April 13, 2009
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Friday the 13th was a bad day. I was at fault in a stupid small accident. And I knew I was getting sick. Really sick, not just little-tickle-in-your-throat sick. It lasted for three weeks, until I finally went to the doctor. His only comment to me was, “Why did it take you this long to come see me?!” It was a full-blown sinus infection. Which is why it’s taken me a month to write about what I’m trying to write about. But I digress …
The day after I got sick, March 14, we had a Continuum Church outreach event called The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Cool name. Adam came up with it. Which is good because we would have had an even harder time convincing people to come to Political Letter-Writing Night. But essentially that’s what it was.
A week before our outreach team had been to a training event hosted by Bread for the World. We had debated seriously about whether we wanted to take on a letter-writing event. We’ve all been working very hard, mentally, to broaden our ideas on all the avenues God has provided for us to do good in the world. But I was afraid that it wouldn’t seem valuable if we weren’t actually getting our hands dirty. But the team agreed that we should give it a shot. So we went to the training.
It was almost a full day of information on how to perform a Bread for the World Offering of Letters. I’ll let you check out the link for yourselves because it’s good stuff, but suffice it to say, we learned a lot. We learned about how much the U.S. spends on foreign aid each year (less than 1% of the country’s annual budget!) and how it is distributed. And we learned that it could be done more efficiently, even without spending any more money. We also learned about the horrors of malnutrition and starvation from a doctor from Doctors Without Borders, but really that was just to set the stage for the conversation about aid. We talked about the differences between “betterment” and “development” - development being the best option because the goal is to contribute to an infrastructure that will eventually empower people to care for themselves. (This is an idea that I’ve been grappling with for several months as I consider our domestic outreach projects.)
And then, after all that learning, we wrote letters. Hand-written letters to Senator George Voinovich asking him to work towards streamlining the U.S. approach to distributing foreign aid. (We hand-wrote envelopes too because that’s really what catches someone’s attention initially.) Even though this project was my idea, I was intimidated by actually writing the letter. But there we were with half an hour to do it, and as it was the culmination of the training, there really was no way out of it. And I am SO GLAD that I did. I had no idea what a sense of accomplishment it would bring just to write a letter. Elected officials really read those hand-written letters. Usually they read them personally, but at the least they are read by a high-level staffer. And for every letter they receive, they assume that there are hundreds more constituents back home who believe the same thing and haven’t bothered to write.
This IS a way to do good in the world. No one wants kids to starve. Everyone wants our tax money to be used efficiently. So our Glenn Beck followers were on board for more effective government. And our Obama-button wearers were stoked that we were doing something to increase assistance to struggling foreign countries. That’s the way it should be – with compromises, both sides should win. Until the day when we get some new sides, or get rid of them altogether.
So, that was the training. But then, on the 14th, our outreach team recreated it for Continuum Church folks and friends as The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. We had 11 more people show up to write letters. And we had a really good time. One friend, Chris, said to me, “This was very good. I expected it to be two hours of lecture.” No sir. We had videos, Chutes and Ladders board game, small group discussion, and plenty of visual aids. And everyone wrote a letter. And they liked it!
This is how we fight our own cynicism. This is how we refuse to be caught up in the powers, but subvert them instead. This is how we take small steps that add up to a great journey. As someone said on Sunday, you don’t have to be a soloist, but you should always be part of the choir. Because, as Lucas wrote in his letter, Spider-Man reminds us that with great power comes great responsibility.
April 22, 2008
This Is How We Roll …
This past Saturday was the first official outreach event for Continuum Church!
We had 23 show up at Bethany Christian Church on the east side of Columbus at 8:45 on Saturday morning. This is a stellar turnout when you consider that the average attendance at our weekend gatherings is 50. It’s fantastic to be part of a community of believers who have caught the vision for social justice, and are ready to really do something about it. Everyone was on time and excited to get to work!
We were part of a larger group at least 100 people who were partnering with the Windchangers organization to address several different needs in the area. After a welcome and explanation of neighborhood dynamics from Pastor Elaine Fennell, the Continuum Church group split up into two teams, affectionately known as “Team Sheep” (my team, pictured above) and “Team Goat” (Adam’s team). We were going to be part of the neighborhood clean-up team, working in partnership with Keep Columbus Beautiful.
The incredible amount of partnership and cooperation on display on Saturday was probably one of my favorite parts. Christians from across the continuum (wink!) of denominations worked together, and partnered with secular organizations as well. We know that God’s dream of reconciliation is for the whole world, and if we are going to accomplish it, we have to stop judging our brothers and sisters on matters that don’t really matter. (Anyone else ready for the the chorus of “Come Together”?) Anyway …
Before heading into the neighborhood, armed with safety vests, gloves, trash bags, grabbers, brooms and rakes, our group talked about our core values for outreach at Continuum Church. Unfortunately, I don’t have three clever words that all start with P (or R or D) to describe them, but I still want you all to know what we think about:
1. We are going to be flexible. We know things aren’t always going to go exactly as planned, or exactly as we hope. But we’re going to just keep working, knowing that, through our obedience, God’s purpose for the day’s work will be accomplished.
