends and family and inviting them over, (Jesus himself enjoyed spending time with close family and friends and sharing meals with them), but as a challenge to not forget those on the very margins and to recognise the significance of personal involvement in caring for others (rather than seeing this purely as the domain of specialist services). 
 
Mother Teresa once said that “the biggest problem with the world today is that we draw the circle of our family too small” and true hospitality requires us to redefine our concept of family, community, capability and responsibility.  Recapturing this radical message of hospitality, inspired by the teaching of Jesus, is at the heart of Concrete Rose, an organisation supported by Great Shelford Free Church.
 
Concrete Rose provide a safe and supported way for individuals, families and couples - with a spare room - to host a young person (16-23) who is without family support and a suitable place to call home.  This includes careful matching with a young person (and lots of background checks), a guaranteed rental income, wrap-around support, flexible commitments and comprehensive training.  Already they have seen the transformative results of this kind of hospitality can have with young people thriving in the nurturing and caring environments that hosts provide. 
 
Could you draw the circle of your family slightly larger?  Why not find out more: www.concreterose.co.uk