Last week, the King of Hospitality received his place in the Church Triumphant.
When we moved to the southeast Missouri community of Sikeston in 2005, one of the first persons to make us feel at home was Keith Colley. Keith had a larger-than-life welcomeness about him. His infectious smile and good humor just made you feel like you mattered; not because you earned it or deserved it, but just because you were you. Keith was genuine in every way, but most especially in his comfortable, good-natured humility. There was absolutely no vanity in him.
To see Keith serve as a greeter at our worship services was to see someone doing the ministry for which he was born. I had the chance to work with some of the finest hospitality team members anywhere in that congregation. But Keith was the standard to which we all aspired. None of us could offer the natural, arms-wide-open, Christ-like welcome to the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely quite like Keith.
Some of this was born of Keith’s own experience, long before I got there. Unfortunately there was an incident in which a church person assertively did not make Keith feel welcomed. However, Keith was not embittered by this, nor did it dissuade him. Instead, he became joyfully determined to be the exact opposite of that with newcomers to church, especially.
I remember one worship unique service to which an unusually high number of first-time guests came. I was greeting at one of the main doors with Keith. A man came slowly and hesitatingly toward the door, obviously uncertain about this new place, and the unknown people within. It was a high attendance day, and it would be easy to overlook such a person as people flocked in. But this was the type of individual Keith always had on his radar. Keith broke away from familiar people and conversations, stepped out to the newcomer, and spoke in a soft but energetic and inviting tone. “Hi, I’m Keith. Thank you SO much for coming today. That really means a lot to us. Do you like coffee? (Head nod.) Come on in, and let’s get some coffee together.” And Keith became that fearful guy’s welcome wagon; explaining what the service would be like, answering any questions, listening, etc. That was Keith.
Last Wednesday night Keith went to sleep in his bed and woke up in Glory. Whenever the great getting-up morning happens for any of us, the welcome will be supreme on the other side. The King of Hospitality is there. Go rest high up on that mountain, good friend. You were and are the best.
I’ll see you around the next bend in the river.
Leave a comment