Previous Post – Churches that Transform Neighbourhoods – 1

“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems.

“My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.  It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress.

“But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own and to let them know with words, handshakes and hugs that you do not simply like them- but truly love them.” – Henri Nouwen, ¡Gracias!

These words have always been a deeply important for me, not only as a reminder of how easily distracted I can became in the work of ministry, but more so as a vision of the kind of person I want to be and the kind of community I want to be a part of.  While it has not always been easy, I believe that Little Flowers Community is becoming this kind of family.

Our community is a small, inner city church plant made of up of amazing people from the neighbourhood (and a few from outside of it).  Predominately young women in their early twenties, Little Flowers has also become a place where people can come to feel welcomed, safe and loved.  We’ve worked hard at being a community where people know they are not judged, yet loved enough not to have their brokenness and sin ignored.  Because of this, many of the people who come to us are deeply wounded- the addicted, the abused, the rejected, the exploited.  People rejected as sluts, fags and retards.  And we really do love each other, sharing life, faith & mission out of our shared brokenness.

That can sound beautiful- and it is!- even romantic- which it is not!  I would not want to give up what we have.  And yet, what we have is threatened.  We are a small, young group of Christians that needs the wider Body of Christ.  Yes, we need your prayers, your volunteerism and your support.  These things are invaluable to us!  Of course we appreciate your financial contributions, your affirmation of our zeal and the honour to come and share our work with your communities.  It has meant the world to us!

It is just not enough.

More than anything, we need you.

We need you to be present with us.  We want to know as a friend and neighbourhood.  We need to break bread with you, not just once a month (or even once a week).  We want to hear your stories and have you hear ours.  We want to see you smile when you see us coming,  We want to know you with such familiarity that greeting with anything other than a hug would seem distant.

Again, please don’t miss the depth of this because of the romanticism or sentiment.  The long term health and sustainability of Little Flowers Community depends on people like you choosing to share life with us in deep and meaningful ways.  That is no small thing, because, as the quote above suggests, it is all too easy to fill our lives with “good things” to the point where we haven’t the time for such relationships.  It requires divestment and relinquishment.  It demands intentionality and choice.

The costs that such relationships require do not end there.  It will mean, for some, to leave other communities for the sake of joining our.  It might mean moving homes, schools and neighbourhoods to really, truly be present.  I want to make this clear because we are not asking for casual volunteers or occasional visitors.  We want you to “pitch your tent among us”.  This isn’t about sheep stealing, but about a community in great need, yet a community that has much to offer as well.  This is a Macedonian Call.

I love my community, but I am also afraid for it.  While there is much we can do (and are doing) as a community to mature and grow, we are also deeply convinced that what God wants for us next is something outside of our control.  The ball is no longer in our court.  So we extend the invitation.  We eagerly await your reply.  Know that this question is not rhetorical:

Will you join us?

Tags: church, Community, Missional

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 15th, 2011 at 11:20 am and is filed under Community, Missional, church. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.