Seeing through the Eyes of a Guest

Every Wednesday afternoon, Bill Capp serves as a host – welcoming, speaking to, and occasionally praying with people who show up to receive groceries and other items at Fruitport (Mich.) Christian Reformed Church’s food bank.

Located at the back of the church building, the food bank has become a front door through which people can start to grow closer to faith in God – and begin attending worship services at the church as well.

The key to this simple but surprisingly successful form of evangelism is evident in the subtle efforts of church members such as Bill Capp. They seek to identify with, and see the world through, the eyes of guests to their food bank.

A retired physical therapist assistant, Capp said his role as a host goes far beyond simply helping to provide food for people who come in sharing their life stories and their current challenges that go far beyond being hungry.

“So many people I meet and get to know have chaotic lives,” said Capp. “I sit down with them, and we talk as Julie [Huyser, coordinator of the food bank] puts together the food items and other things that they need.”

This innovative approach, he said, has helped to transform the identity and outlook of Fruitport CRC in a time when many churches, for various reasons, are experiencing major change and upheaval and some are considering closing.

At this church in the small village of Fruitport, the emphasis is on meeting people where they are – particularly when they come for food – and not pushing anyone to quickly consider the notion of coming to church.

“Fruitport practices a great way to stay in touch with the community,” said Laura Keeley, a regional connector who works with Thrive.

“At the food bank they have sign-in sheets asking what the people prefer, and these provide calling lists [the pastor calls everyone on Tuesday for the Wednesday pickup of food]. The organizers also are willing to look at their program and think about how to make it easy for their clients and themselves. Getting people to come for Sunday worship is a hurdle that some won't engage with. But Fruitport keeps trying new things.”

Capp says his time spent with folks needing assistance is not lengthy, but he seeks to make the minutes they share meaningful. He has met with people who are living in their cars, lack health insurance but have serious health concerns, or have lost their jobs and have little money to pay bills. Many have also had troubled experiences with a church in their past.

“As a host, I can let them know that a lot of people are going through hard times and that, if they are willing, I will talk to them about our church and that they are welcome to come any Sunday,” said Capp. “Sometimes, after we talk and they share what they are going through, they let me pray with them.”

Capp also tells people they are invited to attend a community meal that is held each Wednesday in the church fellowship hall right after the food bank closes. In addition, he mentions that separate programs for children and adults take place after the dinner.

“When we discover something about a person while talking with them, we build on it,” said Capp. “You never know who will show up on any given night. You start out small. You have to build a relationship. You try to use what works and realize you won’t see success immediately.”

At Fruitport CRC, he added, success can be measured in different ways – it can mean people simply getting the food they need or a referral to a local agency that might help them with other challenges.

Or it can mean sitting down for the community meal and taking part in the after-dinner programs. Here and there, said Capp, it has also led to people showing up for Sunday worship services and, in a few cases, getting baptized and becoming members of the congregation.

John Huyser, Fruitport CRC’s pastor, and another member of the church council are behind the effort to help transform the focus of church members from mainly looking at their own needs to trying to see others – those who are visitors and guests – by serving as a host.

In 2016, Huyser said, he and the other council member took a year-long, online course presented by Indiana Wesleyan University titled “Through a Guest’s Eyes.”

Those attending the course were from many denominations, he said, and that offered a wide range of perspectives as they studied and discussed the course material.

He said they were asked, in effect, to switch how they looked at their sliver of the world. For instance, he said, “we were asked to notice the things in our church – maybe a crack in the wall or a spot on the carpet – that we didn’t see but that a newcomer to our church might notice.”

Using this approach, they saw an opportunity to make room in the food bank program for a host – someone trained to serve in that position – to meet with and get to know the people who came in for food.

“What is important is that we try to get to know our visitors and then follow up with them after they have been here,” said Huyser.

“When they visit the food bank, and afterward, we take prayer requests and try to help them with their other needs. In the process, we have had our entire church rethink things and look through the eyes of being a guest.”

Fruitport CRC has been able to sustain its outreach ministry – based on creating intimacy between itself and strangers by connecting with various social service agencies and groups and taking the time, said Huyser, to learn how and then to apply for grants to help undergird their ministry.

“We have been able to build a tremendous amount of hospitality by looking through the eyes of our guests and trying to understand their expectations,” he said.

Nurturing the relationships to the point where visitors are interested enough to come and worship on Sundays is a slow process, he added.

But when a new person does come to church, the hospitality doesn’t end there, said Huyser. Someone – a trained host – is on hand to meet them, sit with them, and warmly welcome them to the sanctuary where a different kind of food – a more solid and satisfying food, the sustenance provided by God – is available.

Recently, the congregation again saw some of the fruit of their efforts as they baptized a handful of people who had started attending Fruitport CRC after being ministered to through the food bank.

“The missional shifts that Fruitport CRC has made, such as focusing on listening well and loving their neighbor right where they are at, are exactly what the church needs to do today in order to reach this post-Christian society with the good news of Jesus Christ,” said Amy Schenkel, congregational gospel witness leader for Resonate Global Mission. “Evangelistic opportunities happen in the context of relationships, and Fruitport CRC is doing a great job of building those relationships!”

“In the end, it is the Spirit that drives this place,” added Huyser. “It all has to do with our members’ looking outside themselves and wanting to serve God as the Spirit guides them. We realize no one is going to join our church unless they own that decision themselves. We want everyone to feel comfortable here.”