Hebrews 11 “Now faith
is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that
the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from
things that are not visible.”
Image: Hope at my door by Katie Finch
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When I was a
child, my mom had a collection of odd socks tossed into a basket in the laundry
room. The mates to these socks were long gone, but she would hold on to them
for dusting and various household chores. Sometimes, I’d ask my mom if I could
have a few of the odd socks and I’d dig out scraps of fabric, buttons and yarn
to create puppets out of those odds and ends. What one person might discard, another
person with a little imagination can create opportunities for renewal and hope.
This creative rethinking is something that applies not only to odd socks, but
to the mission and ministry of the church.
According to
recent research, the top spiritual practices of the NONES (People that claim no
official religious base) are: Creating/enjoying art, creating/enjoying Music,
Enjoying Nature and Relationship cultivation. These popular practices of the
non-religious provide a natural intersection with the practices of the religious
and offer spaces for relationships to be built. If relational ministry is given
the time and opportunity to develop; these odds socks of spiritual practices
can become a source of hope for the church as well as the NONES.
Relational
ministry has been described as: “making oneself available and giving presence,
acceptance and embrace to another human being is just about the most dignified,
soul-honoring way to be. Without relational ministry, people are nothing more
than projects.” and “The gospel is all about incarnation God with us. When
Jesus left he made it pretty clear that with the assistance of the Holy Spirit
we are now to spread the “God with us believing that we a part of God with
us”...
A little
over a year ago, First Lutheran Church was preparing for our annual Christmas
Gifts to a local YWCA program called Team. This program helps teen moms to
continue their high school education while receiving support for parenting
skills, child care and support. In recent years our youth and knitting group had
created tie blankets as well as given mittens and hats for the children and the
moms. While our gifts were graciously accepted, a direct connect with the
people in our church community was not created by gift giving alone. As a staff
member, I enjoyed delivering these gifts, but after delivery, I’d wonder what
might happen if church members made face-to-face connections with the YWCA staff,
the young women, their children and families.
In 2012, our
church approached the Team staff to see if it would be possible for the church
to host a blanket build, where we could partner together on an activity night. The
YWCA staff agreed, donations of fleece and cookies to snack on were collected
AND volunteers signed up to assist with the event. This November, we partnered
with the YWCA and opened our church doors for our first “Family Night”. We ate
pizza, made tie blankets with a combination of church and community members as
well as the YWCA staff and students. Throughout the evening the moms and their
partners worked on the blankets, their babies were loved on, and our mission
shifted from giving things to building relationships face-to-face.
Since
November, we have held three Family Nights at First Lutheran Church. To
accomplish this goal, we choose a project, divvy up and collect the supplies
and food needed for the meal, and God’s love and our time with all that
participate in “Family Nights". Another side effect of “Family Night” in November, is that individual people from my church have made
efforts to reach out to the Team Moms. Our church community is moving from
giving gifts to a faceless group of young women, to knowing faces, learning
names and sharing life. Staff members from the YWCA have also had their hope in
the church revived by witnessing the development of trust and the gift of time
they and the girls have received from church members. As a staff member, I have
been greatly encouraged to see church members and teenage moms step out towards
each other to find a space for God to work, for stereotypes to crumble, and new
community connections to take root and grow.
In order for
this transition to relational ministry to occur it was necessary for our church
community to take intentional steps toward mission:
1.)
Look
at the resources we already have.
2.)
Look at the need that God was calling us to
fill.
3.)
Use that vision to retool our ministry and
respond to the need.
By taking
these prayerful steps, we intentionally take steps to transition to a foundation
of relational mission. In addition to
the action steps, faith, love and hope are necessary for seeing people, place
and mission with new eyes. While this voyage into relational mission is just
begun, all involved - Church members, YWCA Staff and Team Moms; have been
impacted by the way God is drawing us together. We all are being filled with
hope!
Smashpainting project: T.L. Eastman
Our June ‘Family
Night’ project involved a journal-making process called Smashbooking. This process involves repurposing old unused books
and altering them for use as a journal, photo album or scrapbook. Smashbooking, much like making sock
puppets, takes abandoned or unused resources and repurposes them to create
something beautiful. Through relational mission, you will find that there are
many people within your arm’s reach that feel abandoned by faith, religion and
God. Relational mission is the simple an act of giving time to someone else as
thanksgiving for what God has already done.
Creative
projects can be a source to not only express ideas, but help to connect people.
When arts are used in our church through Family Nights, Friday Create Nights
and more; people are given a place to connect, share faith as well as help us live
out the practical work of mission. These
relationships, built in a space fostered by creative efforts, are a reminder to
the NONES that they are someone - to God and us.
Like the odd
sock basket, try to see what you have with new eyes and take a step to build an
atmosphere that sends the message of God’s great forgiveness, love and hope to
all.
Questions to ponder:
What current
mission in our context can be used as a channel for relational ministry?
What are the challenges of moving to
relational ministry model?
Where
is God calling our church to see and respond to the needs of our community?
What is the value of moving from a
mission of giving things to building relationships?
Who do you feel or think God might
be calling you and our church to reach out to?
What are your first steps?
What does success in relational mission look like?
What does success in relational mission look like?
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