Serving, Hospitality, & Coffee
Most of my coworkers could tell you that I like to work diligently and efficiently with a coy smile on my face. You see, I’m an introvert by nature. I love time to myself (sometimes a little too much) and can quickly get inside my head when conversing with others. For all of these reasons, it takes me a while to open up and form deep friendships.
Knowing this, it shouldn’t come to your surprise that even after having attended the Paradox Church since the second Sunday service in the Van Cliburn, I purposefully flew under the radar. Sundays felt like home because of my community of friends from TCU and the handful of relationships I made in City Group (shout out to the England, Fanning, Montgomery, and Wells families). Much of that changed though when the majority of my friends graduated and moved across the country for the next phase in life. While they were off on a new adventure, I found myself in the same city, at the same church, working in a familiar place, while feeling like I was somehow still starting all over.
I don’t remember why now, but I found myself switching from serving in Kids City to the Hospitality team during this time. I was excited to work behind the scenes providing the caffeine that so many of us need in the morning but also was nervous to be interacting with individuals I “knew” but had yet to engage in a real conversation.
While the Hospitality Team does make the coffee on Sunday mornings, we also serve as another friendly face to all who come in our doors. I felt super self-conscious about this from the get-go, but two conversations began to shift my mindset. On separate occasions, both Nicole Shelton and Josh Morgan encouraged and challenged me on what I was doing and why I was there. They encouraged me by letting me know that it is okay to be introverted and feel uncomfortable. Many of us do in social situations, and there is nothing wrong with that. They challenged me to push beyond my shyness for the glory and grace of the gospel. All of humanity desires to be known, yet each of us is often too scared to push beyond surface level conversations.
I’ve been serving on the team now for several years and it no longer gives me the same nervousness or discomfort. We all walk into church with different backgrounds and attitudes toward life and the gospel. We have different strengths and different struggles, but we all are in desperate need of Jesus. It is now a joy to be able to push past my comfort and welcome those around me. After all, don’t we all need a little cup of joy in the morning?