Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2012 Issue | Page 28

UNEXPECTED HOSPITALITY
EMILY CHERRY
Picture it: you’re a group of tired, worn-out and, most likely, sweaty cyclists
looking for a place to rest. You’ve been biking across the country for weeks, and
you’re nearing journey’s end. Maybe you’ve camped under the stars more nights
than you had planned, and you’re looking for a quiet spot to lay your head.

That’s the story two different
Virginia congregations heard this past
fall, when separate groups of crosscountry cyclists contacted Christ Church,
Glen Allen and St. John’s, Tappahannock,
looking for a place to stay.

The Rev. Bill Pickering, priest-incharge at St. John’s, welcomed five
cross-country cyclists from northern
California into the church rectory.
The group of young men, friends
from high school and college, all came
from different parts of the country:
a mechanical engineering student
from Maryland; a doctorate student
from Minnesota; a former accountant
about to start an internship with
Heifer International from Maryland;
a seminarian from Minnesota; and an
urban ministry worker from Illinois.
“These days, it is a bit frightening to
welcome strangers, but sometimes a
little risk brings great benefits, and
we do entertain angels, unaware,”
said Pickering.

Two cyclists from Oregon found
a home for the night at Christ Church,
Glen Allen, where the sanctuary
is open and unlocked 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. The duo
was cycling for a cause: to raise
awareness for eating disorders. While
in Charlottesville, they called ahead
to Christ Church and spoke with the
Rev. Paul Johnson, rector, who offered
them a place to stay.

“We try to show as much
hospitality as we can,” said Johnson,
who welcomed the cyclists to spend
the night in the sanctuary. They were
also invited to make use of the shower
in the new youth building, and later
spent time connecting with the youth
26

St. John’s, Tappahannock provided shelter to five young men on a mission.
The Rev. Bill Pickering, priest-in-charge stands behind (from left) Casey
Fittz, a mechanical engineering student; Chris Ahn, an accountant; Andy
Petran, a doctoral candidate; Brian Wongkamalasai, an urban minister;
and Andrew Zhao, a seminary student.

group holding a small meeting that
same evening. “We try to help people
feel at home as much as possible, and
extend ourselves and order our life
as much as possible so that someone
who’s a stranger will feel as comfortable
as possible being on these grounds,”
added Johnson.

“We’ve struggled, as you might
expect, with our decision to keep Christ

VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN / Winter 2012

Church’s front doors unlocked—what’ll
happen, will things get stolen, will
vandals strike?” said Drew Dolson, a
Christ Church parishioner. “But in the
end, it’s not really our place to lock, is
it?  Whether people call ahead or just
appear on the threshold, ‘Sorry, no
room at the inn’ or ‘All locked up for the
night’ can’t be the answer.” t

Want to learn more about enhancing your church’s
hospitality ministry?

Welcoming a weary cyclist might be one way to practice radical hospitality in your
congregation, but there are plenty of other ways to make such hospitality an intentional
practice. Visit the Episcopal Church Foundation’s Vital Practices site at ecfvp.org and
search for the keyword “hospitality” for a host of resources and articles on the topic.