Help Wanted: Risk-Taking Mission and Service

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Matthew 25: 31-40 Rev. Marianne Niesen March 14, 2010

The ad ran in a London newspaper in December of 1914. Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small Wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. And there were so many responses that Ernest Henry Shackleton had to turn many away. The opportunity he offered was, of course, service on the Endurance and its ill-fated mission to the South Pole.

Today we are considering the 4th of the five ‘essential practices of a vital, vibrant congregation’ identified by Bishop Robert Schnase.¹ We’ve already examined radical hospitality, passionate worship and intentional faith development. Today, the topic is risk-taking mission and service. I don’t think the ‘ad’ we might run would be quite as dire as Shackleton’s but I do think his ad captures the urgency and commitment mission demands - and any congregation worth its salt simply must risk mission involvement that makes a difference in this troubled world of ours. The gospel text I just read makes that quite clear. Through risk-taking mission and service - feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the homeless, visiting prisoners, healing the sick, caring for the human family - we work to do what we pray about every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer . . . to make God’s kingdom come, God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That’s what the parable of the sheep and goats is about - bringing the love and justice of heaven to earth. After all, the only employment agency God has, the only funds God can use, are those of men and women like us, committed to mission and service.

Risk-taking mission and service. This is something we know well here at St. Paul’s. This is not a church community that needs to be convinced that we must be in mission in the world. We’ve known it for a long time. Often led through the amazing example of our United Methodist Women, making a difference through mission has been a hallmark of what we do. There are countless ways over the years that we have reached out to the local community and to the world. And quite frankly, in this day and age, that alone is risk-taking. The climate around us has grown more suspicious and more selfish. We hear it in comments like . . . I think we need to just take care of people in our own back yard. Why should we care about Haiti? Chile? Mozambique? What are we anyway - the caretakers of the world? You’ve heard that kind of stuff. Open-minded outreach has become rarer and as that happens, any group that continues to reach out must take greater risks and be more vocal about why we do it.

And the ‘why’ of it all is quite simple. Risk-taking mission and service is about giving ourselves away because that is how we do what Jesus did. We’ve been blessed and blessing is never for ourselves alone - it is to share. It is not about trying to convert people. It is about doing good, however ever we can, whenever we can, wherever we can. It is about doing what we can to be sure God’s kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. That is why our United Methodist Committee on Relief is in ministry wherever help is needed. The questions asked are never ‘are these people Christian? Or - are they saved? Or even - are they worthy? Could they have done more to prevent this disaster? The questions are instead - is there need? Is there suffering? Can we help?

Watch this video clip with me, produced by UMCOR about our work in Haiti . . .²

Risk-taking mission and service. So far, we have been asked to respond to the Haiti earthquake by sending money. And, the response has been tremendous. As you heard, our Conference alone has raised almost $100,000 and the UMC almost $14.5 million and counting. Now the next step begins. Just this past Wednesday, we received word that plans for on-the-ground help are taking shape. In consultation with the Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti, a list of priority projects and needs have been identified. UMCOR is now making plans to send volunteer teams to do specifically identified projects. Given the fact that 75 percent of Port-au-Prince itself will need to be rebuilt, there will be no end to those projects for a long time to come. There is hope that the first teams will be on the ground in Haiti by April 1st.

So . . . don’t you think the time has come to begin to plan and raise funds to send a mission team from St. Paul’s to Haiti? Our own Debbie Irby is the Yellowstone Conference coordinator for all UMVIM teams and she will have a table in the foyer if you want to express your interest in either going to Haiti or contributing to make it possible for someone else to go. It costs money to go on a mission trip and sometimes the people with the physical ability and time are not the people who can afford to go. And some of us have funds but don’t have the stamina or ability to go to places like Haiti where conditions will be very rough and challenging. But together, we have it all. I’m also told that it would be very helpful to have some knowledge of Haitian Creole - the Haitian language which is a variation of French with some African mixed in. So, since I actually do have some knowledge of French, I have started some rudimentary on-line Haitian Creole lessons. It’s already challenging - but that’s what risk- taking mission is all about. I am hoping to join one of our mission teams in the next year or so.

Risk-taking mission and service. A couple of years ago, St. Paul’s, led by Mary Linn Crouse, organized our ‘shower ministry.’ Mary Linn and our Church and Society Committee, working with advocates for the homeless, recognized a particular need for women and children to have access to a clean bathroom and a safe place to take a shower. Mary Linn studied the problem and how we might use our facility to provide a needed service. She brought information to the staff. The Trustees looked at it, checked insurance issues and facility requirements. Finally, our Church Council gave wholehearted approval to open our space to homeless women and children in need. Dedicated volunteers were trained. The opportunity was advertised and our showers have been open for business most Saturday mornings for over a year. Unfortunately, very few women have taken advantage of the opportunity. That’s what happens sometimes - we try things and, while we know there is a need, our efforts aren’t able to meet it. Risk-taking mission and service sometimes means risking failure. But that doesn’t mean our work is in vain.

