Selwood Farm
“Practice hospitality.”
Romans 12:13 NIV
Last Tuesday was perfect weather for spending the day with some old friends at beautiful Selwood Farm in Alpine, Alabama. Located just 6.6 miles from Childersburg, Selwood certainly lives up to its name, “the king’s hunting forest,” with hundreds of acres of rolling pastures, lush woods, the beautiful Country House, and shooting ranges that offer the best upland land hunting in the Southeast. The Farm, owned by Dell and Carolyn Hill, was established in 1834 and is proud to be the oldest sporting clay course in the state of Alabama.
I first met Carolyn Hill 47 years ago when Bruce and I moved to Sylacauga, Alabama for Bruce’s new job. I was a first-time mom with a 5-week-old daughter, an outsider to small town life, and suddenly a stay-at-home mom with no friends or family nearby. Carolyn was just a few years ahead of me in her parenting and light-years ahead in her hospitality and willingness to open both her heart and her home. She did both so well.
Carolyn hosted our small family for many meals so that we could meet new friends. She generously opened her home to Bible studies, brunches, and outreach events for our small, but growing, church plant. Knowing how stretched our family’s resources were, Carolyn generously hosted our daughter’s 6-year-old birthday party on her beautiful farm. I still smile remembering that group of boisterous first graders getting hayrides and playing “Duck Duck Goose” at Selwood.
Carolin Hill and her granddaughter Judith
Karen Mains writing in her classic hospitality book Open Heart, Open Home writes, "I have learned to measure the success of my efforts at hospitality against the measurement of this question; "Did something sacred occur here in these rooms, around this table, in the moments of our meeting together?"
Biblical hospitality seeks to use our homes as hospitals for a dying world. It reaches out to those in need, meets people exactly where they are, and extends the gift of place to someone in need. The gift of place allows people to be accepted, affirmed, and allowed to grow. Hospitality seeks to make others feel welcome, wanted and worth the trouble.
The Bible has a lot to say about hospitality in both the Old Testament and the New. Rahab the prostitute opened her home and gave protection to two Israeli spies in Jericho. The poor widow at Zarephath gave Elijah the prophet food and drink even as famine and drought gripped the land. The wealthy Shunammite woman built the prophet Elisha a room of his own to use when he traveled to her town. Lydia opened her home to the Apostle Paul's entire ministry team after she opened her heart and received the Gospel message. Lydia’s home became Paul's ministry base and eventually housed the church in Philippi. Throughout the New Testament, Christians began churches in people’s homes. That practice continues around the globe today in closed countries like China and Iraq where Christianity is forbidden.
But biblical hospitality doesn’t need to be limited to just our homes. We can also practice hospitality in our workplaces, churches, neighborhoods, schools, and communities by extending grace and offering a safe place for people to gather. The gift of place provides a safe space for people to be accepted, affirmed, and allowed to grow. Invitation and inclusion are two essential actions required for practicing hospitality no matter the location. Biblical hospitality reaches out to those in need, meets people exactly where they are, and attempts to make them feel welcomed and wanted.
Carolyn Hill taught me many lessons regarding hospitality, but she also taught me about stewardship, generosity, community, and having a passion for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Just minutes before I spoke to the 50-60 women gathered for “Ladies Day at Selwood,” Carolyn challenged me by saying, “Be bold!” I knew her words meant, “No matter what else you say, tell them about Christ and his Gospel!”
As I left Selwood that afternoon, I thanked God for the Hills and the other former church members who mentored, modeled, discipled, and shared both their wisdom and resources with a young lonely mom. I once heard that kind of friendship and community described as a “theatre of love.” It was!
I also thanked God for James Bruce. God continues to answer our prayers to use James Bruce for His glory. He is is truly “our story for God’s glory” (John 9:3).
God never wastes our suffering or spiritual gifts used and given in His name. In life and death, God is faithful!