Today, I'm in South Wales,
thinking about how hospitality
is right at the heart of our Christian faith.
So, whether it's sharing a cuppa, or sharing our troubles,
a warm welcome can have a profound effect,
not only on those who receive that kindness
but those who give it too.
Welcome to Songs Of Praise.
Coming up in today's programme, I meet the Archbishop of Wales,
Cherry Vann, to delve into what a Christian welcome truly means.
We live out our faith by ministering to people
in the way that we would minister to Jesus.
I hear the remarkable story of a couple who opened
not just their hearts but their home to a stranger.
And then I said two words that we often talk about.
I said, "Come in."
And he came in.
And we have hymns that echo the warm hospitality
and generous love at the centre of Jesus' message.
# I'm glad to be in the service
# One more time... #
Our music comes today from right across the country,
but we are in Wales,
so we are going to start with a famous Welsh melody,
set to the words of a classic Charles Wesley hymn,
welcoming God's divine love into our homes
and our hearts.
# Love divine
# All loves excelling... #
The word "hospitality" stems from the Latin word
describing kindness shown to those who come as guests.
But it's got a wider meaning than that -
an idea that all of us have a responsibility
to show compassionate care for the stranger.
And so woven into the fabric of the word hospitality
is the promise of genuine welcome for all.
And, of course, that is something that resonates throughout
the whole of the teachings of Christ.
One person who believes that hospitality
should be central to church life
is the new Archbishop of Wales, the Most Reverend Cherry Vann.
When she was enthroned just last year,
here in Newport Cathedral,
she chose to make hospitality a key theme of her sermon.
And in Jesus' example of loving service,
we see the very heart of God
which is encapsulated in the image of a round table
to which all are invited,
all are welcome,
and at which all are fed.
This idea of the round table
reflects very clearly the fact that we are all children of God,
we're all made in God's image.
And therefore, whatever our role,
whatever our status in human terms,
we are all equal before God.
What sort of welcome have you been given here?
It's been extraordinary.
People have been really very, very welcoming.
They say there's a welcome in the hillside.
Is that what you've found, actually, here in Wales? Absolutely.
Yeah. Very generous people.
Very welcoming.
I knew that coming in as an English person
might be problematic for some.
And I was slightly nervous as a person
in a civil partnership.
But I needn't have worried.
The welcome has been very warm, very open.
It's a lovely place to be and to minister.
That idea of love and equality for all -
how do you put that into practice in church life here?
Well, it's about two things.
I think, first of all, about being welcoming to all who come -
so people who are wanting to explore,
even people who are just visiting,
that we extend a warm welcome,
as we are welcoming Christ.
But then, equally importantly,
looking out and serving others in our communities -
staffing food banks and warm hubs and cafe churches.
And one such church is nestled in the heart of Pillgwenlly -
St Stephen's.
The church's charity, The Pill Trust,
partners with local teams to provide food
and household supplies where they are most needed.
We have a responsibility as Christians
to extend the hand of friendship,
to make sure that everybody can flourish
and everybody can feel that they belong and are welcome.
We live out our faith by ministering to people
in the way that we would minister to Jesus.
Of all the hymns that you undoubtedly know,
is there one that sums up for you this sense
of Christian hospitality?
In terms of the give-and-take,
one of the hymns that I chose for my installation
is a real favourite of mine -
O Thou Who Camest from Above.
So, it talks about the Holy Spirit coming and working within us,
and that speaks to me of that give-and-take of both serving
and being served,
ministering and being ministered to.
Jesus didn't just show hospitality - he received it too.
In fact, throughout the whole of his life,
he was sustained by the kindness and support of others.
And for one charity in Sheffield,
that transforming power of love and welcome
has been touching lives for more than two decades.
City of Sanctuary began here in Sheffield
and is now a national network of organisations
aiming to support people seeking sanctuary in our communities.
And while it wasn't founded as a faith-based organisation,
for its co-founder, Inderjit Singh Bhogal,
it was deeply motivated by his faith
and personal experience of hospitality.
City of Sanctuary, as a movement,
started with the biblical concept of cities of refuge.
You know, it's at the heart of biblical witness
and Christian discipleship.
One of the most repeated ethical commands in the Bible
is you shall also love the stranger as yourself.
I came to this country from east Africa in the '60s
and I found it a difficult experience as a child.
I always felt excluded.
And one day I walked into a church -
to the Methodist Church, as it happens -
and I received a really warm welcome...
..and felt included.
A message of compassion and welcome
underpins all work at City of Sanctuary,
whether that be through the offer of a free haircut,
a language class, or legal advice.
We live in an environment of a great deal of hostility,
particularly towards those who have come to live here
from other countries.
A lot of hatred.
For me, hatred is like sand.
There's a lot of it but you can't build anything on it.
Hospitality is a better foundation.
So, I say, "Don't challenge hostility with hostility.
"Always challenge hostility with hospitality."
Last year, the Sheffield hub supported
over 2,000 people from 97 countries.
We want to see a city that recognises
that being welcoming, being open, being safe, being hospitable
is better for everyone.
And I feel like it's a really powerful framing
of migration and of life,
to recognise that you have this sacred, really,
idea of sanctuary that we're all looking to build.
When I came here, at first, I can't speak English.
I need anyone to help me.
But now I...
..I help people to translate,
to understand where they are,
and I can lead them to the thing they need.
You can find welcome. You can find respect.
And I've found everything that I need here.
And for Blessan, he sees his role with City of Sanctuary
as reflective of his faith.
As a Christian, it's very much the demonstration
of my faith in action.
No matter what kind of background
or religious background people are coming from,
I can serve and support people from different backgrounds
with that joy to be part of the justice.