I am proud to say that St. Paul’s - partly because of our work researching the use of our showers and partly because of our work on and hosting of the Way Home event for the homeless the past several years, is one of the leaders in an effort to concretely address the problem of homelessness right here in Helena. In an Independent Record article on January 7, 2010, the business manager at God’s Love reported that in 2008, God’s Love distributed $15,300 worth of emergency housing vouchers. Since God’s Love only has housing facilities for men, these vouchers are provided to homeless families to get a night or nights at the Budget Inn. That money served 83 families - that is, 58 men, 111 women, 24 single women, and 93 children. But, vouchers are hardly the solution to a growing problem.

So, last summer, church leaders in Helena began to study a program called Family Promise. This is a national program - currently active in many places, including Bozeman and Billings. In the program, churches in a community commit space in their building every 2½ -3 months to house up to ten people from homeless families for a week. The local Family Promise board hires a director, provides beds and transportation and runs a ‘day center.’ Homeless families are screened for the program and, once accepted, they are housed at night in a host church. During the day, the children go to school and the parents go to work or spend time working on finding employment, as well as permanent housing. At 5 p.m each evening, the families arrive at the host church. Dinner is provided by members of the church or others who eat and socialize with the families. Different areas in the church are set up as bedrooms for the families so for the week each family has their own space. The parents care for their own children - this is not a baby-sitting service. It is temporary shelter for homeless families. In the morning, breakfast is provided and the families are picked up in the Family Promise van and taken to the Day Center. Every week, on Sunday morning, families leave their host church and that evening are brought to the new host church and it starts again. Throughout their time in the program, the whole idea is help homeless families get back on their feet, address what it is that led to homelessness and, obviously, save some money so they will - hopefully in 3 months or so - be able to have permanent housing.

This is a program that works. It has an incredible track record. It is a concrete way we can help people move from homelessness to shelter and can help parents provide for their families. Why would any church community not want to be part of that? As of last Monday night, we have 5 host churches in Helena committed to this ministry. They are St. Paul’s, Evangelical Covenant, St. Peter’s Episcopal, First Christian and First Baptist. Our own Liz Harter is working on the recruitment team to find host churches - and you can help. People’s concerns about this are the usual - wear and tear on the building, concerns about being inconvenienced, scheduling issues - and those are all valid concerns. But risk-taking mission and service is the call for all Christians. If you hear your friends talking about this, encourage them. Tell them we’re involved. Call the office and we’ll put you in touch with someone who can answer questions. Marcia Armstrong is our St. Paul’s Family Promise leader. She and Liz Moore are members of the Core Team and will serve on the Board. Already many are involved. We hope our generous shower ministry people will be helping as the program comes to fruition. The plan is to host our first families in one of the host churches on January 2, 2011. Before then we need 7 more host churches, a van, a day center, beds, other supplies, a director - and money. (And, in fact, if you want to donate to this at any time, just make a check out to St. Paul’s and mark it ‘Family Promise’ and we will hold it for them until the necessary papers are filed.) This is one of the most concrete ways we can be in mission and make an incredibly big difference in people’s lives right here at home. So listen for more news and if you want to get involved sooner, just call the office!

Risk-taking mission and service. It’s been a big deal at St. Paul’s for a long time. Our United Methodist Women have led the way consistently, raising more money and awareness about mission involvement every year. Our youth are heading for a mission in Florida and will be commissioned next week. Our Mission Team has organized work in Louisiana and Mozambique. Our Church and Society Team is working with Family Promise and Habitat for Humanity and Intermountain and many other local missions. This stuff is part of our DNA here and for that I rejoice and give thanks. The challenge is that we not rest in our history but that we press on, continuing to lead in risk-taking mission and service as Jesus did, for the love of God.

I have one more short video clip - this one a message from our Bishop, introducing us to Operation Resurrection 2010. This is part of a longer interview she did with Rev. Jim Gulley who was with UMCOR director, Sam Dixon, and UMVIM leader, Clint Rabb, both of whom died in the Haiti earthquake. Of the three who were together that day, only Jim survived.

Show Gulley Interview.³

Help wanted for hazardous journey of faith. Small Wages. Bitter cold or sweltering heat or wind or rain - or some really nice weather. Long months of fund raising and work. Some danger. Safe return probable. Honor and recognition in the heart of God. Risk-taking mission and service. “Truly, I tell you, just as you shared with one of the least of these who are members of my family, you have shared with me.”

¹ Bishop Robert Schnase, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Abingdon Press,^c2007

² http://new.gbgm-umc.org/resources/media/index.cfm?i=32182

³ Found at http://yacumc.org/ - I will show the short version of the interview.