2. We’re here to join our neighbors. We know that when we work, we are serving PEOPLE, whom God loves, whose lives matter as much as our own, and whose spiritual journeys are moving along just like ours. Relationships are important to us, and we want to come alongside those in need, not drop in to quickly provide some temporary assistance.
3. We are doing spiritual work. On Saturday, we picked up trash. We didn’t talk to very many of the neighbors. But we know that what we did had eternal significance, for us and for them. All the work that we do for the sake of Jesus and in his name, IS part of seeing God’s Kingdom come here in Columbus.
Check out this great story in the Columbus Dispatch, featuring one of our fabulous Continuum Church members, pictured below (who, by the way, was on Team Sheep).
Overall, the morning was a great success. Rain was forecast for the whole day, but it held off until we’d finished our clean-up, returned our tools, and got back in our cars to go home for a nap.
I’m working to build some relationships with other churches our area so that we can do more projects like this. Thank you so much to those of you who are supporting me financially. Your generosity made this weekend project possible, and I’m looking forward to reporting on many more this year!
April 15, 2008
Continuum Church On A Roll
Here’s the text from an e-mail sent to our Continuum e-mail group this week. For those of you who aren’t in Columbus, you’ll find some more information about our outreach, as well as how you can pray for us.
———————-
We’ve been talking together on Sundays about the mission of Jesus, and we have an opportunity to put our beliefs into action through our first “Roll” event. We believe that there is nothing more beautiful or powerful than a community of Christians working together to overcome injustice and pain in the world. Now THAT’S worth getting out of bed for! So let’s go …
What: Continuum Church’s first outreach event
Where: Meet at Bethany Christian Church, 1130 E. Livingston Where is this?
When: Saturday, April 19
What Time: Please arrive by 8:45 a.m. so that we can get started right at 9:00. We plan to be done by 12:30. Lunch will be served afterwards for $5 per person.
How: We will join Bethany Christian Church and the Windchangers organization to serve our neighbors in the Old Oak Community. There is a great opportunity in this area to meet basic needs. We’ll be connecting spirituality and social justice through projects such as cleaning up neighborhoods, tending a neighborhood garden, fixing up playground equipment, visiting homeless neighbors in transition, and assisting other churches. We’re going to work hard, so please wear clothing and sturdy shoes that can get dirty, and bring work gloves if you have them. We’ll provide the water and snacks.
What Now?: E-mail Beth to confirm that you’ll be there.
What if you can’t be there?: Use the following prayer guide, based on the outreach’s activities, to join us in spirit by asking God to help make this a success!
Monday – (Serving Local Churches) Pray for the churches in the Old Oak Community, especially our partner Bethany Christian Church. Ask God to give them creativity and compassion as they meet the needs in their neighborhood. Ask God to provide the resources they need. Pray that they would all be inspired by God’s plan for good to triumph over evil.
Tuesday – (Neighborhood Clean Up) Pray for the families in the neighborhood. Ask God to keep them safe outside and inside their homes. Pray that relationships would be strong between husbands and wives, and parents and children. Pray that the power of God’s truth and goodness would be stronger than the systems of violence and malice.
Wednesday – (School Playground Maintenance) Pray for the schools in the neighborhood. Ask God to protect the students while on school grounds. Pray that the teachers and staff would be good role models as they teach, mentor the students, and consult with parents. Pray that God would provide the resources the school needs. Pray that the students would have open minds and would learn the information that will help them to be productive members of their community.
Thursday – (Neighborhood Garden) Pray for the tangible need of food for those in the community. Pray that God would help the churches and agencies that provide food. Pray that Bethany Christian Church’s neighborhood garden would be a project that provides food as well as teaches about nutrition and fosters relationships between church and neighbors. Pray that God would also fill the spiritual hunger of the neighbors.
Friday – (Visiting Transitional Housing) Pray for those in our community who are homeless. Pray that God would keep them safe while they are on the streets, and ask him to provide the food they need. Pray for the churches and agencies who serve these neighbors, asking that God would give them the resources and volunteers they need. Ask God to direct the homeless neighbors to the places where they can receive help. Ask God to help these neighbors be aware of his presence and his desire to overcome the pain in their lives. Ask God to help you not to look past these neighbors on the street.
Saturday – (The Event) Ask God to help all aspects of the event to be successful. Pray that the weather would be nice enough for us to work outside, and that enough volunteers would show up. Ask God to help the volunteers to be united in our desire to serve, and to make new friends as we work together. Pray for us to have opportunities to meet neighborhood residents, and that when we do they would be encouraged by the proof that someone cares for them.
