Washington District Newsletter September 2010
Sept_3XQDY4MJ._10.newsldocx.docx2.docx
Perceptions from a Pewboy
(offered by a superintendent to the people with whom he journeys)
A church member from another district said something to me recently that inspired a time of pondering. “You know,” he said, “I’m getting a little bit tired of hearing about this whole ‘Imagine No Malaria’ thing.”
“Why do you think that is,” I asked.
“Well,” he said, “it seems like we’re being asked to give a whole lot of money to people who are a world away instead of using that money to help the people who are right outside our doors.”
I asked him what his church was doing to help the people “right outside [their] doors.”
“Well…uh…um…well…we hold Vacation Bible School every year.”
“That’s great,” I said. “I’m glad to hear that. What else?”
“Well…uh…hmmm…we collect food for the local food bank every month.”
“Excellent! You’re helping to feed the poor. What else?”
Silence. Then, this response: “I’ll have to look at our church’s budget or bulletin for the specifics.”
That conversation reminded me of how compartmentalized and myopic the Church can be in its ministry and mission. We often fall into the trap of believing that our mission is to reach THIS person or THAT person instead of embracing the biblical mandate to go into “all the world” with the Gospel—not to mention the Wesleyan idea that the entire world is our parish.
Those who have a genuine heart for the church’s mission already know that the church’s mission field is always “both/and”—it is both the house next door and the house on the other side of the world, and both houses are inseparably linked in the beautiful and mysterious unity of the Holy Spirit. The Body of Christ, in other words, cannot afford to be territorial in its mission and outreach.
This became clear to me a few years back when I had the opportunity to visit and pray with patients in a hospital in the village of Ankaase (Ghana, West Africa). On that day, I prayed with a mother and her small child, both of whom were seeking treatment for malaria. We did not speak the same language, of course. However, in those sacred moments, we found unity in the shared vocabulary and intonation of prayer. The mother wept during that time of prayer. She wept, I assume, for the sick child that she held in her arms. Her tears became something sacramental for me—a baptismal water that flowed into the depths of my soul.
When I think about the ministry of “Imagine No Malaria,” I don’t think first of dollars and bed nets (as important as they are). Rather, I think of that mother and child in Ghana. I think of their faces and souls. I think of their tears. Most of all, I think of the truth that, if one person in the body of Christ suffers, then the entire body of Christ suffers.
As your colleague in ministry, I am asking you once again to interpret the ministry of “Imagine No Malaria” to your congregation and to help your congregation to support that ministry in significant ways. Some churches will be inspired to offer limited support (fund raising dinners, special offerings, etc.). But I hope that many churches will go beyond this. I hope that many churches will challenge and raise up individuals and families who are willing to join Tara and me in committing to a manageable (but still sacrificial) monthly contribution to the ministry of “Imagine No Malaria.” This is a big thing to ask, I know. But I am asking. I am asking because I believe that “Imagine No Malaria” deserves nothing less than our best effort.
Here are some practical steps for the fall, friends:
1. During the month of September, make it a priority to discuss the “Imagine No Malaria” ministry in your Church Council meetings, your Missions Committee meetings, your UMW and UMM meetings, and other gatherings where church leaders are present. More specifically, show the brief “Imagine No Malaria” introductory video to your church leaders in September and make certain that they have one of the tri-fold introductory brochures. (Both the video and the brochures can be ordered free of charge by using the resource order form included on the next page of the newsletter. The printed resources can also be downloaded at imaginenomalaria.org.)
2. Beginning in September, be sure to have “Imagine No Malaria” posters and
brochures in your church lobby and gathering places, so that information about the
ministry is readily available to your people. (Again, these FREE resources can be
ordered on the resource form or online.)
3. During the month of September, get at least one person in your congregation (who is not the pastor) to sign up for the “Imagine No Malaria” newsletter (which will help your congregation to stay in touch with this important ministry).
4. During the month of September, show the “Imagine No Malaria” video as part of your worship service (or services).
5. Finally, find a person (or persons) in your congregation who has the heart and calling to be a cheerleader, vision-caster, and motivator for the “Imagine No Malaria” ministry. Tell them to set a spiritual fire for this ministry and then set them loose!
I am grateful for all that you do in ministry. Your faithfulness and devotion are a regular source of inspiration to me. Thank you for standing alongside me, not only in the ministry of “Imagine No Malaria,” but in the entire multi-dimensional ministry of Christ’s holy Church.
May God bless you, your family, and your church or charge as you transition from summer to fall and as you continue to put hands, feet, and faces upon the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Gratefully,
Eric Park