blog first published on June 14, 2017
There is a picture in my mind of a crowded room with dozens of volunteers and hundreds of boxes. A small child has a can of food in his hands. It takes an effort to carry the can from one table to another, but he was helping to sort the harvest of a community food collection. All hands are appreciated. Even in that busy room, little hands mattered. The events of that day made precious memories in the heart of that young child, and his young father who happened to be a pastor.
So many outreach ministries existed at Faith Lutheran. From massive Food Collections in the Fall to visits with AIDS patients and monthly soup kitchens in Newark, to Interfaith Hospitality for the Homeless, to bike collections for the developing world, to Christmas sharing, to Sunset Gap mission trips, to habitat for humanity construction, to supporting a local ARC home, to a mission partnership with a congregation in Jersey City, to CROP walk, to I’m probably leaving something out. Year round, there was an opportunity for people to serve and get involved. These ministries had two things in common: they were hands-on, and they had a passionate person at the helm.
The hands-on nature of the ministry was important. When people have the opportunity to spend their time doing ministry they are happy to help out. I noticed that fewer people were interested in sitting on a committee and talking about ministry. People are busy. I know from my experience that people who live in the suburbs are running in about four to five directions at any given moment. My guess is that this is also true of those who live in the city and on farms. Our larger culture, influenced by technology and mobility, makes multiple demands on families and individuals. With so much going on, we need to make choices. We want to do things that are meaningful, timely and have a positive impact on our lives (and the lives of others, too). From my experience at Faith, the more hands-on something was, the more exciting and meaningful it was. If the timing worked, you could get many people to commit to a single event.
A great example of this was the annual Food Collection Pack and Sort. On a single Saturday each year in November, thousands of dollars of food were gathered through a partnership with the local Scout troops. This food was dropped off at Faith, and a volunteer corps of about 100 volunteers sorted the food and packed boxes for a local pantry. We delivered the sorted boxes the next Saturday. It was a massive effort that involved a variety of ages all working together. We followed a well-orchestrated script that was improved each year. Back to where I started today; I have good memories of each of my boys, wearing their Faith Nursery School shirts carrying cans of food to the sorting tables.
Hands-on Ministry provides meaningful experiences for the faithful to put their discipleship into practice. It can take a lot of work, and that is where the passion piece comes in. Behind each one of the hands-on ministries at Faith was a passionate person (or people). A whole host of people that shared their energy and passion blessed the Church in New Providence. They had initiative, creativity, and were willing to put in the extra effort that was needed to make ministry happen. There was a culture of empowerment. Freedom to run with ideas existed. Over time, the ideas accumulated to form a network of outward-focused ministry.
What is amazing is that a limited paid staff supported this network. The pastors provided the primary support to these passionate leaders who willingly gave of themselves. We showed up and encouraged others to do the same. Rarely did we have to drive these ministries. Occasionally, we would become involved more intensively when a leader stepped down from their position. Then, we needed to lift up another leader. Raising up a new leadership for established ministry was made easier in the cases where there was another co-leader or someone who knew how the ministry ran. There were times, however, where we needed to recruit brand new talent. When this happened, the pastors needed to walk with the new leaders through the details. We accompanied leaders as they led. In all cases, the passion was key.
The church is the people of God who come together as the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus. Together we are the body of Christ active in the world. Ministry is people-centered and people-driven. Creating this ministry atmosphere can be difficult particularly if the pattern exists of having someone else do the ministry. If we have people do that for us, then we put our hands in our own pockets, and the church is less than it could be (should be).
Looking back at the photos in the album that I received as a gift from Faith Lutheran as I was leaving, a smile comes to my face. In it, I see dozens of pictures of God’s people, of various ages, working side by side, doing ministry together. I glad that in a few of those pictures, I notice my boys with food cans in their hands at the Fall Food Collection, or wrenches at the Pedals for Progress bike collection, or Stop Hunger posters at the CROP walk – a community was teaching the lessons of service. I know this young pastor learned a lot about the nature of successful ministries that happen when many hands (and hearts) are engaged in meaningful work led by passionate people. Thanks be to God!
Permission granted to share with family and friends. Copyrighted 2017. Walt Lichtenberger