Together, Love Overflows - Extravagant Welcome & Radical Hospitality

by Ben Hande, Belonging & Community

10/19/26

I joined the Belonging and Community committee back in 2022. I don’t recall exactly how it came about, but I think Sarah came home one day and said “hey, you’re going to be on the Belonging and Community committee, ok?” [Ben is Rev. Sarah’s husband.] I came to find out later that access to the bouncy house we owned was a major factor. Apparently, this is a highly sought after item in the world of belonging. My kids have since outgrown it, so the church is now the proud owner.

For the last 3 ½ years on this committee, we’ve met monthly to try and live up to our goals of extravagant welcome and radical hospitality. A couple of examples big and small: when we had some tears at our Easter Egg hunt three years ago we changed our approach to make sure the little ones had just as much of an opportunity to enjoy themselves as the older kids. We believe that intergenerational community is important, so for this year’s Elders Luncheon, we brought in two young musical prodigies (Sam and Olli) to play instruments for church elders prior to their meal. We have monthly game nights here at church. Marla, Donna, Sheryl, Dani, Brenda and others have worked so hard over the years writing and delivering cards and care packages for homebound members. We try to reach all ages, all members, childhood center families, neighborhood folks, anyone who wants to join us, and I’m so glad I’ve been part of this fun committee.

You might think Gwen, Martin, and I are required to come here because Sarah and I are married. While it would be a little complicated if I opted out of coming to church, the truth is we’re here just about every week because this place matters in our lives. I recently had a conversation with a non-religious friend who asked me if I would go to church if I wasn’t married to a pastor. I thought about it and said “I don’t know how to answer that because I’ve been married to a pastor for 17 years, but I am certain that this community is exactly the type of church I would look for.” This is our fifth church in Sarah’s ministry career, and the genuine commitment to belonging that you’ve made here is unmatched. I mean that. In other words, you are the reflection of God that we seek. This is a place where we come every week to think beyond ourselves; beyond the little pressures of school, career, relationships, sports. This is why we make a significant pledge, because this is a community where we belong and are loved merely because we are people. That’s it, that’s the requirement. And you all truly live up to that commitment. I cannot imagine anything more deserving of our resources-bouncy house and all. Thank you.

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