"I've seen you serving food every time I'm here. I had no idea you could write like that!"
-a member of our new "Arts and Culture" group at Broad Street Ministry said this past Wednesday night. We were all in tears of laughter after hearing our friend Jack read us a hilarious poem addressed to his former boss.
BSM can be a large place, difficult to navigate and find community within. As a result, I have been working with Erika and some key members of the community to create groups to address this issue. We wanted to have opportunities for people to get to know one another on deeper levels, without creating cliques of like-minded people. What resulted from conversations with members of the community was 3 groups: Movement, Arts and Culture, and Community Activism. All three backed by fantastic people dedicated to giving room for relationship building and community empowerment.
Judging from the fun we had at the first instance of these groups on Wednesday, there is a definite place for these groups. We saw glimpses of personality in people that was not often seen during normal events at BSM. It's amazing what happens when you give room for creative expression. People's walls come down just enough for transformation. This is exceptionally true for those who have no other opportunities for creative expression, due to life circumstances, or people/groups in the past who have denied them and their gifts. Many of us have experienced this, on both ends of the spectrum!
As "community trailblazer" this year, I have had many conversations with amazing people who have come through the doors of Broad Street Ministry. I have had glimpses of their gifts and personality that are just bursting to be known. I have heard stories about church and work environments where they are denied room to use these gifts. I've been excited to see these groups take shape and I truly hope they continue to grow, giving people an opportunity to be known in the large community that is BSM.
Given that Jesus spent most of his time around a small group of disciples, its hard not to realize that Jesus was an advocate for close relationships in small groups. This setting is where people become known and empowered to follow Christ out into the world.
May we continue to guide people to open tables where they can become known.
This coming Sunday is the 25th year anniversary of the Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance (i'm playing in their summer league this year). Given that ultimate frisbee was invented in 1969, this is kind of a big deal (i'm sure only about 2 people reading this blog will even care about this). However, my point is...
Landmarks are significant.
This past Sunday, the 16th, Broad Street Ministry celebrated its 5th year of existence. Now this doesn't seem like much. However, in the nonprofit world, this is a LONG time. In the "experimental church" world, even longer.
Sunday was a wonderful celebration. Even though I was loaded down with grunt work of making sure it ran smoothly, I was still able to experience the joyfulness of the day. The BSM atmosphere was in full effect among the 400 gathered in that place (3x more than usual). We had a smattering of every type of person possible, many who have been through the doors of BSM at some point in the past. The worship service had the usual level of unruliness, fun, and joy, yet multiplied by the high energy in the room. We had one guest, convinced he is Christ incarnite, who was jumping up and down, dancing to every song, making loud comments during service, and trying for another dose of the Communion. We had more kids than usual, who found a spot near the back of the room to draw. We had youth groups who have done mission trips at BSM in the past. We had elders from churches who have given large sums of money in the past. We had artist friends, homeless friends, dancer friends, social advocacy friends. If you don't believe in a thing such as the "Holy Spirit," you may have been convinced otherwise on this day.
Oh yeah, and we had cake.
Capturing this event and the nature of BSM was a photobooth project by artist JJ Tiziou. It was mostly as you imagine - a giant box where you make faces as the camera fires rapidly. What emerged throughout the night was a HUGE smattering of people, faces. The faces that showed up on the screen were ALL beautiful. The magic was seeing everyone in their true light, whether they be a well-dressed businessman, or a worn down homeless person, they all looked beautiful. This is the landmark we leave as a church: faces of those who the church encounters. Faces that may not be captured by society. Faces that Christ sees and loves.
Landmarks are significant.
Well, more like "watermarks," another significant moment this past week was a goal achieved by TheChurchisAlive blog. We went with a pretty crazy idea: run an online fundraising drive for charity:water that would basically fund the building of a well in an impoverished area of the world. We had been running this blog site as a home for those wishing to express a new energy and enthusiasm about the church and its ability to change the world around. With the momentum we've been gaining, why not build a $5,000 well?
We did it. In about 80 days we raised $5,250, enough to serve 262 families in a community.
It's amazing to me how people dedicated to giving of themselves can come together like this for such an amazing purpose. Whether or not they did it for the "church" doesn't matter. Hearts joined to meet a passion for the world in need. We, as a churchisalive team, believe this to be the work of the gospel, work that doesn't quite translate these days in church. Work that is often muffled by the bad media and pessimism about "church."
Our campaign started near the beginning of lent, hit a midpoint at East, and concluded right before Pentecost. Our goal was met and we continue pressing onward. I think that speaks for itself.
"I'm so sorry," the young girl kept saying after hearing the words "this church just closed down."
