United Methodist News ~ Thursday, 24 October 2013

United Methodist News ~ Thursday, 24 October 2013

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“We felt it was time to move from focusing on acts of mercy to addressing issues of justice, especially the systemic issue of poverty. To think of channeling those resources and that energy into our communities, transforming the world one family at a time, is a little scary, but we feel it is the next faithful step that God is calling us to take.”(The Rev. Mary Teasley, Greenville, S. C. district superintendent.)

S.C. district fights poverty through friendship (Jessica Connor)

GREENVILLE, S.C. (UMNS) — When it comes to helping “the least of these,” United Methodists rally to help, collecting canned goods and coats, stuffing backpacks, adopting Christmas families, dropping pennies in buckets – the list goes on.

But while the help is generous, it’s often abstract and disconnected; many of those who help neighbors in poverty never actually lay eyes on the people they help. They put items in a bin or buy presents for a collection box; often, no other interaction occurs.

“There’s this gap,” said the Rev. Jerry Hill, pastor of Dunean United Methodist Church, Greenville, and minister of social ministries and mission outreach at Buncombe Street UMC. Churches are often nestled in the suburbs, he said, and members can spend their lives giving and giving without ever becoming friends with – let alone meeting – a poor person.

The Greenville District wants to change that.

The Greenville District is embracing a new mission effort to truly connect with neighbors in poverty. Called the Methodist Family Partnering With Families Initiative, the project aims to focus local UMCs on the needs of families in poverty, seeking to inspire, educate and structure church ministry with, not to, these families to be more effective. A kickoff event will be Oct. 26.

The goal is for each of the 70 UMCs in the Greenville District to form a relationship with a family in poverty.

For it is in those relationships that real good can be done, organizers of the initiative said. On the surface, these families represent alarming statistics. But up close and personal, they are real people who need more than money and clothing, Hill said. They also need mentoring, alliance, friendship and mutual goal-setting. They need the relationship that comes from a church in true partnership with them.

Stemming from the S.C. Conference’s participation in the global Pan-Methodist Campaign for Children in Poverty, the District Connectional Ministries Outreach and Advocacy committees crafted the initiative, and the rest of the Greenville District signed on to help. The Rev. Mary Teasley, Greenville District superintendent, said district churches were inspired by their success with Stop Hunger Now meal-packing efforts the past year, as well as similar outreach ministries, and wanted to take things to the next level.

“We felt it was time to move from focusing on acts of mercy to addressing issues of justice, especially the systemic issue of poverty,” Teasley said. “To think of channeling those resources and that energy into our communities, transforming the world one family at a time, is a little scary, but we feel it is the next faithful step that God is calling us to take.”

The Rev. Christine Matthews, pastor of Salem UMC, is leading the initiative along with Hill and others with the Outreach and Advocacy committees.

“Part of the partnership is assisting them when assistance is needed. But it’s not just that. It goes deeper than that,” Matthews said. “We do have a lot of churches doing wonderful ministries like food pantries and backpack programs, and I don’t in any way want to diminish what is going on in that way, but we want to deepen that – not just giving assistance but building a relationship.”

Matthews said the word “partner” is important because the families are working, too. “It’s not just us as a church helping them, but working alongside them,” she said.

Like the homeless mother with four children Hill has recently befriended.

“She’s smart – she used the word ‘audacity’ in conversation with me – and said, ‘I have goals, I want to start a business, but I’ve just been surviving these last seven years,’” Hill said, noting his talk with the mother was enlightening. “We have to focus people on relationships and involvement rather than giving stuff. Sometimes stuff is definitely needed; I gave a food card and gas card to this mom. But we’re going to get back together with this mom and figure out the next step.”

That next step is particularly important given the number of families who live in poverty in South Carolina. According to the Kids Count Data Center, 26 percent of S.C. children live in poverty, 13 percent live in high poverty areas, and 34 percent live in homes where the parents lack consistent full-time employment.

“What many of us don’t know is that many families in our community struggle to keep the rent paid and food on the table, to have decent clothes for the kids or even a stable place to stay,” Hill said. “More and more of our families are struggling with poverty and all its effects.”

