Students Learn the Art of Hospitality over Interterm
Published: April 13, 2021
Interterm at Greenville College is a fascinating time of unique classes and experiences students will never forget. Interterm provides a great opportunity to fulfill a general education course or a major class in just three weeks, it also gives students the opportunity to learn new skills, see new places, and understand new ideas. This past Interterm, Professor Jane Bell taught a class entitled The Art of Hospitality in which students learned valuable skills in preparing a meal, conversation etiquette, and hosting guests.
The basis of this course is centered on the Biblical command of practice hospitality (Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2 &16, 1 Peter 4:9); inviting others into our lives with warmth and generosity. Being hospitable is a deliberate act of welcoming others into a community, which is why Jesus called his followers to such a great task. Christians are not to be hospitable only some of the time, but rather adopt these practices in every aspect of life.
Bell was inspired to teach this class about the importance of hospitality after teaching a cooking class to elementary students in Vandalia. She decided to transfer these skills into a course for college students. Bell was able to connect to her students in a communal way, and she stated, The best part of the course was that we were all transformed by the study of Biblical hospitality. We understand about the importance of intentionally reaching out to the disconnected over the shared experience of eating. The students learned not only about the meaning of hospitality, but also about how to prepare meals and develop purposeful conversations around the table.
Hospitality is a skill that Christians must consciously develop in order to reach out to those in the community. Sophomore Ben Gabel discussed why he was interested in this meaningful course by saying, The reason I wanted to take this class was because as a social work major, I felt as if this would be a good start for me to start working with people, but also at the same time I wanted to learn some life skills for when I have people in my own home some day. His explanation shows the multi-layered impact that a simple act of hospitality can have on others. Hospitality is not only accomplished by preparing large meals for important guests, it includes small acts of kindness and meaningful conversations.
The skills that Bell taught in this class are necessary not only in school, but they easily transfer into life outside of Greenville College. Christians are called to show Gods love through daily actions of serving others. Junior Dustin Higginbotham, another student who completed the course, beautifully summarized the overarching lesson of this class by saying, Hospitality is focused on strangers, who are the homeless, the fatherless, the widows, the broken, and so forth, but it isnt only focused on those people. It may be the new freshman on your floor, or the person who eats alone at the DC. We need to connect to those people, open our dorm room to them for sanctuary and offer friendships. This insightful statement allows Christians to see their role in furthering the Kingdom of God, which calls for caring for those in the community.
Article written by Rebekah Dothager '16
