First Presbyterian Church Fort Dodge

What a privilege it was to serve the RAGBRAI riders who stayed at our church! It was wonderful to see so many people from such a large cross-section of our church come together to serve. My favorite part was surprising people with radical hospitality. People asked how much the showers cost. “They’re free,” I said. “Really?! Wow!” People asked how much the breakfast cost. “It’s free,” I said. “Really?! Wow!” They couldn’t believe it.

Jesus practiced radical hospitality while on earth. He routinely hung out with people otherwise outcast from society. He also routinely did things that surprised people: by healing people, performing miracles, inviting people to follow him, and showing love and grace.

It’s a pleasure to follow in Jesus’ footsteps in this way, especially during a big event like RAGBRAI. With all of our sweet KidZone Christian Daycare children yelling “welcome to Fort Dodge!” from the side of 11th Avenue North, we were (hopefully) a welcoming site to those tired bikers. 

May we never tire of practicing this radical hospitality- surprising people with our love and grace- even in our daily lives.

See you in worship! 

Sara