“When I think about the impact that this partnership can have, it gives me goose bumps,” Matthews said. “We want to shower these children and families not just with things, but with the love of God through Christ in real and tangible ways. This is something that churches of all sizes can do. If every church in the Greenville district will partner with just one family in poverty, then that will make a real difference. And isn’t that what it is all about?”

The Greenville District will kick off the Methodist Family Partnering With Families Initiative with an event Oct. 26 at Buncombe Street UMC. The kickoff will do three things: celebrate the ministries already helping children in poverty, educate congregations about the realities of children living in poverty and advocate with action.

“It’s going to be a process where we’re all going to learn,” Hill said.

Held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the kickoff will feature Bishop Ken Carder, who will challenge and inspire attendees to get involved with families in poverty. The first 80 registrants will participate in the Rev. Beth Templeton’s poverty simulation. Workshops on Contextualizing Your Family, Connecting with Your Family and How To Be An Ally will run concurrently. Matthews said Greenville District UMCs will celebrate these church and family partnerships April 26 for the Greenville District Great Day of Service, which will reflect a spring carnival theme.

“The need is great, the call from Scripture to be in ministry with children and with the poor is clear, and our response is ambitious; how can we not be involved?” Matthews asked.

To register for the kickoff Oct. 26, visit greenville.umcsc.org or call the district office at 864-233-3611.

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Bishops urge Bishop Talbert not to officiate at same-sex union

WASHINGTON, D.C. (UMNS) — The executive committee of the United Methodist Council of Bishops issued a statement today, Oct. 23, in response to retired Bishop Melvin G. Talbert’s plans to officiate at the marriage ceremony of Bobby Prince and Joe Openshaw on Oct. 26 in Birmingham, Ala.

The Book of  Discipline, the denomination’s  law book,  affirms “the sanctity of  the marriage covenant that is expressed in love, mutual support, personal  commitment, and shared fidelity between a man and a woman.” Church law bans United  Methodist clergy from performing, and churches from hosting, “ceremonies that  celebrate homosexual unions.”

The executive committee issued the following response:

WASHINGTON — “The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs.” (BOD – ¶ 120). This is the core of our self-understanding as The United Methodist Church.  We are called to be part of God’s mission movement in all places of the world where our congregations happen to be located.

As a church that serves in four continents, in numerous languages and multiple cultures, we live with different opinions in many issues including human sexuality. Yet we seek ways to walk together in obedience to God’s call, united in Christ who heals the brokenness of the world and of the church. We are committed to organizing our life by following the Book of Discipline which is discussed and decided every four years at General Conference. As bishops, we are called to serve “in special covenant with all other bishops” (¶ 422.1) in order to offer “the oversight of the spiritual and temporal affairs of the whole church.”(¶ 422.3)

The bishops of the church are bound together in a covenant and all ordained elders are committed to uphold the Book of Discipline. “Conducting ceremonies which celebrate homosexual unions; or performing same-sex wedding ceremonies” are chargeable offenses in the United Methodist Church. (¶2702.1.b) The Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops has urged Bishop Melvin Talbert not to perform the same-gender marriage in Birmingham, Alabama. Furthermore, the Resident Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett has requested him not to come to the Birmingham Area for this purpose.

We have taken this action with deep respect for Bishop Talbert’s intention to serve as a pastor for United Methodists who experience themselves as excluded because of decisions of the General Conference. We also know that Bishop Wallace-Padgett is the caring shepherd of all people in the congregations in the North Alabama Conference. We are united in believing in the sacred worth of all people.

We will continue to stay in honest and respectful conversation in the Council of Bishops on how to lead the church to live out the call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We commit ourselves to live in loving and respectful relationships with one another and with all United Methodists and all people of faith. Through Christ, we are one in the Spirit even though we are not always of one mind.  We ask all United Methodists to pray for one another and for the world, trusting that God who reconciled the world will enable us and all Christians to strive for peace and justice for all.

