Archive for July, 2010

Biblical Seminary has created a couple of videos for advertisement for the school. I really appreciated this one because it really grasps the nature of the times and the need for a “missional” Church in the West.

(5) Sermon at The Way of Life Community Church

Me and J.D.

Our point person throughout the trip was a pastor by the name of J.D. Landis. J.D. came to Mobile from Pennsylvania in the 60’s with his wife two weeks after they had just been married to serve in the Mennonite Volunteer Service. On Sunday, I was given the opportunity to give a sermon at The Way of Life Community Church in Mobile, AL, which is the church at which J.D. pastors. I spoke on Luke 18:9-14 and the call for Christians to be humble people. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get many chances to guest speak and so I really enjoy it. No one called me a “heretic” or walked out on me so I guess the people enjoyed it too (which could mean it wasn’t really that good).

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Me with Robert Thrower

Andrew Jackson—worse than Hitler? I never thought about this before, but Robert from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians thought so. It’s not that he is right or wrong about this statement, but, when you take into account the horrific things Andrew Jackson did to the Native Americans, you can understand why Robert would feel this way. Prior to coming on this trip, I had never interacted for an extended amount of time with someone who was a good part Native American. Robert who oversaw the soon-to-be-completed Cultural Center was my first experience.

Our visit to the Poarch Creek Indian reserve on Friday put us in contact with Robert Thrower. Rober was the director of the Cultural Center and took much time to tell us about Native American history—how the Creeks used to setup their homes, how they intermarried with Europeans very early on, and how Andrew Jackson sought to extinguish them.

Robert was also an ordained Southern Baptist, medicine man. Yes, read it again—ordained Southern Baptist, medicine man. He is ordained in the Southern Baptist Association (although he wouldn’t completely identify with the association), but he is also the tribe’s medicine man. Robert spent great lengths explaining how he would often taken traditional Creek Indian rituals and perform them for individuals at the reservation. Now, it was always focused on Christ, but it definitely mixed elements from Christianity and Creek Indian ritual. For instance, Robert told us about how he uses stones, worn out from water, to perform these rituals for members of the tribe who were dealing with certain issues—psychological, spiritual, emotional, and so forth. He said he would put a rock in someone’s hand, hold his hand above the other person’s (which was holding a rock), and feel “energy” coming from between their hands. To him, the energy is Christ.

K.J. and I were definitely thrown off by this. I mean, we’ve heard about people mixing elements from Christianity and tribal tradition before (like in Africa or some place), but we were never confronted with it head-on. I’m not sure how to think about this. On one end, I see the value. On the other, what appears to me to be, obvious danger. I will continue to wrestle with this. Like his stance of Andrew Jackson, I never thought about it this way, but it might just be that I’m not Creek Indian. Right now, I’m just not sure, but I would never doubt the spiritual maturity of Robert. He seems to be a strong Christian—evangelical, passionate, compassionate. And maybe that’s where I just need to stop. I’m not Creek Indian. I don’t understand, and it would be naïve for me to think that I don’t mix my own culture into our church. So, maybe I will just leave it at that…

There has been a lot to take in the past two days. I haven’t blogged about it until now since I wanted to be sure to properly sift through the stories I have. I would like to share a two stories with you –

Billy. K.J. and I arrived in Pass Christian, Mississippi, on Wednesday morning to work with Relevant Ministry. Relevant Ministry was started by Nelson Roth as a response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and seeks to bring God’s love to the people of the Gulf Coast. When we arrived, we met Jeff, a former church planter now Director of Relevant. Jeff told us that we would be helping finish a log cabin for a local, elderly gentleman named Billy.

I'm pretending to work

Billy lost his livelihood years ago when he lost his fishing boat to Hurricane Katrina. As he told us, his fishing boat ended up in the woods hundreds of yards from the marina. Sometime later, Billy lost his trailer to a fire. He was depressed, unmotivated, and discouraged. He has since begun to build a log cabin—something sturdy and well-built—as his home. Relevant Ministry stepped in to work on this project with him. So, K.J. and I joined with some (Mennonite) teenagers from Ohio to caulk the house and sand the wood floors. Billy was so thankful and grateful for all the work Relevant has done for him, and I was proud to observe a little piece of that.

Reverend Rosemary. Reverend Rosemary is an African-American, Methodist pastor in DeLisle, MS. After over 20 years teaching in the community, Rosemary answered her call to the pastorate. If you know anything about the UMC, pastors move in and out often and continuously (sometimes, even once a year). However, Rev. Rosemary has been in the same church of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. K.J. and I were given the opportunity to sit down with Rosemary to talk to her about her ministry. We found it very interesting that her husband also pastors a church a few miles from her. He drops her off on Sunday morning, then drives over to his church, and returns to catch the end of Rosemary’s service. Rosemary said jokingly that her services go longer than her husband’s because hers are more spirit and praise-filled.

I asked her questions about her ministry as a female pastor and if she has experienced difficulty because of it. We spoke about her working relationship with other churches and pastors in the area—how she is often called upon by other pastors and how they work smoothly with one another. She is an example of the beauty of the ecumenical movement. We also talked about how she feels that she is a mother of the community. After talking about some young men in her community that were killed in recent months, she is set to take action because “these are my children.” What a heart for a pastor to have! These young men didn’t go to her church, the parents don’t attend the church, but she still believes they are her children—such compassion is hardly matched in the pastorate today.

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The pillar is the height at which waters rose to during Katrina

What I can tell from the past two days is that people are still suffering in this area. If you see the one picture, K.J. and I are standing by the bridge in Pass Christian. The pillar is the height at which the waters rose during Katrina. I can’t imagine it, and the people who have experienced are having difficulty getting over it. Even our friend Billy took some time. But with the help of Christians like Reverend Rosemary and Relevant Ministry, I believe God’s Spirit can move in the Gulf Coast to bring grace to the community; for what we call disaster, God calls opportunity.

