Around the world, hospitality is not merely a suggested skill for navigating another culture; it is often a critical practice that demonstrates love, trust, honour, and curiosity. It is the discipline of looking beyond oneself.

On June 11, 2026, Vancouver became one of several North American cities to host FIFA World Cup games. An expected one million football fans would come to the city during the thirty-nine-day event. Vancouver prepared to host by organizing pop-up markets, fan zones, music programs, and increasing police presence. Local churches recognized that this, too, was a moment: an opportunity to look beyond church walls and welcome the nations arriving on Vancouver soil with Jesus-led hospitality.

What began as small seeds of prayer within Multiply’s Canadian leadership team grew into a beautiful partnership among churches and faith-based organizations across the Lower Mainland. People gathered to pray, receive evangelism training, and ask the Lord what His kind of hospitality might look like as they welcomed the stranger.

When the games began, people responded with their gifts, strengths, and resources. Dozens of groups prayer-walked through neighbourhoods, fan zones, and soccer fields. Some held signs reading, “How Can I Pray for You?” and “Ask Me How Jesus Changed My Life.” Others opened their churches, offering tea, popcorn, and company while live-streaming matches. Free soccer camps welcomed youth in suburban neighbourhoods.

As the Church looked beyond itself, stories began to trickle in. “The Lord gave me the opportunity to share the Gospel with a repair lady. Although she is agnostic, she listened intentively!” “Our team returned to the place we had prayer-walked earlier in the day with our church, and this time I had the privilege of leading someone to Jesus!” “We gave out Bibles and water!” “Our conversations with people remained natural and friendly even when it switched from soccer and culture to faith. We were working as a team, each leading different parts of conversation!” “Today we bought donuts and gave them out to people in our local fan zone… we made several new friends in our neighbourhood.” 

Testimony after testimony rolled in. Encounters with Jesus. Prayer for a newcomer. Friendship with a new neighbour. Small groups that had previously gone on mission trips re-ignited in their desire to love and serve people in their own city… Faith was growing.

Then, suddenly, FIFA was over.

No more matches, fan zones, music, or food trucks.

B.C. Soccer’s CEO expressed hope that the momentum of the World Cup would move beyond a moment. “We want it to become a movement!“

What about the Church? As we reflect on what God did during the games, it would be easy to celebrate the stories while treating this hospitality as only a moment. Yet God calls His Church to follow Him not for a day or a two-week mission trip, but through daily rhythms of looking beyond ourselves: to open our doors and step outside, offer prayer, remain curious, and believe that Jesus can make Himself known through a cup of tea, a thoughtful question, or the smallest gesture of hospitality we have to offer. Perhaps what began as a moment of hospitality can become a movement of God's people living on mission, one relationship at a time.