PreacherLanny

In the News

Four years ago, Michael and Jeanette Tristani and their twin children accepted the invitation from Hazelton, North Dakota, to move there from their native Florida and receive two free lots and up to $20,000 in startup money. They received the free land and some cash, but not much of a welcome, they say.

Now they’re planning to return to Florida.

In 2005, the Hazelton Development Corp., formed by a group of citizens concerned about the town’s dwindling population (currently about 240), ran ads across the country to lure new families, offering land and cash. They also invited businesses, offering them free lots and $50,000, but no businesses accepted the offer.

The community had hundreds of inquiries from families around the world, and several families actually visited the town. But the Tristanis were the only family to actually move there. They heard the offer as "an answer to our prayers," Michael Tristani said. The couple was tired of Florida’s crime, traffic, hurricanes and high cost of living. After the move, they found that Hazelton indeed has a low crime rate, low tax rate and a low cost of living. And the Tristani kids like the school.

Despite those benefits, the Tristanis didn’t find the welcome they expected. "It’s been quite an experience, 50-50 at best," Michael said. "No one really wants new people here."

The couple came prepared for the bitter North Dakota winters, where wind chills are sometimes 50 degrees below zero and snow is measured in feet rather than inches. They weren’t prepared, however, for the small-town drama.

When Michael Tristani came to town, he was wearing gold necklaces and a Rolex and driving a Lexus — in a place where pickup trucks, farm caps and bib overalls are more common. "People thought I was a drug dealer," Michael said. 

"People prejudge you without getting to know you," Jeanette Tristani added.

Tom Weiser, one Hazelton city leader behind the project to bring in new residents, said, "Not everybody fits in a small town."

Initially, the Tristanis opened a bistro and coffee shop, but they soon had to petition for a restraining order against the owners of another coffee shop, who, they allege, drove by their house yelling obscenities and threatening to damage their home. Now both shops are closed.

Hazelton isn’t the only small town on the Great Plains that has used the land-and-cash lure, but those that have been successful with it are near larger communities — no more than a 30-minute drive away. Hazelton is a 45-minute drive to Bismarck — in good weather.

The Tristani home is now for sale. Jeanette says the main reason she wants to move back to the Miami area is to care for her elderly parents. Michael said his in-laws have no interest in coming to Hazelton because of the cold weather.

But it may also be because of the feared cold shoulder they might receive.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Florida family gives up on small-town North Dakota, Yahoo! News

Hazelton, North Dakota, Community Web Site

Hazelton, North Dakota, Wikipedia

The Big Questions

1. What are the reasons your congregation would like to attract new people? What do those reasons indicate about your congregation’s goals?

2. What do you think a visit to your worship service feels like to new people who don’t know anyone in your congregation? How might that experience be different for people who are unlike your usual congregants in economic, educational or social status? How might it be different for people of another culture or race?

3. What obligations about hospitality does Christianity include?

4. What things help new people to become integrated into a congregation?

5. Do you personally really want new people in your church? Why or why not? To what degree are you willing to institute changes in your church’s practices to attract new people? To what degree is it the responsibility of the new person to fit into your church the way it currently is?

Confronting the News with Scripture

Here are some Bible verses to guide your thoughts:

John 12:20-21

"Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’" (For context, read 12:12-26.)

This text is about evangelism. Following Jesus’ Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem, "some Greeks" — that is, outsiders — came to the disciple Philip stating that they wished to see Jesus. Philip apparently wasn’t quite sure what to do, but he was wise enough to not turn away these seekers. Philip consulted with Andrew, and together they took the request to Jesus.

Questions: Is helping more people to see Jesus a sufficient reason, by itself, to seek to bring newcomers into your church? Why or why not?

Hebrews 13:2

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." (For context, read 13:1-6.)

Hospitality can be defined as "cordial and generous reception of and disposition toward guests," and it is a biblical principle. In several places, the Bible urges that those who lead the church be hospitable (for example, 1 Timothy 3:2), but here, the writer of Hebrews extends the principle to the whole church. When he says that some, by being hospitable, have "entertained angels without knowing it," he is referring to Abraham’s cordial actions toward some strangers who actually were angels, unbeknownst to Abraham (see Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1.)

Although we don’t usually think that newcomers to our churches are actual angels, they may well be people who will be channels through which God may send a new blessing to our congregation.

Questions: If there was a time when you avoided being hospitable toward a church newcomer, what held you back? What would help you do things differently the next time?

Matthew 25:43

"I was a stranger and you did not welcome me …" (For context, read 25:41-46.)

The point of this comment by Jesus is obvious. By failing to show hospitality to strangers, we are failing to welcome Christ himself.

Questions: These words of Jesus seem to refer to the initial reception of the stranger, but how long should hospitality last? What if the person really isn’t a "good fit" for your congregation?

1 Corinthians 16:20

"Greet one another with a holy kiss." (For context, read 16:13-21.)

The apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians during the time when local churches were still small groups meeting in private homes. In those circumstances, Paul advised church members to "Greet one another with a holy kiss." This was in the Middle Eastern culture, where kissing as a greeting was common. That Paul talked about a "holy" kiss, however, meant that it was to be more than a polite greeting; it was one way of offering God’s hospitality to one another.

In that context, it was neither sensual nor sentimental, and it wasn’t exchanged between members of the opposite sex. The kiss was usually given on the cheek. But it was a personal act of welcoming, of offering the hospitality of God to someone who’d come to worship God.

Questions: What is the modern-day equivalent of the holy kiss? When were you most recently the recipient of it?

1 Peter 4:9

"Be hospitable to one another without complaining." (For context, read 4:7-11.)

The apostle Peter made this comment about being hospitable along with some other instructions about living faithfully. The fact that he felt compelled to add "without complaining" suggests that some Christians didn’t find being hospitable an easy thing to do. As with some of us today, hospitality didn’t come naturally to every first-century follower of Jesus.

Questions: Does the fact that we may not be hospitable by nature excuse us from welcoming newcomers? Why or why not?

Questions for Further Discussion

1. Imagine you’re visiting a church for the first time, where you see members greeting one another warmly. Would you expect, as a stranger, to be greeted as warmly yourself? Why or why not? How would the absence of a warm greeting affect you?

2. How long would you expect to continue attending a new church before you felt that you had become a regular part of the congregation?

3. What changes might a small town need to make to help people from large-city backgrounds feel at home?

Responding to the News

This is a good occasion to review your church’s plans for making newcomers feel welcome and also to think about your own readiness to participate in those plans.

Closing Prayer

O God, let us not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, remembering that each of us is a stranger somewhere but is always the beneficiary of your divine hospitality. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Note: This is from The Wired Word – a small group study that I subscribe to. I wanted to share it with you and get some feedback!