“I want to give you a hug because my son’s a minister (like you),” said a elderly woman with a red hat as she put her arm around me. K.J. and I visited a senior center which meets in The Way of Life Community Church on Tuesday morning. We were there simply to hang out with the seniors and hear their stories. However, we were asked to share our stories with the group of elderly, Southern folk. They laughed at K.J.’s examples of Pittsburgh slang, and they were interested in offering some of their own Mobile “talk.” I’m never too sure how to relate to senior citizens. They are often interested in my nationality–why my last name is Irish, first name is Welsh, but I look more Italian than anything–or sharing stories with me about the way the neighborhood was (beautiful, wonderful, streets of gold) and what it is like now (rough, crime-filled, broken down). So, I wasn’t so sure how this would turn out, but I have to say…getting a hug was a way of being welcomed into their group.

Looking back, I realize what the problem was. The problem was me. I came in with an attitude of how do I (the superior, know-it-all) interact with the senior citizen. I was trying to relate to them so that they could come to where I am, but, instead, they invited me to where they are. I had to be accepted. I wasn’t do the accepting. They were accepting me. The proper response from an outsider like me to a hug from someone from within the group is, “I could sure use one.” Because I did.

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K.J. and I have arrived in Mobile, Alabama. After a brief layover in Memphis, we picked up another plane to Mobile. We attempted to pick up our “reserved” rental vehicle but were informed that it would take over an hour to receive it. So, we waited in the airport, which is great because there’s so much to do–there’s like…chairs. We eventually did receive our Hyundai Elantra and met our guide J.D. and our professor Steve at The Way of Life Community Church–a small, Anabaptist community. J.D., a Lancaster native, came to Mobile, AL, in the 60’s to plan a church and be involved in the civil rights movement. We were also fortunate enough to meet Ping, an intern from Laos, who enjoys traveling and taking photos.

After introductions, we stopped by everyone’s favorite Mobile, AL, sandwich joint–Subway–and were provided a tour of the area. Obviously, the oil spill has received a lot of the attention of the locals, but it appears that although some have lost business, others are gaining it through efforts to prepare for or clean-up the pending arrival of the oil (catch 22). We spent some time sightseeing in Bayou la Barte, and, over crab claws and french fries, we discussed the upcoming week. Here’s a breakdown of what we are hoping to do:

• Tuesday: visit Vietnamese family. Tour a Laotian Buddhist temple with Ping as translator/tour guide.
• Wednesday and Thursday: K.J. and I will be Mississippi to assist Relevant Ministry with post-Katrina construction.
• Friday: return to Alabama to visit Poarch Creek–a Native American reserve to interact with the individuals there. It sounds fascinating, and I will be sure to update you on this experience.
• Saturday: day off. We might try to hit New Orleans since we are two hours away. Our friend Tim is there now, but he is leaving on Thursday so we will just miss him.
• Sunday: I will be preaching at The Way of Life Community Church. I haven’t nailed down the sermon yet, but I think I will talk about what we learn from children about God’s kingdom. K.J. will provide an eventful time for the youth. That evening, we will be interacting with Vietnamese youth in an almost youth group setting.
• Monday: on the way home.

I am really looking forward to this week. But what has stayed with me from today is the pain many in the area have felt–Hurricane Katrina and now the oil spill. I am happy that the spill was capped today, but, at the same time, there is serious suffering. Ping told us a story of a Vietnamese woman they have been working with who is caught in a cycle of domestic abuse, how a large percentage of the people are caught in alcoholism and gambling addiction, and J.D. shared the horrific story of a man who killed his children. There is real pain and suffering happening in this area. I pray that God shows K.J. and I a glimpse of what it is like to work with those who are suffering.

Please pray for K.J. and I, but more importantly, please pray for God’s love to be poured out in Mobile, AL, and the surrounding area.

Graduation: My Fan Club

It was a close call, but Amanda delivered Evan IV on June 24th and, within 48 hours, both were able to attend my commencement from Biblical Seminary. It was a great moment to be able to walk with my class and join in with the graduation festivities. As I heard my name called, I walked up and received what appeared to be my diploma and took my seat. It was not until I was in the lobby afterward that I realized I did not have my physical degree. Instead, there was a note that said something to the effect: “You have not received your degree for one of the following reasons:” and the one that applied to me was incomplete work.

Thus, even though I attended commencement, there is one more requirement to fulfill before I receive my (physical) degree: the Intercultural Ministry Experience (or IME). The purpose of the IME is to develop our understanding of leadership and ministry in a globally-connected age. This involves developing my abilities in intercultural ministry and service, gaining insight into the global church, and opening up opportunities to interact with individuals despite language and cultural barriers.

The majority of my cohort visited Vietnam; however, I was not able to join them due to the (then, pending) arrival of Evan IV. Instead, another cohort member and were given approval by the seminary to do an alternate trip, where we will seek to engage in a similar experience by interacting with a fishing community of Vietnamese immigrants on the Gulf Coast in Bayou la Batre near Mobile, Alabama, from July 12-19th. Our goal will be to engage this community in order to better understand the body of Christ as it manifests itself in a different culture, to understand the journey of an immigrant people as they adjust to life within the United States, and (as the newspapers show) will be assisting these communities through this troublesome time of the BP oil spill.

I will continue to update and reflect on the trip here. I am very excited for this opportunity, and I am not trying to be distracted from my goal there. The chance I have for distraction is great since I really just want to finish so I can have my MDiv in hand, but, if I think like this, I will miss out on this wonderful opportunity God has provided.

Please pray for me and my friend, K.J., as we head out to the Gulf.