To the congregation,
In the world of video games, they’re called “side quests.” These are optional missions you can choose to do or not do. Some side quests are just for fun, some earn you extra coins or skills, but none of them are necessary to finish the game. They’re extra content. Bonus material. Nice, but not completely essential. They enhance the mission but they themselves are not the mission.
Here’s the catch: too often, churches treat hospitality and welcome like it’s just a side quest. Greeting visitors, inviting someone to coffee, making space for a new family, inviting someone to sit with you…it’s all good, but sometimes we treat it like it doesn’t really matter for the “main mission.”
But if we look at the story of God, hospitality is not optional bonus content…it’s the main quest! Think about Abraham and Sarah, who welcomed strangers into their tent and discovered they were entertaining angels. Jesus made His whole ministry about welcoming tax collectors, children, the sick, outsiders, anyone who had been told they didn’t belong. And in the early church, breaking bread together and welcoming new people was central to how the gospel spread.
Hospitality isn’t a side quest, it’s how the game is won. Every smile at the door, every warm “we’re glad you’re here,” every effort to include someone who feels on the edges that’s us leveling up the kingdom of God. That’s XP for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! That’s us moving the story forward.
Imagine if every single one of us in this congregation played the “hospitality main quest.” We’d be the kind of church where no one ever felt like an outsider. Elm Park would be a place where newcomers didn’t just slip quietly into a pew but immediately felt like part of something greater. Friends, that’s why we started wearing nametags! We don’t WANT to be anonymous at church. We want to be known…by each other and by God.
So here’s the invitation… don’t skip this quest. It’s not optional. It’s the heart of who we are. And the rewards? They’re better than bonus coins or power-ups. The reward is community. The reward is love multiplied. The reward is the presence of Christ, who tells us, “Whenever you welcome one of the least of these, you welcome me.”
Playing the game,
Jason