Highlights from the Dinner and Discussion Series Kickoff

On Monday we kicked off our Dinner and Discussion series with a panel on “Platitudes vs. Presence: Learning to Be With.” Ann Smith, Kate Bowler, and Dan Rhodes were our panelists. Here were a few highlights from the conversation:

“We have a lot of visions of what Christian hope should look like, and most of them sound like guarantees...these can crystallize into platitudes when they are abstracted from the overlying story of the Gospel.” - Kate Bowler

“We live between competing truths...the sense that God loves us and God is for us, and yet also that the world is not as it should be.” - Kate Bowler

“Hope, fundamentally, is a virtue, and as a virtue it means that hope is not something you can give...despite all our best our best efforts of going to the soup kitchen, of all these types of things where we think we’re going to give people hope, hope doesn’t work as a commodity...hope, as a virtue is something that has to be shared...hope is a virtue that emerges in community, that emerges in relationship.” - Dan Rhodes

“Real hope...strips us of that sense that we really don’t need each other.” - Dan Rhodes

“People need to be listened to...listening is following the thoughts and feelings of another person and understanding what the other person is saying and meaning from their  point of view. So we really have to put ourselves aside, don’t we?” - Ann Smith

“When we’re going out to get to know our neighbors, I think there are three things that are important: The first thing is to pray before you go...the next one is to be really committed to listening and focusing on the other person...the third thing is to accept the person where they are.” - Ann Smith

Click here to watch a video of the panel and discussion.

We will continue to have these Dinner and Discussions throughout the year. The theme for the next one, on March 27, will be hunger alleviation, food distribution, and nutritional health. We will learn about the food situation in Durham - who gets it and who doesn't, what kind of organizations are providing food, and and how our church can know our role in seeking a just distribution of food in our city.

-Reynolds

Listening, Learning, and Living with Mayor Bill Bell

(A reflection for the Church on the Mayor’s State of the City address)

On Monday night, Mayor Bill Bell gave his annual State of the City address. He highlighted four areas that the city wants to focus on over the next year:

1. Reducing Violent Crime - The highlight of this portion of the mayor’s speech was recognizing a young man named Dante, who had voluntarily turned in guns to the police headquarters. Dante said he’s trying to find a way out of the street life. Mayor Bell said “We as a community have got to find ways to embrace the Dante’s of our city and be supportive as they try to change their lives.” The mayor also said he hopes to “include members of the faith-based community in this violent crime reduction effort.”

2. Continued Neighborhood Revitalization - Mayor Bell emphasized the importance of revitalizing whole communities. He noted a couple of the city’s projects and partnerships in this area, and stressed that “neighborhood revitalization is not just housing, but involves whole quality of life issues, such as jobs, safety, transportation, access to health facilities, recreation and appearance.”

3. Affordable Housing - The City wants to do this through a dedicated revenue stream, a deepened partnership with Durham Housing Authority, and finding the best ways to provide services for the city’s homeless population.

4. Sustainable Job Development and Creation - Mayor Bell said the goal of the City is to be a catalyst for the private sector to create jobs and to prepare people for work-readiness. He noted that our community is challenged by the fact that the unemployment rate among African Americans in the US is over 20%. Similarly, the unemployment rate among people with less than a high-school diploma was 20%.

Why is this important?

As the Church in Durham, we want to know the City’s stated priorities for a few reasons. First, it shows us what is happening at high levels of leadership and political power. It helps us see where the city’s money and attention are directed. Second, it gives us a unique window into where some of the resources and the needs are in the city. Third, it helps us to know how we might either speak out against something we see as wrong, or how we might partner with other entities in Durham.

How do we interpret and respond to it?

There are four appropriate ways the Church might respond to the Mayor’s address in Durham (and any city agenda, really): affirm, work together, critique, witness. When we see that the City’s priorities are in line with the Kingdom of God, it’s important that we affirm these. Broadly speaking, the four priorities that Mayor Bell stated are actually four areas of focus that we at Duke Memorial have designated with our mission theme. Our small group curriculum, Living Without Enemies, and our involvement with the Religious Coalition for Nonviolent Durham are intended to be a witness amidst the violence in our city. Our “Good Neighbor Team” is looking to begin the initial stages of neighborhood revitalization in the surrounding community. And two of our Dinner and Discussions will match the City's focus areas of affordable housing and jobs, respectively. So we can affirm the City in making these things a priority, because we believe that when we see “thy Kingdom come” in our city, we will see peace, flourishing neighborhoods, people with shelter, and people with economic stability and dignifying work. As I stated in my last post, God’s Kingdom is where “nothing is missing, nothing is broken.”

