HI ALL!!! I’m still in Stony Point, New York for training, and tomorrow is going to be a pretty big event. I’m giving an itineration speech at Harriman UMC! It’s not typically my thing to ask for money, but there is an importance in doing outreach like this. By doing iteneration speeches, reaching out to churches, and speaking to communities we open up the offer for people to help support Young Adult Missions through the United Methodist Advance. In my last post I spoke a bit about it, and as a US-2 Missionary I ask for your prayers first and foremost, and if you feel led, I ask that you donate toward the advance to help us Young Adult Missionaries around the globe out. You can link on to the website by going to http://new.gbgm-umc.org/Advance/. From there if you want to donate you need to go to the tap “How to Give” click the tab and a sub-window should drop down, then click on “Give Online Now”. On this page there is a spot that reads “Find Project” with a text box next to it. If you type in the number 3021356 and click find you should see my name pop up under the results.
I do want to talk about the meaning of outreach since I am on the topic. One thing about being a Young Adult Missionary is that I HAVE to get used to asking for money. That’s not to say I should be asking for it excessively, but I do need to get used to asking for it. As it says in the Book of Acts it talks about money being dispersed amongst the community. It also mentions something like this in the Old Testament (though at this current time I cannot remember where, I’ve been trying to look for it). I’m not looking at this from a socio-political sense, but from more of a charitable and organizational sense.
Unfortunately the world runs on money, and churches need money in order to function on Earth, just like everything else. If there was no money for our churches, it would be hard to run retreats, pay for food, run events, but more importantly, how would the church filter clothing, food, household supplies, personal items, toys and other items to those who can’t afford them? Money can take different forms, but money ultimately is what supplies these things. Now I’m sure a person could say money comes from the people, not the church. That is where it gets tricky.
The Church is not the building, it’s not the alter, it’s not the shelter. The Church are the people. The people are the ones who make the “Church” possible. Without them, the “Church” itself would be just another building. In other words, the money that gets donated to the church shouldn’t primarily be used to make the Church building with more tech so it can outshine the other church down the street! Heck, at that point someone might as well call the church another rat race business. The fact is, even if that Church does win the race, it’s still a rat! So instead of thinking about all the cool stuff a church could have, let’s all try to think about what a church could do.
Imagine it! A church that gets the funds to help all those people down a street where people can’t afford food, to fix that hole in the ceiling, to send their kids to school because they can’t afford to pay the money to use the train, or the bus, or a taxi. A church that builds the community, a church that won’t take oppression lightly, won’t let those who are beaten down, pushed aside, those with broken homes because of work, immigration, injury or illness. There are many forms of hope in this world, and the fact is, we all walk around with that hope every day and don’t really notice that we are. That hope is used to purchase big screen TVs, super advanced game systems, fancy cars, Gaudi Houses, drugs, weapons, ammunition, sex and even death. Such a small item has so much power, how often do we all realize it?
That’s my opinion anyway. Not a guilt trip, not a sermon, just a thought I’ve had for awhile now, and I thought I would share that with you. After All…
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Mouths
+PeAcE+
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