The executive committee includes the following bishops:

President: Rosemarie Wenner of the Germany Area

President designate:  Warner H. Brown Jr. of the San Francisco Area

Secretary: Robert E. Hayes Jr. of the Oklahoma Area

Executive secretary: Peter Weaver, retired

Ecumenical officer: Mary Ann Swenson, retired

Immediate past president: Larry M. Goodpaster of the Charlotte (N.C.) Area

Connectional Table chair: Bruce Ough of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area

Leadership team chairs: Sudarshana Devadhar of the Boston Area; Jonathan Holston of the Columbia (S.C.) Area;  Janice Huie of the Houston Area; Deborah Lieder Kiesey of the Michigan Area; Paul Leeland of the Alabama-West Florida Area; Mike Lowry of the Fort Worth (Texas) Area; Mike McKee of the Dallas Area; and David Yemba of the Central Congo Area.

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Same-sex couple responds to Council of Bishops’ statement on their wedding (Kathy Gilbert)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (UMNS) — A same-sex couple who plan to wed Saturday, Oct. 26, are responding to a statement from the executive committee of the United Methodist Council of Bishops asking retired Bishop Melvin Talbert to not perform their wedding.

“Stop writing about us and look at us. Talk to us. See the humanity and faces of two men who are deeply in love with one another and who are seeking to follow God’s calling to join together in marriage so we can go, therefore, and better show the world what God’s love for God’s people looks like,” write Joe Openshaw and Bobby Prince.

Talbert agreed to officiate at the couple’s request after their own United Methodist pastor told them she could not marry them in their church, Discovery United Methodist Church, Hoover, Ala.

“Through this whole ordeal, one thing has stood out to us … there have been lots of press releases, but only Bishop (Mary Ann) Swenson has reached out to us,” Openshaw and Prince said.

Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, episcopal leader for the North Alabama Annual Conference, also asked Bishop Talbert to not officiate at the wedding. She responded to the executive committee’s statement by saying the press release focuses on covenant.

“Understanding and living out our covenant is at the heart of the statement,” she said. “This includes our relationships with other bishops and clergy as well as upholding the discernment of the worldwide Church as described by the Book of Discipline.”

Openshaw and Prince’s letter states: “We reached out to Bishop Wallace-Padgett, but not even our own bishop has wished our relationship and life together well.”

Talbert affirmed there will be a wedding in Birmingham this weekend.

“Joe Openshaw and Bobby Prince have made the eloquent and appropriate response to the letter from the Council of Bishop’s executive committee. What we do in Birmingham will not be about me and my Council of Bishops. Rather, it will be about Bobby and Joe, two people in love, who will be married.

“Both are loyal members of The United Methodist Church. They invited me to perform their service, A Celebration of Love. I’m proud to be the one to stand with them in the presence of God, and in the company of their families, friends and supporters from across the connection. It will be my honor to shower upon them, and all present, God’s blessing and peace as Joe and Bobby commit themselves to each other for the remainder of their lives.”

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To: The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops and Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett

Dear Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, and other Council bishops,

Our names are Joe Openshaw and Bobby Prince. We are faithful members of your church.

We read your statement condemning Bishop Talbert for saying “yes” to us after we shared with him our journey and asked him to officiate our wedding. It saddens us that our own pastor was not able to marry us in our church, like heterosexual couples are able to do—even couples who don’t attend our church. Through this whole ordeal, one thing has stood out to us… there have been lots of press releases, but only Bishop Swenson has reached out to us. We reached out to Bishop Wallace-Padgett, but not even our own bishop has wished our relationship and life together well. That brings us to point out hypocrisy in something you claim to hold dear: the importance of covenant.

The Discipline contains multiple covenants for clergy and bishops. The Discipline also contains unjust laws that force clergy to choose between covenants of the special relationship between each other and the covenant to be in ministry with and for all people, including gay people like us. Scripture contains stories of Jesus healing on the Sabbath because ministry with people is at the heart of the Gospel. Does the “special covenant” between bishops overrule our Wesleyan general rule to “do no harm?” Bishops have also been given the duty to serve as a “prophetic voice for justice in a suffering and conflicted world.” In your response to our wedding and Bishop Talbert, how are you and the Council of Bishops upholding your prophetic voice for justice? We believe that Scripture and the Book of Discipline, and the covenants they speak of, are best fulfilled and lived out when read as a whole, than through selected paragraphs.

