A community’s hospitality takes shape when people notice a need and offer what they can.
Twenty-five years ago, as the chaos and uncertainty of 9/11 unfolded, 38 transatlantic flights carrying nearly 6,700 passengers and crew were directed to land at Gander International Airport in Newfoundland.
As limited information reached flight and ground crews, it soon became evident that this would be more than a quick stopover. Airport personnel began getting passengers off the planes, one plane at a time, while Gander residents stepped forward to help.
Over the next five days, churches, schools and community centers opened their doors to the “plane people,” as they became known.
Residents offered showers in their homes, meals from their pantries, clothes from their closets and rides in their cars for errands and sightseeing.
Others met needs that were less obvious. Pharmacists tracked down needed prescriptions for passengers. Animal lovers cared for dogs, cats and even two monkeys traveling in the planes’ cargo holds.
No single person could have anticipated every need. Hospitality was part of Gander’s culture, and people offered what they had as they saw a need.
One businessman traded first-class accommodations for a cot in a community center. When offered a private flight out of Newfoundland, he turned it down. He wanted to stay until the people from his flight could leave together. Fellow passengers and local residents had become people he cared about.
Acts 2 describes a community of believers who shared what they had and gave “to anyone who had need” (Acts 2:45). Their generosity grew out of a shared life of worship, meals and fellowship.
Today, Adventist Community Services centers and the recent wildfire disaster response warehouse in Spokane show what churches can do when they respond to people’s needs together. The same care takes shape in ordinary moments: a shared meal, a ride to a medical appointment, an invitation to belong, time to listen, a prayer or a word of encouragement.
Many churches are already communities where needs are noticed and met — not because one person has a master plan, but because many people are ready to respond. That kind of community is built in ordinary weeks, as people get to know their neighbors, listen to their stories and share what they have. When a larger need arises, they are ready to respond together.
We may not know what needs we will encounter next or exactly how to meet them. God has not asked any one of us to carry every need alone. May our love for God and our neighbors move us to notice, listen and offer what we can as we pursue His mission of hope and wholeness together.
Table Talk Prompt
When have you seen people in your church or community come together to meet a need? What need could you respond to together now?
