A theology of hospitality: identifying those who do not participate in Sunday worship and exploring ways to engage them in the life of the East Woodstock Congregational (UCC) Congregation

Susan J Foster

Etd

A theology of hospitality: identifying those who do not participate in Sunday worship and exploring ways to engage them in the life of the East Woodstock Congregational (UCC) Congregation

Public Deposited

MLA citation style (9th ed.)

Susan J Foster. A Theology of Hospitality: Identifying Those Who Do Not Participate In Sunday Worship and Exploring Ways to Engage Them In the Life of the East Woodstock Congregational (ucc) Congregation. Hartford Seminary. rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/d550699d-b914-45a3-b8ed-b2a1e67b208f.

APA citation style (7th ed.)

S. J. Foster. A theology of hospitality: identifying those who do not participate in Sunday worship and exploring ways to engage them in the life of the East Woodstock Congregational (UCC) Congregation. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/d550699d-b914-45a3-b8ed-b2a1e67b208f

Chicago citation style (CMOS 17, author-date)

Susan J Foster. A Theology of Hospitality: Identifying Those Who Do Not Participate In Sunday Worship and Exploring Ways to Engage Them In the Life of the East Woodstock Congregational (ucc) Congregation. Hartford Seminary. https://rim.ir.atla.com/concern/etds/d550699d-b914-45a3-b8ed-b2a1e67b208f.

Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.

Creator

Susan J Foster

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Abstract

This Doctor of Ministry project explored the theology of hospitality within our United Church of Christ congregation. During an eight month period (September 2013 - April 2014) I led my congregation in intentional outreach to two specific under-represented populations that we wished to reach - men and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. The goal of the project was to reach out to these groups to express our welcome and discover ways to involve them in the life of our congregation. The intent was to live out our belief in welcome and hospitality which Jesus demonstrated through his life and ministry. A men's fellowship was formed for the duration of the project. They chose to meet monthly for breakfast and conversation as a way to strengthen their bonds and create an opportunity to meet new people. A new church committee, the Open and Affirming (ONA) Action committee, was formed to intentionally reach out to the LGBT population. They created visual displays within the church building, hosted an outreach luncheon, and participated in a regional conference for LGBT youth. Both the men's fellowship and the ONA Action committee discovered that hospitality needed to be expressed both verbally and with actions in order to reflect the belief of our congregation that 'all are welcome' in God's sight.

Publisher