In your statement you call on us to wait, saying that we should trust “that God who reconciled the world will enable us and all Christians to strive for peace and justice for all.” We do believe God is actively reconciling right now in the actions of Bishop Talbert. Calling on us to wait reminds us of another time when other Methodist bishops condemned someone who was being faithful in Birmingham. The words Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. penned 50 years ago in response to them still ring true today:

We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was “well timed” in the view of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation. For years now I have heard the word “Wait!” It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This “Wait” has almost always meant “Never.” We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”

In your statement, you refer to us as “United Methodists who experience themselves as excluded because of decisions of the General Conference.” Please do not try to wash your hands of your complicity in our exclusion. We feel excluded by you and your failure to lead our church. If you are serious about not breaking your covenant with your people, and even with your colleagues, you must proclaim God’s reign of justice here now, and not something voted on every four years. You have the power to change this wrong. You too, like Bishop Talbert, can stand on the side of justice.

Bishops Wenner, Brown, Hayes, Weaver, Goodpaster, other executive Council members, and Wallace-Padgett… we have one request of you. Stop writing about us and look at us. Talk to us. See the humanity and faces of two men who are deeply in love with one another and who are seeking to follow God’s calling to join together in marriage so we can go, therefore, and better show the world what God’s love for God’s people looks like.

Because once you see us, and our love for one another, we believe it will be impossible not to be by our side on our wedding day.

With the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Joe Openshaw and Bobby Prince

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Practices of the ancients aid modern prayers (Emily Snell)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — A resurgence of ancient prayer practices has United Methodists and others across the United States experiencing traditional spiritual exercises in new ways.

These practices include acts such as contemplative prayer through silence, creativity or nature and use of spiritual tools like prayer beads and icons.

The Rev. Daniel Wolpert, pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Crookston, Minn., is the author of Creating a Life with God and Leading a Life with God, two books published by The Upper Room that discuss forms of contemplative prayer and how they can change individuals and churches.

Contemplative practices allow people to hear God, he said, by minimizing the noise and busyness often present in American culture.

"They give us an opportunity to experience this Being that is very close to us, but that is, at the same time, separate from the individual workings of our mind," Wolpert says.

Listening replaced silence

According to Wolpert, executive director and co-founder of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing, the contemplative tradition in Christianity began in the third or fourth century but faded away when leaders began to emphasize reading and preaching from Scripture. Because of that shift, people in America often assume that contemplative practices, like silent prayer or meditation, originated in Eastern religions. But Wolpert said this isn't true.

"Christianity has a very rich contemplative tradition," he says. "What certainly has happened in the West and American Christianity is this whole rich history in the spiritual life became lost. People just didn't know about it."

Kristen Vincent, an author, artist and speaker, creates Protestant prayer beads to use as a spiritual tool that can help with focus during prayer. Using prayer beads can help people concentrate if they find their minds wandering when they pray, she says.

"I think they really make prayer easy for people and accessible," she continues. "People really struggle with prayer, and they don't know how to approach God or what to say. Using the beads to structure your prayer can be enormously helpful for people."

Outside of times in prayer, Vincent says the beads serve as a visual cue during daily activities. "You can see them sitting on your desk, and that reminds you to pray. They can remind you that God is here for us and ready to hear what you say."

Vincent began designing prayer beads and created Prayer Works Studio in 2009. She says sometimes people who grow up in Protestant church culture are hesitant about using prayer beads. But she says the beads are simply a tool to facilitate connection with God.

Beads aid connection

"We are all called to connect in various ways with God. Some are called through Scripture, some through a hymn, some through taking a walk in the woods," she says. Using "prayer beads is just one of those ways."

In her personal prayer life, Vincent found that she experienced God better when using prayer beads. "Using the beads helped me find my way of connecting with God that felt comfortable."

Vincent says she still uses the beads sometimes but no longer needs them to focus.

"That's because I've come to understand that my life is a prayer," she says. "I can pray no matter what I'm doing, and I can pray in all different ways — sometimes with beads, sometimes with Scriptures, sometimes just in the garden."

Using prayer beads or other tools to enhance contemplative prayer can be beneficial for individuals, but Wolpert says they are best experienced in community.

Contemplation in community

"I think the group thing really can't be overestimated," he says. "I would really encourage people, if they're interested in this, to find groups that are already going or talk to people at their church and say they want to get something going. Ideally, this is really what the church should be doing."

