Week 30 (21 - 27 July): Welcome HOME

Ps Ben and Gladys joined our home fellowship for a special session.

With our vision being “every home, a church,” each home fellowship also serves as the welcome team to visitors.

The purpose of the training was to help us organise how we extend our welcome—conveying thoughtfulness, managing our conversations, and creating an experience where our guests feel authenticity without intrusion, warmth without pressure, and a sense of belonging throughout dinner, worship, and sharing.

Fittingly, the training was named H-O-M-E, an acronym for:

• Heartfelt welcome

• Open table (dinner)

• Meaningful connections (during the sharing)

• Extended fellowship (after the fellowship)

At Talent Beacon, we are known for our warm welcome. But as Gladys gently reminded us, without knowing a guest’s background—or their current state of receptiveness—we need to be sensitive in how we engage. She encouraged us to pay attention to our eye contact, body language, and tone of voice, adjusting our interactions in real time. In her words, “not too hot, not too cold”—just right, so that our guests feel safe and at ease as we usher them into our midst.

Her words brought to mind Hebrews 13:2, where the Apostle Paul urges us to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so, some have entertained angels unawares.

We know that Jesus is the answer to every worry, wound, and emptiness. How much more freely the Holy Spirit can move, when we create a space where our guests feel truly comfortable among us.

As always, being a fellowship, there was no lack of humour. The session was filled with laughter as we listened to the practical and heartfelt pointers Gladys shared.

At the heart of it all was this reminder: every guest is precious to the Father, and every guest is unique. We want to welcome them with sincerity, honour their individuality, and extend our fellowship beyond just the first visit.

On behalf of Jacob’s Well,

Derek