Mission Week, 2008

Each year in mid June, our church joins forces with several other area churches and attempts to complete missions projects in the greater Tyler community. Ten years ago, it seems there might have been six projects in a year, ranging from building a wheelchair ramp for an elderly lady, roofing a small house, painting the interior of a small church in the area, and even doing lawn work for someone. Under the banner of Mission Week, the St. Paul's neighborhood began to blossom as volunteers helped build a medical clinic, a free dental clinic (to be staffed by volunteer dentists in the area working in shifts), a food pantry and a clothes closet (all but the medical clinic converted from old houses).

This year, as it has been for the past several years, there are twelve to fifteen projects slated (some are held in reserve to see if we finish what we consider our major projects). We have demolished houses and completely built new ones, though this year we have no new construction. We have added rooms to people's homes, rebuilt the sub floors of rotten restrooms, and so much more.

The thing is, each year many church members save and use their vacation days from work so they can work on projects full time all week, and many times (especially with new construction) the work is not finished by Saturday, so volunteers return for months to work together to help real people in our community. After working with people all week, sweating and aching together, eating together, solving problems together, you begin to have a tangible idea about what we were meant to be like as humans in community with one another.

It is humbling and moving and beautiful when people work selflessly together, and I think that is what being a Christian is really about, not a vision of Hell, but of a more perfect community right here, right now. If only we could get it right the rest of the year!

Schereazade

Tell me how all this,
and love too, will
ruin us.

These, our bodies,
possessed by light.

Tell me we'll never get
used to it.

--Richard Siken

Pause-ing together

We had our first "meeting" of Pause at Brady's Coffee last night--Mr. Brady has been kind enough to open his shop up for this ministry, aimed at college-aged people, each Sunday night. The plan is to relax together, to get to know one another, and to share some of our individual journeys with one another. We plan on having a bit of music from time to time, occasionally a guest speaker (perhaps), and always good time discussing God and man and other funhearted stuff.

Last night, the whole thing was great, really. The only "students" who showed up were Claire and Kelsey, but I completely had the time I hoped we'd have; we got to visit and know each other a little, and we got to try to discuss that whole Radical Honesty idea that I wondered about since last November. The question was, if the Bible calls us not to lie, where do we draw the line regarding honesty? Why do we feel honorable when we lie for a good cause? How transformational would it be to express every thought we have, regardless of the pain it might cause another?

We talked about is all a bit and ultimately left it unanswered, mostly (although the consensus seems to be that Radical Honesty would be too much of a good thing). Aren't all good questions ultimately unanswerable?! :o)

Despite a low turn out, I am totally stoked about getting to do this--adding another meeting to a pretty full schedule is daunting, but this is one of those times so full of potential that I can't dare think of not following through with it. If only one person shows up, I believe God can use the time.