As people begin to try contemplative practice, Wolpert says they will likely have trouble quieting their minds. "At first, you experience the chaos of your own mind."

People tend to be too busy and overly stressed, Wolpert says, and this makes it difficult to see the world with appropriate perspective.

"We can't see God; we can't see other people; we can't even see ourselves very clearly," he says. "As the fog begins to lift, we can listen more clearly."

With time, Wolpert says contemplation allows people to see a more accurate picture of reality.

"What we're doing most of the time is we're taking all of the sensory input that comes from the world, and we're creating what we interpret as reality," he says. "That's why we all see the world in very distorted ways, and so we have a hard time seeing where God is in all of that.

"These practices create a space in which we can listen, so that sorting process begins to open up and slow down," he says. "We begin to see things how they are, which means we begin to see God in the midst of everything."

That ability to see God at work, Wolpert continues, leads to transformative action.

"Contemplation leads to gracious action and really begins to transform the world," he adds. "It opens us up to this very different space, and we begin to hear the living word in our midst. ... We become more compassionate. We become more open and loving to ourselves and others. We become more grateful and generous."

Emily Snell is a freelance writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

For further reading ...

Creating a Life with God, Daniel Wolpert (The Upper Room, bookstore.upperroom.org, 800-972-0433)

A Bead and A Prayer (includes a four-part Bible study), Kristen Vincent (The Upper Room)

Traveling the Prayer Paths of Jesus, John Indermark (The Upper Room)

Deepening Our Prayer (Companions in Christ series), Adele Gonzalez (The Upper Room)

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The Kingdom of God is like a church rummage sale (Reverend Laurie Haller)

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (UMNS) — “The kingdom of God is like a church rummage sale. By cleaning out our stuff twice a year, we also clear out the clutter from our own spiritual lives and remember that true life does not consist in the number of our possessions. We draw closer to one another in community as we cheerfully sort endless bags of clothes, household goods, furniture and toys, and work, laugh and serve together. But, most important, we bring in God’s kingdom by enabling people with few resources to purchase necessary items, offering temporary jobs to those who need them, sharing Christ’s love with hundreds of shoppers, and sending tens of thousands of dollars around the world in mission to benefit men, women, and children.” The Gospel According to First United Methodist Church, Birmingham, Michigan
The United Methodist Women of Birmingham First UMC have sponsored two rummage sales a year for 59 years.  It is an all-church effort that involves 750 volunteers, a full kitchen for six days, and twenty hired workers. Want to know how to host several thousand diverse shoppers and gross over $95,000 in a church rummage sale? Follow these twelve easy steps. 

Embrace the definition of rummage: “a confusion of miscellaneous articles.” The miracle of a rummage sale is that in three days you can literally create a beautiful department store out of thousands of boxes and bags of unwanted items, knowing that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.    

Define the purpose of your rummage sale and then fulfill it in creative ways. The United Methodist Women exists “to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ, to develop a creative supportive fellowship, and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church.” Every penny earned from last week’s sale will be used to bring hope and love to people around the world in Christ’s name. Nothing goes toward the church’s operating fund or apportionments.

Create a well-oiled machine. Pulling off what may arguably be the largest church rummage sale in the country calls for numerous checklists, procedures, and an org chart that includes four general chairpersons, thirty-five department heads, a chief cook, and volunteers who make pick-ups at people’s homes, unpack cars, sort clothes, fix things, and serve as pricers, gofers, cashiers and baggers.

Do immediate triage. Put a sign at the drop-off door indicating what items you will not take. As soon as bags are brought into the Fellowship Hall, sort items by department, put them into bins, and take them on carts directly to the correct room where further sorting and pricing takes place.

Direct department heads to recruit their own volunteers. Non-church volunteers are welcome if they are sponsored by a church member.

Have a separate department for higher end women’s clothing and other valuable items because you’ll be able to sell them for more. Expensive jewelry and antiques are appraised, and other valuable items may be sold to the highest bidder.

Make your displays beautiful. Shoppers are amazed at how tasteful our Rummage Sale looks. Items are clearly marked by size and arranged in artistic ways. It almost looks like Filene’s Basement!

