If you received my weekly emails last summer, you read that Week 1 was hellacious and Week 2, comparably, was just the opposite. I’d say that held true again this year. We had three groups this week, two from Huntsville and one from Dyersburg, TN. It was nice to finally get some Methodists in here. Just kidding. But seriously…it was nice. I was fortunate enough to work with the group from Dyersburg all week on the house we started last week. I wasn’t exactly excited to continue on this house, mainly because it was so big and so inaccessible with the number of ladders we had. This group, though, worked twice as hard as the last group with half the number of kids. This week, I was actually able to have fun and enjoy the work, as well as develop a great relationship with most all of the kids and leaders in my group. It was so much better than last week, where I spent the whole week simply maintaining a group and strenuously concentrating on not committing a form of child abuse.
The groups painted all Monday, half of Tuesday and half of Wednesday, and all of Thursday. Aside from the 20-foot high section of the house only accessible by a mostly rotten roof, those kids got the whole thing finished. It was really great to see kids work so hard for somebody they didn’t even know. They even sprung for some extra paint to redo the porch.
Tuesday morning was spent at Highlands UMC in Five Points working in their Community Ministries. Rev. Emily, an associate at Highlands, spent a long time talking us through the history of the ministries and the church’s influence and presence on Birmingham’s south side. If you’ve ever been to Five Points, you know that it’s a bustling entertainment district, with many restaurants, bars, clubs, shops and boutiques. It’s also a large gathering place for many of the homeless in Birmingham. The church has been very intentional about staying in the community, much to the ire of some local businesses. Emily talked about the dialogue that they’ve taken up with local businesses about what they feel they’re called to do and how they want people to come to Five Points, but also that the church has a charge to care for those marginalized and homeless that have become as much of a part of that community as anything or anyone. It was very neat and inspiring to hear the stories of the church; members lost, community disputes, and even stories of local business owners re-examining themselves because of the ministries of Highlands.
Six days a week, the church serves breakfast for people off the street, provides a place for homeless people to get a load of clothes washed per week, a place they can have mail delivered, and a clothes closet where they can get clothes and shoes. Some days, the church provides a program called Project ID, where they provide assistance to people who need state IDs and birth certificates, as most places require one or the other, or both, to enter rehab facilities, missions, or get jobs. The kids from Dyersberg spent Tuesday morning sorting shoes, serving breakfast and sorting mail. All morning, I went through two stacks of mail marking “Return to Sender” on the envelope. Highlands will only keep mail for six months, so once that time is up, the mail is sent back. It was really sad, actually. Almost every single piece of mail that I went through was from UAB or some other medical billing service. It got me to thinking about healthcare and the medical “business” for lack of a better term. That, however, is another rant for another day. Maybe I’ll write about it when I have something intelligent to say. For now, though, my heart just breaks for those who are oppressed by the system, whose lives are destroyed because of circumstances beyond their control and those who are even made homeless because of any and all of it.
It was nice to see so many people, many who weren’t even members of Highlands, coming out to volunteer. Many were older people and most were so happy to see all these young kids coming in to help. Some though, namely those in charge, welcomed us, then commenced to complaining about not having enough jobs for everyone. It was baffling, really. Ten kids come from five hours away to serve and give of themselves, and instead of being welcomed with love, they get indirectly insulted by some old lady complaining about the excess of volunteers.
The last sentence was probably a misrepresentation of the group. Most people there welcomed us with a smile on their face. It was those that didn’t that ruined the perception for me. It took me back to several different conversations I’ve had with friends and mentors about the state of the church right now. Those that can look straight past what Jesus said about love and service because it messes up the “routine.” Those that put signs outside their church that say “No Trespassing.” The “I’m sorry but you’re sitting in my pew” crowd. Somewhere along the line, we’ve become A church instead of THE Church. A church that worships routine instead of serving and loving in the name of Jesus. We’ve become an institution instead of a body. An institution that do things “because we’re supposed to” instead of because we are “clothed in Christ.” It was sad to see, in the midst of such selfless service, attitudes like that.
When I think about my perception of people, I sometimes laugh. It is so much easier for me to look at a homeless man who is probably addicted to something and see the face of Christ than it is for me to see Jesus in an old woman who barks at 13-year old kids because there isn’t enough work to go around. I suppose that’s a testament against my ability to see Christ in everyone, but nonetheless it happens. But what happened to loving your neighbor? It’s not a secret that some are easier to love than others. Some require more grace to love. But all require love.
Except those, apparently, that sit in your pew on Sunday or bring too many volunteers to help.
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