The corollary of affirming is working together. If the priorities of the City align with those of the Church, it makes sense to partner if the means of achieving the goals does not compromise our witness and identity. As mayor Bell said about reducing violence, he wants the faith community to be involved. This invitation is a gift! We the Church can make ourselves available to help the city with their good efforts (we can embrace the Dante's of our city), and we can be a witness to a better way when necessary.

It’s also the job of the Church to critique the city when they make misguided commitments, don’t follow through with their commitments, or if we feel that the “how” of reaching their goals is harmful. For example, although the city is making a commitment to neighborhood revitalization, some of their focus communities are halfway finished. We have the power to encourage the city to put the necessary resources into finishing the jobs they started. In other cases, we have the position to tell the City to make priorities out of things that might be overlooked.

The corollary of critiquing is bearing witness. When we see see inconsistencies or gaps in the way the City is operating, we can provide an alternative way. If we see neighborhoods that are still in need of revitalization, we bear witness to Christ by seeking their renewal with our own priorities and resources. One way we are bearing witness is by building a home for a family through Habitat for Humanity. Another way is setting the groundwork for getting to know our neighbors’ resources and needs through our “Good Neighbor Team." Our work is incomplete if we merely critique that which we think is wrong. But if we live by an alternative reality, we show a better way, the way of God's Kingdom.

This is our city, and the decisions of the city’s leadership affect us and our neighbors. We pray that our God will guide their decisions, and that they will regard and provide for the most vulnerable among us.

Go to the People

A couple weekends ago I went to a one-day intensive in Raleigh put on by the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). CCDA is a network of people, churches, and ministries from around the country who are seeking to embody the Gospel of Jesus in under-resourced communities. It was inspiring to see so many other Christians and churches in the Triangle who wanted to deepen their missional engagement with their communities.

I was reminded of this Chinese proverb that is often used to summarize the philosophy of Christian Community Development ministry - ministry that sees Christ’s incarnation at the heart of it. The proverb speaks for itself. I thought it was appropriate for our journey this year.
                                           

-Reynolds

 

Go to the people

Live among them

Learn from them

Love them

Start with what they know

Build on what they have

But of the best leaders

When their task is done

The people will remark

"We have done it ourselves."

[Ancient Chinese Proverb]

Mission is for Everyone

On Sunday during our worship service, our congregation filled out a survey for the mission theme. The survey asked each of us if we have experience or interest in a broad range of fields, from housing to health care. At the heart of this survey is a core conviction: that Christian mission is for everyone.

Churches have a tendency to compartmentalize mission. It’s assumed that mission is for the missionaries - those who sacrifice a “normal” career to pursue some higher calling. Or if it’s not for the career missionaries, it’s at least for those who can articulately share their faith with their co-workers or are willing to take a certain number of hours out of their week to volunteer at a non-profit organization or with church mission groups.

These are fundamental parts of the Church’s mission - career missionaries, sharing our faith, and committing our time to service. But on their own they offer a truncated view of Christ’s mission. Jesus didn’t come merely to tell people about himself, call a few experts who would do the work for everyone else, and encourage us to do service projects periodically.

God’s mission in Christ is cosmic. It must be cosmic, because the whole earth - that is, not just people, but every quarter of the world - is suffering under sin and brokenness. In Romans, Paul writes, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves” (Rom 8:20-23, NRSV). The bondage of the world is not hard to see when we encounter disease epidemics, droughts, famines, economic inequality, racial injustice, corrupt politics, and widespread violence.

The mission that Christ invites us into is not an escape route from this broken world, but rather an invitation to be healed, and to heal the broken world. Paul writes in Colossians that through Christ, “God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20). Thank God that sin and brokenness are not the only things that are cosmic. God’s gift of salvation in Christ is also cosmic. And as the Church, we are called to witness to this salvation by seeking the restoration and renewal of all things.

This means that we engage in Christian mission not only in our support of missionaries or our volunteering, but in every aspect of our lives. It means that each of us can use our skills, experiences, and interests for the mission of God. If people lack housing, it’s not only homeless shelters who can help; anyone who can swing a hammer or who knows how to provide affordable housing can heal that area of our society. If people are struggling financially, it’s an opportunity for anyone who can teach economic literacy or job skills training to use their gifts for God’s mission.

When the Scriptures say that Christ made peace through the blood of his cross, it’s a bigger peace than mere inner peace or an absence of conflict between two parties. It’s the Old Testament concept of Shalom that the people of Israel longed for in their journey with God. It’s a cosmic peace makes all things right. One way it’s been described is a state where “nothing is missing, nothing is broken.”

What would it look like if, in Durham, nothing was missing and nothing was broken? And in what ways can we use our experiences and skills to bring fullness and healing to our city? As we continue to listen to our neighbors and to our city, may Christ show each of us the full extent to which we can participate in the making of shalom. 