Ask your volunteers to wear nametags at all times, offer them outstanding meals at low cost, and invite them to “preview” the rummage sale before it is open to the general public.

Practice good financial controls in the handling of money and reduce theft by labeling all bags of items that have been paid for and stationing bag checkers at each exit.

Proclaim a moratorium on most church meetings and events for the week. The Rummage Sale provides enough chaos. We completely shut down our Christian Life Center and Preschool and take everything off the walls in the halls and classrooms lest people think our artwork is for sale, too!

Find other ways for the Rummage Sale to be missional rather than simply by raising money.

Hire day workers who need jobs, feed them, and pay them a good wage.

Have professionals on site who can fix, paint, and repair items for sale.

Recycle cardboard and unsalable books and computer equipment.

Allow selected church mission and outreach projects as well as area non-profits to shop without charge at a set-apart time for whatever items they need for their ministries.

Keep prices low so that hundreds of people who cannot afford new clothes and furniture can find great bargains.

For $10, allow people to stuff all they can into a large plastic bag on the last day.

Witness to God’s love by interacting with your guests and demonstrating radical hospitality.

12.  Be attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit during the week by listening to and  telling stories of God at work.

Connie paid $492 for sixteen bags of clothes for her children and grandchildren.

People came from Atlanta, Indiana, Ohio, and Canada specifically for the Rummage Sale.

Two families waiting for an hour to be the first ones in line said that they have a tradition to meet twice a year to shop at our Rummage Sale. They live in different towns but first met at the Rummage Sale years ago.

A woman raved about the Rummage Sale and said, “I love this church! What ministries do you have for my middle school daughter?” “How much time do you have?” I said.

Another said, “Eighteen years ago I bought an ironing board here as a wedding gift, and the couple is still using it!”

A few years ago this picture of Jesus was in one of our Sunday school rooms. The teacher put it in the Rummage Sale, and it was sold. Jesus went out into the mission field. The next year it came back and was sold a second time. Jesus returned to the world. The next year it came back once more and was sold again. This year it came back a fourth time.

A woman wanted to buy the picture of Jesus but asked her friend, “Is it too big?” “No,” her friend replied. Then they decided to buy a second, smaller version of the same Jesus for a Catholic friend. This year two Jesus pictures went out into the mission field to make disciples!

A well-run Rummage Sale displays all the marks of healthy and vital churches and is a sign of the kingdom of God. Laity provide the leadership with clergy serving as encouragers and chaplains. In a church with four worship services on Sunday, church members have the opportunity to form community by getting to know people who don’t go to “their” service. By encouraging people to recycle their clothing, furniture, and “stuff,” we are being good stewards of the environment.

Our Rummage Sale mission field provides an invaluable service to area social service agencies who can take whatever they need for their clients. Our $10 Bag Day is especially popular with immigrant families who send the clothes back to family members in their country of origin. Hundreds of guests find a place of generous hospitality at First UMC, which gives us the opportunity not only to listen to their stories but to share with them our love for Christ, the church, and our community and world. And, not least, our church is filled with laughter, smiles, and joy in the Lord. Truly, I tell you, the kingdom of God is like a church rummage sale. 

Blessings,
Laurie

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S. C. churches work for humane homeless policies (Jessica Connor)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (UMNS) — nited Methodists are among a large group standing in solidarity with homeless brothers and sisters after a monthlong firestorm of rumor and speculation about a crackdown on that population in Columbia.

Many in Columbia were outraged last month after the Columbia City Council approved moving forward on discussion about new strict emergency homeless response efforts in the city. The language was confusing to many, who thought the council had actually approved Councilman Cameron Runyan’s plan to implement harsh rules guiding loitering, panhandling and the places homeless people can and cannot be in the city. The council only approved further discussion on the plan.

“The original plan was things such as they couldn’t leave the shelter unless they had permission, and the perceived intent was to have homeless people be given the option of getting arrested, going to the shelter or getting out of Columbia. And when you put it that way, obviously there was a lot of uproar,” said Brandon Lazarus, pastoral intern at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, Columbia. “It brought a lot of awareness to the issue in Columbia, but also unfortunately pitted many downtown business owners against the homeless and homeless advocates.”

