How to Love Your Neighbor During the World Cup
How are we responding to Kansas City’s biggest moment of the summer?
Courageous Conversations Study Guide
Episode Overview
In this episode of Courageous Conversations, Ray Jarrett and Gary Kendall discuss one of the biggest opportunities Kansas City may ever have to practice loving its neighbors: the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Kansas City is preparing to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world. Some will come as fans. Some will come with family. Some will be far from home for the first time. Some may have real needs while they are here. Others may simply be looking for hospitality, welcome, friendship, and a glimpse of what makes Kansas City special.
Gary and Ray explain how Unite KC is helping churches, ministries, nonprofits, and community leaders work together through several “tracks,” including prayer, hospitality, soccer clinics, worship nights, Bible distribution, housing support, human trafficking intervention, and neighborhood gatherings.
This conversation is not just about soccer. It is about what kind of city Kansas City wants to be—and whether followers of Jesus will see this moment as an interruption, an inconvenience, or an invitation.
Key Scripture
Luke 10:33–37
“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him… ‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
Hebrews 13:2
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
Revelation 7:9
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
Opening Question
Think about a time when you were visiting a new city, church, neighborhood, school, or country.
What made you feel welcomed—or unwelcome?
Key Ideas from the Episode
1. The World Cup is both a challenge and an opportunity.
Kansas City will experience a major influx of visitors during the World Cup. Stores, roads, hotels, parks, restaurants, and neighborhoods may all feel the impact. It would be easy to view this only as an inconvenience.
But Ray and Gary invite listeners to see it differently. This is a chance for Kansas City to show hospitality to people from all over the world.
Discussion Question:
When something disrupts our normal routine, why is it sometimes hard to see it as an opportunity from God?
2. Loving our neighbor starts close to home.
Unite KC has long encouraged people to begin with their own neighborhoods. Loving your neighbor does not always require a large program. It can start at the mailbox, on the sidewalk, at a shared meal, or through a simple conversation.
The World Cup simply expands the question: What if our “neighbor” is from another nation?
Discussion Question:
Who are the neighbors God has already placed near you—on your street, in your workplace, at church, or in your regular rhythms?
3. Hospitality is a spiritual practice.
Gary and Ray talk about watch parties, home gatherings, meals, water bottles, prayer, soccer clinics, worship nights, and simple acts of welcome. Hospitality does not have to be impressive. It just has to be sincere.
Opening a home, sharing a meal, offering directions, providing water, or inviting someone into a conversation can become a way to reflect the love of Christ.
Discussion Question:
What kind of hospitality feels natural for you? What kind feels stretching?
4. The Good Samaritan shows us how to cross boundaries.
The Good Samaritan did not help someone just like himself. He crossed racial, religious, and cultural lines to meet a need. Gary points out that this story fits directly with Unite KC’s mission: learning to love people who may not share our background, culture, race, class, or experience.
The World Cup provides a living laboratory for practicing that kind of love.
Discussion Question:
What boundaries are hardest for people to cross today—race, class, politics, language, religion, culture, or something else? Why?
5. Collaboration matters.
One of the major themes of the episode is that this is not about one church, one ministry, or one leader getting credit. Unite KC is helping create shared opportunities through multiple tracks and partners, but the goal is a “big C” Church response across the city.
The only name they want lifted up is Jesus.
Discussion Question:
Why is collaboration sometimes difficult between churches, ministries, or organizations? What makes it worth the effort?
6. Some needs will be visible, and others will be hidden.
The episode highlights both visible opportunities—like hospitality, prayer walks, soccer clinics, and neighborhood gatherings—and hidden challenges, such as housing displacement and human trafficking.
Some Kansas City residents may face “accidental homelessness” as hotel prices rise. Others may be vulnerable to exploitation. Behind-the-scenes teams are preparing to respond with compassion, safety, and practical help.
Discussion Question:
Why is it important for Christians to pay attention not only to the exciting parts of a big event, but also to the people who may be harmed or overlooked?
Discussion Questions
Use these questions for a group conversation. Choose the ones that best fit your setting.
Ray and Gary say Kansas City can either hide from this moment or step into it. Where do you see that same choice in your own life?
What does it mean to be a “welcoming city” from a Christian perspective?
How does the story of the Good Samaritan challenge the way we think about strangers, foreigners, or people from different cultures?
Gary says this is a chance to “practice what heaven is going to be like.” What do you think he means by that?
Which of the World Cup service tracks interests you most: prayer, hospitality, soccer clinics, worship nights, Bible distribution, housing support, human trafficking intervention, or neighborhood gatherings? Why?
What fears might keep people from getting involved? Busyness? Safety? Language barriers? Discomfort? Not knowing what to do?
How can a church or small group serve without making visitors feel like projects?
What would it look like for your home, church, or neighborhood to become more open and welcoming during this season?
How can we balance sharing the gospel with genuine, no-strings-attached love?
What would you hope visitors from other nations remember about Kansas City after they leave?
Personal Reflection
Take a few minutes to consider these questions quietly or journal your responses.
Am I more likely to see the World Cup as an inconvenience or an invitation?
Who is God asking me to notice?
What kind of neighbor am I becoming?
What is one step of hospitality I could take during this season?
Where do I need God to give me courage to cross a boundary?
Group Activity: “Choose a Track”
Read through the following possible ways to get involved. As a group, discuss which one feels most realistic and which one feels most challenging.
Possible Tracks of Involvement
Prayer: Participate in prayer walks, prayer calendars, or 24/7 prayer efforts.
Hospitality: Host a neighborhood gathering or World Cup watch party.
Soccer Clinics: Serve children and families through sports outreach.
Worship Nights: Help create worship and prayer opportunities near gathering spaces.
Bible Distribution and Gospel Outreach: Offer Scripture, prayer, water, and conversation.
Housing Support: Help respond to displacement and temporary housing needs.
Human Trafficking Intervention: Support trained organizations working in prevention, rescue, and care.
Neighborhood Outreach: Use the World Cup as a reason to meet and bless your neighbors.
Group Question:
Which track could our group, church, family, or neighborhood realistically participate in?
Practical Next Steps
Choose one or two next steps:
Visit unitedkc.org and look for the World Cup tab under Events.
Explore the nine tracks and identify one area where you could serve.
Pray for the nations coming to Kansas City.
Host a meal or gathering with neighbors during one of the games.
Invite your small group or church team to serve together.
Prepare practically: water, sunscreen, hats, schedules, transportation plans, and safety awareness.
Learn about one country or team coming to Kansas City and pray for the people who will visit.
Get a hospitality kit through Victory Beyond the Cup while supplies are available.
Support organizations working with housing displacement and human trafficking intervention.
Start now by loving the neighbors already around you.
Closing Challenge
Kansas City may never have another moment quite like this. The nations are coming to our city. The question is not only whether we are ready for the traffic, the crowds, or the games.
The deeper question is:
Are we ready to love our neighbors when our neighbors come from every nation on earth?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Thank You for placing us in this city at this moment. Thank You for the opportunity to welcome people from many nations, cultures, languages, and backgrounds.
Open our eyes to see this season not as an inconvenience, but as an invitation. Give us courage to cross boundaries, humility to serve, and wisdom to know how to love well.
Help Kansas City become a place where visitors experience kindness, safety, hospitality, and the love of Christ. Protect those who are vulnerable. Provide for those who may be displaced. Strengthen the churches, ministries, and leaders preparing to serve.
Teach us to be good neighbors—not only during the World Cup, but every day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
