Since coming to St. John’s, I have heard it regularly said, “St. John’s has a heart for outreach,” which I have seen is true. Over last winter, our Vestry faced the question, “who is St. John’s at main and main in Olney, MD in 2019?” Outreach ministry was a large part of that conversation. St. John’s has been present in Olney since the early 1800s. Our graveyard reads like a history book of the names of our schools and streets. St. John’s has been a part of the neighborhood, the DNA of the town. It was put to our Vestry, “Are we still?”
From that conversation, they crafted our mission statement:
“Called by Christ in love, to live in truth and action.”
Between our heart for outreach, our history of being in the center of Olney, and our feeling of call to serve our community, St. John’s feels called into the work of being central to the community. Next week, our Tanzanian envoy will return, I’m sure with wonderful stories of the work of African Palms and what we can continue doing to support the important development work in Tanzania. The Walk for Water volunteer sign-ups and participant registration is up and running - hoping to hit our goal of $7,500 to pay for one well. Our refugee ministry, Our Neighbor’s House, is in the midst of furnishing yet another home for people new to our country, coming with nothing, and ready to launch their new lives in the United States. This year, all the proceeds of our Pumpkin Patch, a community staple here in Olney, will go to funding outreach. (That volunteer sign-up is up and running, too, so please take a time-slot or two to sell pumpkins, invite people to St. John’s and tell them of our wonderful opportunities to serve Christ in all persons.) Our third Sunday Mission Sundays, coming up to the second one this coming week, kicked off last month with a hugely successful $275 towards mission and outreach.
But we must circle back to the original question: What are the needs in Olney and our surrounding communities that need addressing? Where is God sowing, planting, harvesting and we need to jump in and join? Where are the gaps in needs and services?
This question of course has two large pitfalls - the pitfall of looking at how we want to serve despite the needs of the community and the pitfall of assuming there is important work to do, we are the right party to do it.
St. John’s has a unique potential to get in the midst of the community, to hear what’s going on, and a wonderful pipeline to look at paying towards the investment in such work. We also have relationship capital to know when another organization can do it better, can do it with us or can better equip us. We are primmer to do the work God is giving us to do.
So what is that work?
We have talked about our food pantry being better stocked for people without addresses (because Olney Help’s important work serves those with an address in the community.) We have talked about a free/low cost volunteer based homework club and tutoring program.
We have talked about our ability to mediate conversations, usually ugly, emotional, or divisive, to bring brothers and sisters together to hear one another differently.
But what do you see? What work can St. John’s be a part of, join with, or start up? Even if you have no answers but see the need, we want to hear from you. Our Mission Sunday came from our Confirmand, Katie Gough, saying that she likes to bake and wanted to use the skill to support ministry. There is no idea too small, no Christian too young or old, no need not worth praying to discern.
Where is God calling you, us, us all together? Where is God showing you pain that you want help to address?
Peace
Mo. Shivaun+