This past Friday I took a road trip with our "hospitality enforcer," aka "big Mike," to pick up some chairs for BSM. I had no idea it would be from such a beautiful old church. I had also been unaware that this church recently closed, and with the Presbytery's approval, we could basically claim whatever we wanted from there for BSM.
As we we hauling chairs and tables out the back door to the rented Penske truck, a couple of young girls who lived down the road decided to say hello. They were both between 4-6 years old I'd assume. They were very curious as to what we were doing. When I told them the story, she kept saying "i'm so sorry." She also explained that she used to go there to eat meals here and they hosted girl scouts among many other things for this impoverished area. She kept apologizing to me as if this was my church, as if this closing was affecting me personally.
a prophet...
All year, I've been plugging away with church revitalization. I've been working in two environments where church had basically "closed down." I've had the unique opportunity of helping to create a new church environment for the 21st century without having to fight through the existing church cultures that exist in most places. Being so caught up in this has left me unappreciative of the past, of the great history of churches, of the pain that comes with closing down.
The thought is that the more you look back, the more you'll be held back from charging forward with new ministry. This is true to some extent. However, where is the grace in this? Where do we sympathize with our brothers and sisters whose ministry has failed? Do we blame them? Did they get what they deserved for not running an effective ministry?
I should be sorry...
Walking through a place that carried hopes and dreams of many many people is a sobering reality that reminds us how difficult it is to live faithfully as a church community. Amidst all the work a church does, being in relationship with one another is at the core. When a church closes, the opportunity for this closes. We should seek ways to reach out to those who are losing their place of hope, whether it be a church community, a family, friends, etc...
In the meantime, I look forward greatly to the final couple months I have here at BSM, moving forward, hopefully in the direction of new ministry that serves the kingdom of God. May the knowledge of the saints, the great cloud of witnesses, who have gone before guide us in this direction. May we continue to be grateful.
BSM celebrates its 5th birthday today which is a HUGE deal. They have survived this long as a radical new ministry and deserve to celebrate with those who have been there along the way. Despite all the new things this place has brought, the sanctuary walls continue to peel, the ceiling continues to crumble, the building continues to deteriorate. However, the walls still stand. Those who have gone before us continue to support ministry in this place, even though they are long gone now. May the ministry carry onward as the Spirit leads!
If I told you that the lowest-attended worship service of the year at BSM was Mothers' Day, would you believe me? Now I'm not sure if this is exactly true or not, but since I've been here at least, this was one of the lowest attended days of the year.
In other churches, the sunday after Easter may take this award. For others, it's some day in June or July when people are on vacation. However, BSM happens to be on Mothers' Day. This is strange to me because I am used to the culture of Mothers' Day being the day you go to CHURCH and LUNCH with your mother/grandmother/aunts/etc., complete with cards and flowers.
Perhaps it was the evening service that made attendance so low. Perhaps it is the fact that many of our usual attendees are young adults, most not yet mothers who were able to travel away for the weekend. However, this doesn't quite explain the drop in our homeless guests, right? Why would they have anywhere else to go? Aren't they rejects that have no "home" to go to?
One thing I've learned a lot about from the guests we meet is that this stereotype is far from the truth. Most of our guests have very large families in the city, whether it be their parents, their own children, or siblings, that love them very much. Some may be isolated and alone, others may be alienated from these families, some may refuse to re-connect. However, the absence of our guests from dinner tonight made me think that the connection of family is difficult to break, no matter what the circumstance.
Our guests go through trauma every day. Being treated as sub-human will do this to you. However, at the end of the day, they've got mothers or motherly figures out there to love and accept them. This Sunday showed that this love is real and they are willing to make room to spend time with these families.
Church is realized in these moments as well when you see who does show up for service. They show up because they may be far away from family. They may not have family. They may see BSM as their family. Either way, being in each other's presence is the true realization of the body of Christ.
Blessings on the love of Mothers and Motherly figures out there.
...and blessings on those without either in their lives, that they may find that love within community.
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Apologies for the long posting drought, I have them from time to time! I p
I am working hard as usual at BSM/ASPC. I will remain here through early August, doing most of the same work, with a few new opportunities that I will explain soon. Broad Street Ministry will celebrate it's 5th birthday this upcoming Sunday, so we've got a lot to work on!
"Death" has come up a lot recently. This is especially significant given our season of post-resurrection Easter.
I center this around a 2002 movie many of you have probably seen, "About Schmidt." I had heard wonderful things about this movie but didn't catch it till two nights ago. In a nutshell, it's about an aging father who retires from a mundane lifestyle. Soon afterwards, his wife dies and he finds himself without much purpose and drive for life. On top of this, his estranged daughter is marrying a man whom he severely dislikes (for good reasons). Needless to say, Schmidt finds himself facing mortality with little left on earth to prove for. In the midst of this, he was also driven by guilt from an infomercial to sponsor a young boy in Africa. The movie is centered upon letters Schmidt writes to this young boy detailing his life. The letters are extremely confessional and honest, more than what you assume from Schmidt. Here is the last letter you witness Schmidt write in the film:
Death is a growing, nearing, negative, reality for Schmidt.
