Unacceptable
We attended an "Un-Bunny Easter Party" at a local church tonight (this is not our regular church). Here's a quick snapshot about why some churches just can't make the jump that Bill and others have been talking about:
The first activity was a "mummy wrap" where every group was given a roll of toilet paper and they had to wrap the smallest person in the group. This is a relatively harmless activity that has been going on for years. But, they were also collecting supplies for a Haiti mission organization tonight as well. The irony was apparently lost on everyone involved. How could this church not see the disconnect between the toilet paper they were wasting on an un-inspiring activity and the fact that many Haitians (I am guessing here) would gladly accept the left-over scraps?
I could say more, but my main point is that there is a huge disconnect between who we say we are and what we actually do. Often our most trivial activities reveal who we really are.
On another note - How can churches continue to use food-based curriculums when children around the world would call that same activity lunch? Our own church uses similar activities written by Group Publishing. I spoke with our children's pastor and he didn't seem to care or see it as a problem.
Am I off base here, or is this just one more way that churches are not "getting it" in regards to the real needs that exist?
P.S. The name of the event tonight is beyond goofy. Clearly everyone involved (except us) was from the church. Perhaps it should have been renamed the "Un-Outreach" party. It's time we stop using the phrase "but they had good intentions" when defending pointless activities of the church.
posted by Brent C Sleasman at 8:00 PM
7 Comments:
I'm curious to what caused you to go.
Our daughter goes to pre-school there and my wife saw the advertisement.
Honestly, it was a Saturday night and we had nothing else to do. It was free and we could walk.
brent,
as one who hasn't been much involved in ministering to small children, i don't know what you mean by "food-based curriculum". could you please explain it.
more to the point, i get what you mean, and i see the (sad) irony. as for your last statement, i believe the saying goes, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." maybe that's not just talking about those outside the church.
let me encourage you not to let go of this. i think you should be pointing this kind of stuff out, especially to people like the children's pastor, who are in charge of such things.
let me also encourage you not to merely point out what the problem seems to be, but to be active in creating and supporting the solutions. i know it's far easier to rightly point out what's wrong than to be a part of fixing it, but it seems to me Christ honors those kinds of people, as they reflect His own character.
neither of these are probably new things to you, and if so, may you continue in them, and may the church bear much fruit because of what God is working through you.
Walt -
You make some good points.
While helping others to see how to be more effective in reaching out is important, I’m not sure that pointing out the problems can be constructive in churches that don’t "get it" in regards to outreach/mission. Pointing out problems in inward focused churches rarely makes a difference. I served as a pastor of a renewal project in a church that didn't understand why or how they were to reach out. Much money (from the denominational region) and time (from me) was wasted on trying to turn them around.
I am moving more in the direction that the “rich should get richer” in regards to funding for renewal projects. Give the money to the growing churches. Cut the losses and don’t spend the money on the dying churches.
As far as food based curriculums – some children’s curriculums are designed to have food items (such as pasta, candy, cereals, etc.) glued to a paper as part of the lesson. The food might represent eyes on a face, or licorice could be trees, or other creative creations. I am not arguing against the creative and interactive aspect. All I am asking is whether this is good stewardship of our resources. [If this doesn’t make sense I can post a link or two for some examples provided by the publishers.]
brent,
thanks for the explanation. i can see what you mean; that's not really a good use of resources.
i understand what you mean in the "rich should get richer" idea. sounds similar to when Jesus says "to him who has much, more shall be given, and to him who has little, even what he has will be taken from him". also kinda sounds like the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, where Jesus threatens to take away their lampstands.
i think that needs to be carefully weighed, though. there are times when the light is gone and a church will die, regardless of what we do (as far as renewal projects, etc.) like you've been witnessing, brent.
on the other hand, there are times where the people need prophetic speakers and apostolic leaders to bring them to repentance and revival, a renewal of holiness and mission. that was also part of Jesus ministry: to bring the religious and self-righteous to repent and turn once more to God.
may God bless you with discernment and longsuffering as you strive after Him.
Thanks for the post, Brent, even it pricked my conscience.
Brent
Yes the Haitians would use the left over toilet paper. To this day I value Dunkin Donuts napkins-that is what the Haitian man gave me before I stepped into the "outhouse" I'm not sure what I ate but it got the best of me.
Having been to Haiti 4 times I've come realize we just don't know how much we really have until we go there and see how someone lives with next to nothing. I've watched Americans leave good chicken on their plates, complain because the electricity went off in the middle of the night which stopped the ceiling fan. I could go on. To this day I have a hard time walking into a WalMart because I can't conceive how I will ever use the stuff that is in there and that goes for most of the food in the aisles too.
What is rewarding is the transformation that takes place over the course of time as these short term missionaries embrace the truth of Jesus and our need to share His love with others. My goal in taking these people across the cultural divide is for them to become long term missionaries right here in their own communities.
I wonder when did Christianity become about getting love and not about giving it away once I got it?
Lord forgive me of my greed and of my waste.
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