Working With the Man in the
Mirror: Pastoring Churches and the “Mission”
Of course, it was
for a White Church, a Black Church, and a Hispanic Church.
I found all three,
Cary Alliance, Elevation, and La Primera Iglesia and Caratini’s Church.
Caratini’s church was really small. They had a store front listed as their
address off of Cameron Village. They had
services at an old movie theater in Raleigh near where Hamricks used to
be. They rented one of the theater
rooms, and preached.
Caratini’s ministry focused on direct help for people, to
include purchasing and housing people. I
saw the church grow. I left the church
when I got married, my ex-wife did not speak Spanish. And, the church grew and grew, and, now it is
one of the biggest churches in Raleigh.
His focus remained to directly help people by providing them
services. And, right now, he has one of
the biggest homeless feed programs along with a whole host of other programS
that is the foundation of that church growth.
The church is huge and attendance in the thousands.
Some pastors inherit congregations, as they assume the
pastoral responsibility. They assume a
position over a large congregation. That
“inheritance” can be good or bad. The
focus should be a mission to do the will of God, and, not continue things as
usual.
“They are coming to Wendell”, was the proclamation. Who is “they”? Aren’t “they” already in Wendell? Who is “coming”? Our church will grow as we welcome them. But, “they” are here I think. They, the people Christ wants us to witness
to, are in the poor sections of Wendell.
They are over by the 231 Junction, the trailer homes that are
impoverished. They are in Robinwood and
Oliver House, subsidized elderly and housing.
They are in the trailer homes that are hidden away near Cover Bridge and
231 Junction, and Morphus Bridge Road.
They are by Chaplin Street. Who
are they? They should be the poor. Otherwise, “they” must be the well-to-do,
that will come to live in the newly built houses, those near/on Wood Green and
other parts of Wendell like Wendell Falls.
Help those that can help themselves?
Help them? Welcome them?
Readers used to be incorporated into the church. They are coming. but how many are here? How many church vans have wheelchair lifts to
bring the disabled to services on Sunday?
How many “old granny moms” and “old granny dad” that can no-longer drive
come to church on Sunday. Oh, that’s
right, a church van pulls up to Oliver House every Sunday Morning “to invite
them to worship” whom cannot walk or drive to the church on Sunday’s and
Wednesday. It was nice this past Sunday
seeing a minister preach whom really needed a reader to help him, but that was
a reminder of the past (for the past three weeks I have been attend two
separate church services on Sundays at two different churches). The past is where the majority of the
congregation could not read and readers were needed. The past is where I attended services where
people could not hold their bibles or needed someone to turn the pages for
them, but they worshipped and loved God.
This past Sunday, I wanted so bad to go to the front, during
services, and be the only wheelchair in the front (HBC). But, it is not through dramatic and
disruptive acts. God tends to gently ask
us to do His will. That will, if I am
not mistaken, is doing what Jesus did, taking to the streets to go to the ones
whom could not attend church. He went
out and healed the sick, crippled, maimed and insane, etc. Or perhaps, the church should be a placed
where the crippled and infirmed should not be because of their “blemish”. Two contradictory theologies here. Having a place at the Table of David, or/versus,
Pharisees and Sadducees and the pomp and glory of church with no action. I thought the wedding was “not attended” and
it was commanded to “go out and get those” whom were not invited. A cripple and homeless person is rarely
invited, but, should church continue the policy.
To think and reflect, is the church representative, with
every Sunday attendance, of what the church was charged to do. Can you count the number of wheelchairs and
canes during the morning services? Are
they more than 1%, one, two, or three? I
would think that if you have at least 1 for every 25 attendees, then, you are
doing good? Think about it like this,
somebody’s grandma and grandpa is not making it to church. Some impoverished child down the block is not
making it to church. If you can get one
person from Robinwood and one from Oliver House, then, that would be a start, I
would think.
Being a pastor is an awesome responsibility. You tend to lead by example. If you are okay with the church vans just
sitting idle on Sunday, then so be it.
Just do not say, “Nobody ever said anything.” Charge the deacons. Charge the elders. If they do not heed, you might try going out
yourself at least once a month. I was so
happy and have been so happy when the same guy whom helped me with the
communion table, months to a year ago, is there to hold the door open as I
wheel down the ramp at high speed at HBC.
There are different focuses of different churches. Some of them have awesome special needs
programs. Are you content with what the
CHURCH is doing and how it looks?
An attempt at a new ministry is being made. The focus is the Eastern Part of the
State. Further out from Wendell. It is trying to help others thereat. Why focus on areas where they is already a “truck
load of services”.
He said, “That is why we need somebody like you.” You see the vision, you see the wheelchairs.
I responded with “is that not the mission for the church”. What does the pastor see?
Churches have changed.
The populations tend to be younger.
The feeling tend to be the elderly need to be in nursing homes to be
visited on Sundays. Not, while the
elderly are in nursing homes, we should bring them to church on Sunday.
Yesterday, I sat and heard that it was only in the 1990s,
that this big military state began to have nursing homes for Vets. So, it was decades before someone saw the
need in North Carolina. It is 2016, with
all the handicapped equipped vehicles, you would think that every church would “have
one”, Hum? My step dad sold two last year for $2000.00
each. I am sure “too expensive” would be
one argument. “Seek and ye shall find”; “knock
and the door shall be opened”. 2016 and
still not every church “has one”, a van to pick up those elderly. Those attachments to the “back of vans” do
not cost so much. You can start with the
cheapest route, less that $350.00, to make your non-handicapped vans capable of
carrying at least one wheelchair http://www.calibex.com/Wheelchair-Carrier/shop-html?nxtg=5ed0a1c050d-4308A09AEBC046C4
. SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND. CARRY SOMEBODY TO CHURCH. Just make sure you get a trap to cover the
chair if it rains.
No comments:
Post a Comment