Every time I go anywhere with Pastor John, we meet people he knows. Walking on the street, people stop their cars in the middle of the road to talk to him. Stopping outside of church, the pre-school students want to show him their toys. Going to City Hall, the mayor’s staff (and mayor) knows him. Attending other public events, multitudes of other clergy members come over to say hello.
One of the things I love about Madison is that it is a church deeply invested in the neighborhood. Having Pastor John, who after being here for 31 years is a bit of a local celebrity, helps a lot. But many of the church members live within walking distance of the church. They’ve grown up here and are now raising families here. And the church itself offers services and support for the community. There’s a food pantry, ESL classes, preschool, after-school care and summer day camp, and discipleship houses (half-way houses for men coming out of drug and alcohol rehab programs). The summer outreach program for kids has multiple goals. Some are more overtly religious, like sharing the gospel and learning Bible verses; some are more practical, like giving the kids a safe place off the streets to play, have fun, and begin positive relationships with church members.
We talked about the relationship between word and deed in my missions class last quarter. The seminary generally tends to emphasis word (not surprisingly given the vocation and generation of most of the professors). I feel like Madison is a good example of holding these two in tension and doing them together. When someone comes in to get food at the food pantry, the food pantry volunteers also pray with those receiving food (as long as they want it). We have prayer in the worship service on Sunday, but also a group who prayerwalks around the neighborhood on Tuesday evening. The discipleship houses offer a safe, stable place to live along with emotional and spiritual support. Many of the guys that live in the houses are also a part of the men’s Bible study.
There is a Biblical foundation for this sort of ministry, as well. The FYF students were supposed to read To Live in Peace: Biblical Faith and the Changing Inner City before they got here, and then we had a discussion with the author, who lives in Harlem. (I’m not sure if any of the students actually made it the whole way through the book; its pretty dense for high school students.) I found it helpful to think about how Christians are called to care for those who are robbed, beaten, and bruised, as the Samaritan did in the parable. How we are called to bring about the peace of the city (Jer. 29:7) and seek its shalom (not only peace, but completeness, and well-being). As Christians, we must love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. We need both word and deed together. We are not truly loving others if we care for only their spiritual needs or only their physical needs.
I’m leaving Paterson soon (slightly over a week). But I’m thinking about how I, and the communities I’m a part of, share both word and deed with others. How can I become a part of my neighborhood? How is my church a part of its neighborhood and how can I join that? When I’m graduated from seminary and in full-time ministry, what choices will I have to make to ensure I’m a part of a broader community?