Three Lessons from Dr. King

This Monday is America’s annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we remember Dr. King, what can we learn from him about what it means to be a good neighbor? MLK frequently referred to the parable of the Good Samaritan and challenged America with the very question, “Who is My Neighbor?” In his final speech in Memphis, popularly known as “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” he references the Good Samaritan, and I believe there are three main things we can learn from King’s exposition of this parable.

1. The Good Samaritan saves us from self-preservation. This message was present in many of King’s uses of the Good Samaritan. When he spoke in Memphis, the focus of his speech was the Memphis Sanitation Strike, when some 1300 black sanitation workers walked off the job in protest of discrimination and dangerous working conditions. Much of the unrest was due to the death of two sanitation workers who, after being criticized by Memphis citizens for “picnicking,” or eating lunch outside their truck, sat in the compactor (since there was little room in the bed of the truck), and were crushed when the machine malfunctioned. King said the following in reference to the difficult question about whether to help the sanitation workers:


And so the first question that the priest asked -- the first question that the Levite asked was, "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him? That's the question before you tonight. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to my job. Not, "If I stop to help the sanitation workers what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?" The question is not, "If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?" The question is, "If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?" That's the question.


King showed how our tendency toward self-preservation is often motivated by fear. We ask the wrong question because we fear what others will think of us when we associate with certain people or certain causes. We fear being interrupted and having our weekly tasks or long-term goals thrown off. But King reminds us that when we put the welfare of others before ourselves, we can have faith that God will take care of us and our loved ones. Jesus can help us turn our “What will happen to me?” into “What will happen to them?”


2. The Good Samaritan saves us from misplaced preoccupations.
In King’s speech in Memphis, he recounts his trip that he took with his wife to Jerusalem. He had an opportunity to drive down the Jericho Road which Jesus references in the parable, and this is what he says about it:


It's a winding, meandering road. It's really conducive for ambushing. You start out in Jerusalem, which is about 1200 miles -- or rather 1200 feet above sea level. And by the time you get down to Jericho, fifteen or twenty minutes later, you're about 2200 feet below sea level. That's a dangerous road. In the days of Jesus it came to be known as the "Bloody Pass."



Anyone who drives down a dangerous road knows that it takes a lot of concentration. You need to calculate the turns, dodge the potholes, be aware of oncoming traffic, and if there’s a steep downhill you need to make sure you don’t pick up too much speed. And you better hope the weather is good. With all of these details keeping you preoccupied, it’s hard to think about things that don’t directly benefit your immediate goal: getting to the end of the road.

But perhaps our goal is not the end of the road. What if our goal is the middle of the road? What if our goal is looking for people who are struggling on the journey and being with them as they travel the road? King helped us to see how this parable sets our eyes in a different direction. As Christians we live by a different reality where our primary goal is to love God and love others. This goal makes us slow down on the hectic Jericho Road that we call life. In fact it often makes us go very slowly. And as we see in the parable, sometimes it causes us to completely stop. Only when we go slowly and stop along the way are we able to see our true purpose. 

3. The Good Samaritan saves us from our own causes.
King was criticized for visiting Memphis when he did. Many thought that advocating for the sanitation workers was not a strategic decision in his civil rights campaign. There were other cities and other causes that had more significance and would generate more support. In general, King was criticized when he took up causes that seemed to divert from the main civil rights agenda. His decisions to oppose the Vietnam War and take up the Poor People’s Campaign did not, by any means, generate unanimous support from other civil rights leaders.

As King stated in his speech in Memphis, the question is not so much “What will happen to me if I do?” as it is “What will happen to them if I do not?” In Memphis, he saw that the injustice done to sanitation workers needed to be addressed. Yes, like some of his other decisions, it might have taken him away from the large-scale civil rights movement. But King knew the danger of allowing a movement, program, or initiative to abstract itself from the people who are suffering, the people for whom it is intended.

Initiatives and programs can be a gift - they can create a common vision to rally around. But we pray that as soon as our programming becomes an idol that removes us from loving God and loving others, it will take a backseat. In our church it might be easy to think that good programming means good work is being done. But the program is only the framework. It’s the vehicle that we’re driving in down the Jericho road.

Ironically, in King’s Memphis speech, which was the night before his assassination, he emphasized his readiness to die for the cause. What gave him such confidence? He said, “I just want to do God’s will...He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land.” It’s a picture of hope that gave MLK his confidence. He was able to believe in something that his faith in Christ gave him the vision to see. As we continue our journey of learning what it means to take part in Christ’s mission - what it means to know and love our neighbor - we pray that our vision will be transformed. We pray that we will see with eyes that have seen the Promised Land.

*All excerpts of King’s speech are taken from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop.htm.