Forma | A Ministry of ECF, is the Network for Christian Formation for the Episcopal Church and beyond. We have members from across the United States, Canada, Mexico, South America, and Europe. We work ecumenically with several denominations including the Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Presbyterian, and Catholic communities. Forma is a ministry of Episcopal Church Foundation, a 501(c)3, and is independent of the Episcopal Church, and yet, closely partnered with the Office for Formation Ministries at The Episcopal Church office.
He was, you know. And during the Great Fifty Days of Easter, with emphasis on the gospels of the Sundays therein, we are reminded of just how gracious he was. He did not return to those who had deserted and denied and run for their lives at the first whiff of danger, with tut-tuts, recriminations and the blame game. He came to them breathing peace and then invited degenerate disciples to a meal. Jesus H. Christ! And the H is not silent as in SNLās spoof on a Tarantino film about the resurrection; the H stands for Holy, to be sure, but also for Hospitable, which he certainly was, both during his public ministry and after the resurrection.
The ubiquitous red, white and light blue sign tells the world that āThe Episcopal Church Welcomes Youā suggesting that we are quite the hospitable bunch. And yet,ā¦. A few weeks ago, I heard a report on NPRās āUnder the Influenceā about the kind of hospitality of which Jesus would, I think, approve. The program described the ways in which certain companies understand customer service, and customer service for some of the best comes down to core values. Corporations such as Apple, Disney and Zappos recognize that their number one priority is relationship with a capital R, and primary to Relationship for them is Hospitality. The goal for Appleās āGenius Barā is not the repair of an electronic pad or smart phone, but the repair of relationships with customers who are experiencing problems with their hardware. At Disney, employees are taught: āItās not my fault, but it is my problem.ā When a visitor asks a question or complains about a ride or a long line or anything at all, the responsibility of the ācast memberā is to stay with the customer until the issue is resolved; no rolling of the eyes when someone asks the start time of the 3 p.m. Main Street parade. And at Zappos, a company which began as an internet mall for shoes, employees are encouraged to stay on the line with customers as long as it takes to ensure that every question the customer has is answered, no matter how out there the question might be. Zapposā CEO once took clients out for a celebration which stretched to the wee hours. By the time they got back to the hotel, the clients were hungry for pizza, but everything was closed. The CEO suggested they call his 24 hour customer service line. When they called Zappos at 2 a.m. requesting a pizza, there was a short silence after which the customer service rep found 3 open pizza shops in their area, ordered one and had it delivered. What they call ācustomer serviceā is what we call being the Church, being other Christs in the world. I wonder: Do these companies and others like them have anything to teach us? Ya think? Victoria L. Garvey is an educator and has taught professionally at every level. Her longest forays have been at the graduate level with seminarians and others, and with high school students. Over the last several years, she has been energized by an even wider age range: from preschoolers through elders of the community. She now serves as Canon for Lifelong Christian Formation for the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and fulfills the same role at a local congregation. She is also a board member and secretary for Forma.Image used from Flikr by Creative Commons License at http://www.flickr.com/photos/feargal/5730043992
He was, you know. And during the Great Fifty Days of Easter, with emphasis on the gospels of the Sundays therein, we are reminded of just how gracious he was. He did not return to those who had deserted and denied and run for their lives at the first whiff of danger, with tut-tuts, recriminations and the blame game. He came to them breathing peace and then invited degenerate disciples to a meal. Jesus H. Christ! And the H is not silent as in SNLās spoof on a Tarantino film about the resurrection; the H stands for Holy, to be sure, but also for Hospitable, which he certainly was, both during his public ministry and after the resurrection.