By CBF Communications
DECATUR, Ga. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship held its second Come Belong gathering in November in Austin, Texas, bringing together clergy and congregational leaders from across the Fellowship for three days of learning on hospitality and community.
The boutique conference — a continuing education opportunity for church leaders to learn about hospitality from local practitioners— was a collaborative effort of FBC Austin, CBF Texas and CBF Global. It was similar in schedule and structure to last year’s Come Belong held in Raleigh, North Carolina. 
Over the three days of the event, participants engaged with three unique organizations emphasizing hospitality in their work. They first met Chris Melton, a member of FBC Austin who has spent his career in the restaurant and beverage industry. Melton shared about his firsthand experience cultivating a culture of belonging amongst staff as well as some of his best and worst experiences dining in restaurants and what made them memorable. He arranged a dinner for all participants at LORO, which was founded in 2018 when Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue and Tyson Cole, of Uchi, merged their two loves of Asian and Texas cuisine together to create a new venture. The service and food were outstanding and the outdoor seating on a warm Austin night provided a great atmosphere for authentic connection and conversation among participants.
Attendees also visited Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a nonprofit that has built a community that provides housing and dignified income opportunities for the chronically homeless. Come Belong participants were able to tour new homes that will be open to residents soon, including “tiny homes” constructed by local volunteers and a 3-D printed concrete home. They took a tour of the neighborhood that is finding innovative and collaborative ways to serve the neighbors who reside in village.
Another highlight of the gathering was a tour of the Waterloo Greenway, a greenspace offering a family playground (including a slide for all ages), walking trails, a concert venue and native trees and plants that offer a fragrant welcome to guests and butterflies alike.
Between these site visits, attendees met at FBC Austin for reflection, during which they connected their experiences of hospitality with ways they can strengthen the practices of their congregations in their own contexts. They also heard from CBF’s Young Adult Ministry Manager, Colin Kroll, and Rex Foster, a researcher and deacon at FBC Austin, about young adult faith trends and discussed how to invite and welcome young adults into their faith communities. These guided reflection times invited leaders to connect best practices in hospitality with the faith practices in their churches. 
From casual ice-breaker questions that revealed personal passions to powerful stories of generosity and neighborly love, authentic conversation was at the heart of Come Belong. Ellen Di Giosia, Coordinator of CBF Texas, commented, “The people who attended Come Belong talked about hospitality from multiple angles, which allowed them to really think about their own contexts. Each group’s takeaway was different, which was exciting to see — there are so many ways to extend hospitality, and every congregation has different resources to put into play. I loved hearing people talk about how to create belonging in churches that look very different from one another.” The tone throughout the gathering was warm and hopeful, as pastors and lay leaders from diverse contexts discovered a shared sense of identity and purpose across CBF life.
As the gathering concluded, participants expressed renewed energy and hope for their ministries. Many left with fresh ideas and deeper relationships, spurred to cultivate communities of belonging and trust within their churches. This Come Belong experience underscored CBF’s commitment to nurturing an environment of welcome and shared identity throughout the Fellowship.