I was asked yesterday to lead a Committal service for a Korean-American family connected to Arch Street Presbyterian. I agreed to it. This is my first burial committal service, and it so happens to be for a family whose primary language is Korean, who live on the outskirts of the city, and who somehow find a home at the slowly rebuilding community of Arch Street Presbyterian Church. They wanted someone from the church to lead the service, despite having several Korean pastors on hand. I was deeply honored to be welcomed into leading this service.
The service was for the family's young son who passed away. A powerful testimony and deeply difficult situation for the family. Despite this situation and the cultural differences, they still welcomed my leadership. Although I felt I handled it fine and it was powerful to witness, I still felt like I may have missed some cultural understandings of the service. Regardless, they were very welcoming of me, even taking me to lunch afterwards. I won't get into any more specifics here. I bring up this situation to again present the constant reality of death across cultural boundaries and viewpoint we take in relation to it.
That very evening, I led Bible study for the week's passage: Psalm 23. One of the most commonly used passages used at funerals. The people gathered that night acknowledged this history with the Psalm. However, they also acknowledged a distinct feeling of comfort and peace in the midst of this as they were exploring this Psalm again for the first time in years. Do we ever really pay it much attention?
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Although Psalm 23 deals with the dark areas of life, including death, the end of our days, it is bolstered by words of peace and comfort. Trust in God's sovereignty is the reigning theme of this psalm. This is both the most comforting element and most challenging concept in death. Trust in God's providence in the life of an individual, both on earth and beyond.
As always, it is the relationships that bolster our dealings with death. We are constantly seeking how our lives have been a reflection of God's love for humanity and our love for one another. We must know that our ability to share of ourselves and love one another are what stand beyond death.
The young man buried today was taken much earlier than many would have desired. The "why" question here can never truly be answered. Trust in God's plan can be difficult to understand. We are only left with memories of the relationships with this boy. We learn and grow by acknowledging God's supremacy in relationship and acknowledging the power of our own relationships. We must acknowledge those that are significant and life-giving because they are what stand beyond death.
Schmidt was unable to see the impact of sharing himself to the young African boy through mail. His letters were raw and authentic. However, Shmidt did not believe they were making much of a difference. He was caught up in the mess of his current life situation. Not until the very end of the movie does he realize the power of relationship over death (I recommend seeing the movie before watching clips - watch at your own risk!):
When we give of ourselves in relationships, we experience the peace of God. God works through us to impact others more than we can ever imagine. Within the finitude of daily life, may we recognize the people and situations that give us life as well as those we give life to. They reflect the life death and resurrection of Christ until our days on earth are done.
(apologies for the rambling thoughts of this post - they happen like this from time to time)
Christ is risen indeed! Ok...now what? What does that mean exactly? During Lent, we acknowledge darkness and absence of hope. The resurrection promise holds that new life, a better world is possible. It opens the way for radical hope. Easter worship at Arch St. Pres and BSM represent this claim in two differing ways.
Arch Street Presbyterian has been in the process of revitalization. We have been building new ministry there in a congregation that was quite dim. A congregation should never be defined by numbers, but new life is a valued commodity in a congregation void of such. Therefore, when we had a 50% increase in people in worship, MOSTLY young adult couples, the vision of the resurrection promise became visible. A church in the business district of the city can become a unique place for worship and mission. New life can blow through an old place.
BSM is a church community to many of the city's most desolate people. Holy Week took on such greater depth as it coincided with the annual closing of the 315 S. Homeless Cafe for the spring/summer/fall. Basically, 300 people throughout the city were put back on the street after temporary housing for winter months came to an end and homeless shelters remained at capacity. This Easter Sunday, BSM experienced the OPPOSITE of what usual "churches" experience on Easter Sunday. There were noticeably LESS people in worship! Although this may have been in large part to an evening service, you can't help but notice the absence of many of the usual Cafe guests. During the months they stayed at BSM, they had a sense of ownership and empowerment in the place. This is gone, for now.
This absence on Sunday, despite a wonderfully energetic, exciting, and moving service, was the reminder that the resurrection promise is not an end into itself. The very poor and destitute people Christ lived among and promised a better world to are now back on the street. This is a reminder of the stark world we live in and our calling from Christ to serve it faithfully. The resurrection promise propels us forth to radically live out how Christ calls us to be.
