Hospitality Workshop

The hospitality workshop that I was busily preparing for last week has come and gone.  It was held Saturday, March 10th at a high school and middle school campus in Perry, MI

Over 1.200 people attended, and there were 112 classes/workshops taught on a variety of subjects throughout the day. 

My hour long session began at 12:40 p.m.  We were assigned the band room where 36 adults [men and women] attended.  Facilitators don't normally serve refreshments in class, but how do you teach a class on hospitality without them?  Hot cinnamon spice tea [from Harney & Sons Fine Teas] and cookies were provided.  The campus buildings are supplied by well water - a horror in making tea - but the cinnamon and spices held up well to it last year without the taste being compromised, so I offered it again this year.

Here's the recipe for Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies that are pictured below.  It's a great recipe from an Amish cookbook.

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup sugar [1/2 c. granulated, 1/2 c. brown]

2 large eggs

1/2 cup whole milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda [mixed in the 1/2 c. milk]

1 small bag chocolate chips

3/4 cups chopped nuts [optional]

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream shortening and sugar together.  Add eggs.  Mix in dry ingredients with milk.  Add chocolate chips and nuts.  Drop by teaspoons on greased cookie sheet.  Bake until slightly brown around edges [10-12 minutes].   Yield: 3 dozen

This was my second year for being a facilitator at TEAM Day.   Last year's workshop was titled, "A Hospitali-Tea Ministry,"  and was exclusively pertaining to tea as a means of extending hospitality.   This year's title was "Hospitality in Today's Church," which didn't exclude tea, but illustrated many other ways hospitality can be practiced in the church. 

An hour seems like a long time to talk, but the time flew by and I didn't even cover everything I had planned to share.   Each attendee was given a handout containing the information to be discussed, so complete details were received that way.   The group was very responsive and participated in discussion and questions. It was a rewarding experience for me and hopefully for the attendees too!

 

Our Lord tells us to practice [pursue] hospitality, since it is a practical expression of Christian love.

 

"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gift he/she has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms."  I Peter 4:9-10