The day before we left Paris to come to Saint Louis, Cecelia and I had lunch. Nothing exceptional about that – we eat lunch together often – but this is a lunch we’ll never forget. We ate at the Ritz. The food was fabulous, the setting was almost heavenly. The bill was also out of this world, but it was worth every penny (or Euro). What I remember most, however, is not the great food or the pain in my pocketbook. It was the hospitably. In 7 years in France, we had never experienced anything like it. We had at least 4 waiters, all with impeccable manners. They were not falsely familiar (“Hi, I’m Heather and I’ll…” ugh), nor were they snobbish in that special French waiter way. They were like what we assume of angels: present for every need, but not otherwise visible. When we explained to our head waiter that we were leaving Paris the next day – he was perfectly sympathetic to our feelings. As we left, he gave us a hard back menu and a written answer to a food inquiry.

I’ve just finished a lovely book by Danny Meyer, a Saint Louis native who moved to New York City and established a group of (now) world renowned restaurants. The book is entitled Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business. It’s one of the best business books I’ve read. The book is centered on what Meyers calls “enlightened hospitality.” An example of what he means by this: he keeps a data base of all customers, keeping track of all relevant likes and dislikes. The ultimate motivation, according to Meyer, is not to make a quick profit, but to provide people with a “transformative” dining experience.

Meyer’s central thesis is that you care for the customers first, the restaurant staff second and the investors come in later. His examples of hospitality, and how his restaurants have subsequently grown, remind me of my experience at the Ritz. My take on Meyer’s approach is that he has applied some basic spiritual principles to his business model. The Bible is replete with instructions about welcoming the stranger and alien – caring for the needs of the other. Meyer’s book reminds us that this doesn’t just happen by being nice. It’s work.

Of course we are prone to think that a church’s hospitality is quite different than a grand restaurant’s. And indeed Meyer’s “transformation” is very different than what we mean by the term. But we are foolish to think that we can’t learn from examples like Meyer’s. His tireless effort to make his diners feel both welcome and wanted would put many churches to shame.

At our missional meeting the other day, Caroline Penberthy mentioned going to a church in Texas a few weeks back. It was raining and there was a group of church members going out into the rain with umbrellas escorting guests into church. That is hospitality.

I believe that KBC is a warm and welcoming place. But are we a place that goes out into the rain with umbrellas? Our vision and mission statement say yes. Let’s work to make it so.