Also concerning to many were aspects of the plan such as an out-of-town homeless facility, increased police patrols and a hotline for people to call when they see someone homeless.

Dialogue turned volatile; social media, news blogging and other conversation escalated. Many participated in a peaceful “loiter-in” protest downtown wearing the letter “H” in support for homeless neighbors.

Over the last month, the city council clarified that the plan was not approved, that it was merely being discussed, and on Sept. 3, the council went forward with what some call a more compassionate proposal in a motion by Mayor Steve Benjamin. Key in that proposal is a decision to open the city’s winter homeless shelter early – it now will run seven months, from Sept. 24 to April 15, and be open not only at night but all the time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition, the council plans to request proposals from the community for a more comprehensive long-term solution for the plight of Columbia’s homeless individuals and families – anything from year-round shelters to a centralized location for nonprofits to provide relief services. The request for proposals has not yet been called, but they will be due to the city Jan. 2, and churches, nonprofits and individual advocates are encouraged to put their heads together and develop a good plan for the city. United Methodists are among those working toward a plan.

The silver lining in the aftermath of this has been the new awareness many in the Midlands have about our homeless brothers and sisters, Lazarus said.

When the uproar started after the first council meeting, Trenholm Road UMC started holding a worship service for the homeless and others at Finlay Park, a popular place where many homeless go for rest. The Rev. Mike Smith preaches a short homily, reads Scripture and serves Communion for all gathered. The first service was so moving the church decided to hold the service regularly to be in solidarity with homeless brothers and sisters, Lazarus said.

“For those living on the streets, their whole life is vulnerable – from the elements, from the looks, from the stereotypes – and out of that vulnerability comes this longing for community and this longing for God,” Lazarus said. “That’s why it is important for me to be one more voice for advocacy for the least among us. ... If nothing else, all this stuff going on at city council has brought light to the various needs in our community.”

The Rev. Tiffany Knowlin, homeless advocate and pastor of College Place UMC, Columbia, said that as conversation continues to happen, it is crucial to remember it is not “us versus them.”

“We are all God’s children, and we cannot criminalize or demonize being poor,” Knowlin said, noting Scripture calls us to be advocates for those who live on the very margins of life.

And Columbia does have many on those margins. Recent numbers from the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless estimate more than 1,600 homeless men, women and children in the Columbia area – and Lazarus thinks there are maybe 700-800 beds at shelters.

Knowlin herself experienced a life-changing encounter in conversation with a homeless man named Larry who was digging in a trashcan in Atlanta. At the time, Knowlin was in a “lost space” in life and didn’t know where God was leading her, but Larry was the person God used to open her eyes to His plan. That experience gave her “a whole different lens,” she said.

Knowlin said we need to look at the true face of our homeless neighbor, and it is not just a man with a bottle urinating on the side of a building. It’s mothers and children, too – something she sees every day when she comes to work. College Place UMC houses the childcare facility Children’s Garden, and Knowlin said two-thirds of the children served go to shelters every night. Their mothers want the same thing for their children that all mothers want, she said.

“Poverty is rampant in this community, and it is not only men who find themselves in this condition,” Knowlin said. “It is an ‘us’ issue that we as a community need to figure out together – not just city council, but all of us together.”

Emily Cooper, a member of Washington Street UMC, Columbia, and the former editor of the Advocate, is a passionate homeless advocate. Her church has an active soup kitchen that regularly feeds the homeless and poor, and she has been involved in the recent homeless solidarity.

“I know it’s hard – some people don’t smell nice or they have addiction problems and … they’re not someone we want to come sit down at our dinner table, but they are the least of these that Christ said we are to be minister to,” Cooper said.

Part of ministering to the homeless involves advocating for fair, just and humane laws, she said.

“For (the council) to come up with a plan that says you are to go only so far from the place we put you, one, it’s unconstitutional, and two, it’s the same problem we have across America – greed, us versus them, we’re so much better than them – and I think that might come back to haunt us at the End Time.”

Lazarus said going forward he hopes Christians will let God guide their actions and hearts regarding the homeless, who are every bit as loved by God as we are.

