Companions,
There is value in Change the World, this kind of coordinated "Day of Good" for The United Methodist Church, and I'm glad United Methodist Communications is working to organize it again this year.
We did this sort of thing every year when I was on staff at United Way in Madison County, Indiana. We, like many other United Ways across the country, called it, The Day of Caring. It was a day, usually a Saturday, when we'd organize volunteers across the entire county to be part of projects that could make a difference in the lives of individuals and local organizations. The work varied widely, and included such things as building ramps, painting indoors or out, weatherizing homes, cleaning up and beautifying neighborhoods, building new playgrounds and helping food pantries reorganize their stockroom to make their distributions more friendly and efficient, to name a few. None of these things changed the world. But all of them made it better for those we were able to reach on that day every year, and in turn for those who came to them as friends, or in the case of agencies, for help.
It was good work, and good fun. It was something that united the whole county, and something we always looked forward to doing each year, in spite of the massive amount of work necessary to organize and coordinate it all.
There was strength in numbers on these Days of Caring.
But we also knew that our real strength at United Way lay not simply in organizing these one day events, but in organizing and inspiring the leaders across the community-- in every sector-- to work together every day for things that WOULD change our county for the better. Things like reducing the infant mortality rate, increasing school performance for our children, and doing all the things needed to move our county's economy from a dependence on one auto manufacturer toward a more diverse and sustainable future. Here, the strength isn't just in numbers-- but in sustained effort, long term relationships, and leadership to "address" not just the "root causes" of community problems but to tap into the root strengths for positive community change.
So let's be about doing both. Re-thinking church does mean remembering that we have a lot of United Methodist partners in the US and globally with whom we can coordinate to get some good things done on a local basis one weekend per year. And we should do that.
But actually re-BE-ing church means we do at least what United Way does-- remembering that while the one-off projects are fun, helpful and build good will, our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ means we have to be out there all the time, building relationships and bridges across our communities-- working with every sector-- and bearing witness to God's reign which is the real power that changes the world.
Peace in Christ,
Taylor Burton-Edwards
1 comments:
I think it is worth asking the question whether it is a good thing right now. And the only reason I say that is that we don't seem to have time for both -- both the one time efforts and the longer term efforts. Perhaps we should put all of our eggs in the one time efforts, right now. I hope not. One of my questions is where is this discussion even happening within United Methodism. At Annual Conference in Indiana the last couple of years we have spent one of the days "in service" - and while it is the expenditure of a lot of very good people's energy - I don't think it does much good - either practically or metaphysically or spiritually -- or in many other ways. It's not bad - but can't we do better? And when the discussion terms to "changing the world" - almost always the discussion revolves around things like "community gardens, tutoring programs, after-school programs, food pantries, etc..." None of those are bad things -- but they certainly seem very far off from the type of building economy work that Wesley attempted and joined himself to alongside others.
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