Christian hospitality is one of the most intimate and powerful ways to share and live out the gospel. The very nature of opening our homes, our most personal space, to those outside of our immediate family says, “We value you, invite you into our lives and we want to be a part of yours.”
Many who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy are worried they are on their own. They are unsure how they can manage without support. They often find themselves single as many relationships dissipate with the struggle of parenting.
When you are a single parent, there doesn’t quite seem to be a place to fit in within the church. You’re not in the young marrieds, married with kids or young adults group. The singles group doesn’t seem to quite fit because you’re usually home with the newborn baby and your focus has changed a bit.
One of the greatest outreach tools a church can have for single parents is for families to open their homes to share a meal with them. It messages that they are a family, and worthy of you opening your home to them just like you would another family that has the traditional mother, father and children. It offers support, encouragement, hope and in its simplest form … a night where they don’t have to make a meal.
The root of purposefully sharing a meal with a single parent and their child (children) is to let them know you see them, care for them and believe in all of the great things God is doing in their life. You will have the opportunity to love on their child and invest in their lives. You will probably find there a lot of blessings your family will receive from them as well.
Just because their journey looks different than yours, we realize that God is at work in us all – gently guiding and leading us to further become the people He created us to be. And although our pathways are different, yet the same, we can offer each other encouragement, inspiration and hope – and maybe even a meal.
