Hospitality: Welcome One Another
HBC Ladies – you are invited to enjoy worship and fellowship together as we welcome our guest speaker, Abi Byrd, for our 2023 Women’s Conference. Come learn what it means to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7).
When you think of hospitality, perhaps beautiful tablescapes, gourmet meals, and Instagram-worthy guest rooms come to mind. Or maybe you think of awkward small-talk, financial sacrifice, and panic cleaning. But what if God had something deeper and more significant in mind when he commanded his people to love and welcome other people into their lives?
Our world is experiencing what researchers are calling an “epidemic of loneliness.” Being on this side of a global pandemic in which we all experienced isolation more than usual, we have a better understanding of the basic human need to be in meaningful relationship with others. Who among us doesn’t want to belong and be welcomed into the lives of others? Who among us doesn’t want to be truly known and truly loved?
The good news for believers is that through Christ we have been welcomed like this! We who “were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph.2:13). We who were strangers and slaves have been made sons and heirs (Gal.4)! Through Christ we have been shown the greatest act of hospitality, and this is what fuels and motivates our hospitality toward others.
Biblical hospitality is not an end in itself. It is a means toward fulfilling the great commission that we have received to share the good news of the gospel with our neighbors. It is a way for us to welcome other believers into our lives for the purpose of discipleship and deeper friendship. And it is a way to demonstrate love and care to “the least of these” among us.
Come, join us as we hear from God’s Word the importance of this basic, yet deeply meaningful practice. We have been welcomed so in return we welcome others!
Abi Byrd serves on staff as a Ministry Associate at McLean Bible Church, Loudoun Campus, in Leesburg, Virginia. She works in women’s ministry, discipleship, and coaching for Church Groups. She is an instructor for the Charles Simeon Trust women’s workshops, training women to study and teach the Bible. Abi has a BEd Honors degree in music and education from Cambridge University. She has been a teacher in elementary school and served with the children’s ministry on staff at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. She and her family have also served as missionaries in the UK and Kosovo with Radstock Ministries.
Conference Schedule
Friday evening, February 24
Heritage Bible Church, Fellowship Hall
6:30-7:30 Dinner
7:30-8:50 Session I
8:50 Dessert Fellowship
Saturday, February 25
Heritage Bible Church, Fellowship Hall
9:30-10:45 Session II
10:45 Break; Synergy Coffee
11:30-12:30 Session III
12:30 Lunch
1:20 Session IV, including Q&A with Abi Byrd and Guided Prayer
2:30 Fellowship/Dimissal
If you have questions prior to registration, please contact Amber Grove, Conference Coordinator.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: February 21, 2023