“The city government is not what will make the difference, but the city – as in the people and the church – is where change is going to happen,” Lazarus said. “It is important that churches and Christians be willing to listen to what the Spirit wants them to do regarding the homeless rather than just what the city says.”

To read the Homeless Response Motion approved by the city council Sept. 3, visit www.columbiasc.net/depts/public_relations/downloads/Homeless%20Shelter%20Motion.pdf . For more about advocating for homeless neighbors in the Midlands, email Lazarus at brandon@trumc.org .

How do you feel about criminalizing the homeless or enacting tougher laws?

Write a letter to the editor and email it to advocate@umcsc.org . Deadline is the 10th of every month.

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Homeless ministry born from pastor’s chance encounter (Tanja Moody)

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (UMNS) — A simple request made during a routine stop was enough to prompt a response from Ray Amos Jr., pastor at St. Matthew United Methodist Church in Kingsport. 

While pumping gas a few weeks ago, a man approached Amos and asked for a dollar so he could buy a cup of coffee.

“I happened to have a couple dollars extra in my billfold,” Amos said. “So I gave him what I had and he said, ‘God bless you.’ What he said told me he had some awareness of faith.”

The two began talking, and the pastor asked the man if he attended church.

“He told me he wouldn’t be welcome in any church around here,” Amos said. “And after hearing his story, I realized I’m just a paycheck away from that situation. And many of the people I know are as well.”

Amos told the man that he was a pastor and he’d be welcome at St. Matthew. But that wasn’t the end.

“That conversation haunted me for a while,” the pastor said. And he eventually mentioned the interchange during a sermon he preached on how people can reach out to their neighbors. 

That’s when two members of St. Matthew began working with the pastor on a way to help some of the homeless people they encounter locally. 

Richie Dean and Vicki Gaither are both singers and organizers of a “unique worship experience” at St. Matthew called Secondhand Shoes, which is held the second Sunday night of each month at 6 p.m. The service was dubbed Secondhand Shoes when one of its band members developed feet problems and could no longer wear his shoes, so he passed them on to Dean.

“I was looking at those shoes and I thought, ‘These are secondhand shoes and that’s kind of how we are,’” Dean explained. “When we’re born, we’re this new pair of shoes, all shiny, no scuffs and no stained shoe laces. But as we walk around, our shoes get dirty and broken and messed up. When we come to God, we’re like a pair of secondhand shoes. He takes those shoes and makes something new out of them.”

The Secondhand Shoes service is for anybody, regardless of how they look or their economic situation. Dean said the service was a good fit for a new ministry. Offerings given during the Secondhand Shoes services pay to fill gallon-sized Ziploc bags. A “Hello, My Name Is” sticker is placed on the bag, with the word “Friend” handwritten underneath. Inside the bags are items like bottled water, a granola bar, cheese or peanut butter crackers, a package of tuna with crackers, a rain poncho, a New Testament and some information about the church and Secondhand Shoes services.

Amos, Dean and Gaither put together 50 bags, and church members picked up the bags to keep in their vehicles to share as needed with any homeless person they meet. Amos said he hopes to see other churches or organizations do something similar because the concept is so simple.

“This isn’t going to solve all their problems,” Amos said. “This is to give them something filling to satisfy them until they can get more help. We can direct them to other places to give them more assistance. We work with Interfaith Hospitality Network, Kitchen of Hope, and Help and Hope Food Pantry.

“This is mainly to give someone some hope and to let them know someone cares,” the pastor continued. “And this will make it easier for us to reach out to others and increase our comfort level in doing so.”

St. Matthew United Methodist Church is located at 2505 Nathan Street in Kingsport and is part of a parish that includes St. Luke and Emory UMC. Sunday worship services at St. Matthew begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by Sunday school classes at 10:45. For more information about the church, Secondhand Shoes or the Hello, My Name is Friend ministry, call 423-245-3033.

Unsung Heroes is a monthly feature recognizing local folks who work - often behind the scenes - to make a difference in the community. To suggest an individual or group for Unsung Heroes, email Sunday Stories editor Carmen Musick at cmusick@timesnews.net. 

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United Methodist News Service

United Methodist Communications

810 12th Avenue South

Nashville, TN 37203 United States

Phone: (615)742~5400

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