And it's this effort to serve and support all in need
that Inderjit finds perfectly expressed
in the hymn Beauty Of Brokenness.
It talks about bread and hope and justice.
Key words.
It talks about refuge from cruel worlds,
havens from fear,
cities for sanctuary.
There's beauty in that message.
# Beauty for brokenness
# Hope for despair... #
BIRDS CHIRP
In the Bible, we see how Jesus welcomes everyone
into his company as equals.
But then often he would stand back in order to serve them.
And so he shows us that serving others
is also a way of serving God,
and the joy to be found in it!
INSTRUMENTAL
# Yeah!
# I'm mighty glad... #
Put your hand on your chest and sing with me.
# I'm glad I'm glad
# I'm so glad So glad
# So glad to be here So glad
# Just one more time I'm so glad
# I take the blessing I'm glad
# And I came to lift I'm so glad
# I'm so glad
# To be here
# To the one more
# One more time to bless him One more time
# One more time to praise him One more time
# One more time to lift him One more time
# One more time to serve him One more time
# One more time to sing for him One more time
# One more time to dance for him One more time
# I'm mighty glad One more time... #
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
I've come down the road to Cardiff
to meet a couple who found that a small act of welcoming kindness
transformed their lives,
and it all started with a knock at the door.
Hi! Hello!
Come in!
Thank you!
Rob and Di Parsons were in their 20s
when they found an unexpected guest on their doorstep
just before Christmas.
This is very cosy! You've made me very welcome!
But what about this knock at the door
that brought someone that you weren't expecting?
We thought it was a carol singer at first.
Then I opened the door and there's a man standing there.
In his right hand, he had a black plastic bag,
which I later discovered contained all his worldly possessions.
In his left hand, a frozen chicken.
And I half-recognised him.
He used to come to our Sunday school when we were kids.
Spent most of his early life in care.
I said, "It's Ronnie, isn't it?"
"Yes, Rob."
And then I said two words that we often talk about.
I said, "Come in."
And he came in.
Ronnie stayed with Rob and Diane over Christmas.
Shortly after, they sought advice on how best to help him.
We went to see a homeless centre.
Our church has a homeless centre.
And we said, "Well, what do we do?"
And they said, "Well, the problem is,
"to get a job he needs an address. To get an address he needs a job.
"That's the catch-22 that most homeless people are in."
And Di said, "Well, what if we could keep him with us
"for a couple of months?
"Would that give him a chance?"
And I remember going back in to see Ronnie.
And I said, "Ronnie, would you like to stay with us for a while?
"Just until you get settled and get a job?"
And he said, "Fine."
And he did. And it kind of went on a day at a time.
Until he'd stayed how long?
He stayed with us for 45 years.
Never left.
A long Christmas for Ronnie.
We didn't sit down and talk about it.
It just happened.
And I think God was so good, it worked.
Because it could've been so different.
He was on the autistic spectrum,
and it could be very hard, very frustrating.
Funny, you know, we had lots of laughter with him.
We just answered a knock at the door,
but in truth, we used to believe this was right for us.
This was... It was like Jesus knocking on our door.
Once settled with Rob and Di,
Ronnie worked in waste disposal,
but spent most of his time volunteering
for his local community.
And when Di fell ill after their son was born,
Ronnie stepped in without hesitation to support the family.
He was amazing, wasn't he?
Di couldn't get out of bed for a long time.
He was amazing.
And when Ronnie joined us, he was a lodger.
And then he became a friend.
But when Diane became ill, he became the brother I never had.
After 45 years of living with Rob and Di,
Ronnie passed away in 2020.
Do you know, Pam?
At his funeral,
they read that passage from the New Testament.
And Jesus says, "I was hungry and you fed me.
"I was naked and you clothed me.
"I was in prison, you visited me."
Now, I'm not saying that that went to our mind on that first night,
the knock at the door - it didn't, honestly.
But gradually, it did dawn on us
that the Bible talks about entertaining angels.
And you've often said that, haven't you? Yeah.
In some ways, he was like a visitor from another world.
He was a remarkable man.
He was amazing.
I miss him dreadfully.
Ronnie devoted his life to serving others.
And in his passing,
he gave his life savings to Glenwood Church in Cardiff.
In 2022, the church honoured his extraordinary generosity
and lifelong commitment to their community
by naming their new wellbeing centre after him.
They called it Lockwood House
because it epitomised everything that Ronnie cared for.
He cared for people. He used to love to give.
He worked with the homeless, with all kinds of people.
So, it's an amazing place. Wow, and it's so big!
It's an amazing space, isn't it? It's wonderful!
It really is. What a legacy of the man he was!
Brilliant. Brilliant.
I wish he could've seen his name outside - Lockwood House.
He'd have said, "I'm famous, I am."
LAUGHTER
So, when it came to choosing hymns for his service,
what did you choose?
I chose that lovely hymn,
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
I just thought that epitomises times when we were with Ronnie at home,
we had to turn towards Jesus for help,
and I just love those words.
I could just imagine looking into the eyes of Jesus
when I needed him.
Next week, Aled Jones is at St Asaph's Cathedral
for a special Royal Maundy service
in the presence of Their Majesties, the King and Queen.
And now a prayer spoken by those we've met today.
Thank you, Lord, for the gift of hospitality.
And the moments you graciously give us
to give and receive.
We pray that our hearts may be open
with hope and hospitality for all.
And we pray that, through every act of welcome,
your love and presence may be felt by all.
Amen.
Well, I've certainly discovered today
that, for the Christian,
hospitality is more than just a responsibility.
It can bring real pleasure.
And so we're going to finish today with a hymn
that invites us to see the world as Jesus sees it -
built on love and welcome for all.
Until the next time, bye now.