1000

     I was recently introduced to a woman, Sandra, who lives here in Southern Oregon who has an incredible passion and vision for evangelism. A friend of mine, who is a church planter in Portland, told me I needed to meet her. Without his referral, I may have politely wished her the best and gone about my own business, because what she had to suggest was something I would have never considered doing on my own. A number of pastors have actually rejected her ideas and have discouraged her from following through with her vision. What causes such a reaction? Her vision is a return to door knocking – as she likes to call it. Door-to-door evangelism is the last thing I want to be doing (well, I guess standing on a street corner with a sign and preaching at passers-by is the last thing I want to be doing, but door-to-door evangelism is a close second). But, Sandra's approach is unique and as soon as Jessi and I heard what she was doing we knew we wanted to join in.

     What Sandra is really trying to do is initiate relationships, or it might be more appropriate to say she's trying to repair relationships. Most people in America have already had some contact with the Church, and for a lot of people this contact has been negative. There's a lot of people who have been hurt, burned, rejected, and wrongfully judged by people who say they represent God and Jesus. They don't want anything to do with the Church, or 'organized' religion because of the hurt they received. Sandra has taken it upon herself to apologize on behalf of the Church, and to ask forgiveness of these people. This is the first thing she does when someone answers the door. She introduces herself, she tells them which church she represents, and she asks forgiveness. That's the first contact, that's often all that happens in the first contact. If there has been hurt, hopefully someone acknowledging it and saying they're sorry on behalf of the Church can start a healing process that will lead to a healthy relationship. If nothing else it's a way of getting out into one's community and introducing one's self; just getting out and initiating contact as a good neighbor. We're not busting out the four spiritual laws on anyone – we're not looking to close any deals on their doorstep.

     So, Ian has gone out with Sandra a couple of times and I recently went out with her for the first time. I was uncomfortable, I'm an introverted person. But, Sandra led the way, she did most of the talking. We had some good conversations with people, most people were very friendly and seemed happy to talk to us. One thing I discovered is that West Medford, at least on the two streets we were on, is a very friendly and interwoven neighborhood. I wouldn't say we made any major connections, but it was a good start. And, it was a good way for us to find out about our churches neighbors, including some of their prayers needs.

     One conclusion I did come to (though it may be a premature conclusion): I wouldn't always lead with the – “I don't know if you've been hurt, offended, or felt judged by the Church, but if you have I just wanted to say I'm sorry; will you please forgive us.” I think this is a wise and proper way to respond to many people. In the past I would have responded in one of two ways to such people. I'd want to distance myself from the offending persons, or institution by showing how I was different. Or, I'd think to myself that the offended person just needs to get over their perceived offense and grow up. I wouldn't tell them that, but I'd feel it. After spending time with Sandra I'm convinced that it is a good thing to take responsibility and as a representative of the Church say I'm sorry. Hopefully I can be used as an instrument by God to help start a healing process. Hopefully I can extend that person a little love from God. But, this may not always be the place to start. I think just introducing myself; telling the person who I represent; saying that we're just trying to get to know our neighbors and seeing if there is any way in which we can help is a good first step. There were a few conversations that got off to an awkward start, and a couple people that seemed impatient. I can see how Sandra's way of initiating the conversation would be great for some people, but I also saw how it was a bit of a non-starter with others. What I really appreciate about what Sandra is trying to accomplish. She's trying to treat people with love and respect, not as objects, or numbers.

     So, I've talked with the two other pastors who lead the churches which meet in the same building we do and with whom we work. We're going to organize some training classes and mobilize our people to get out and introduce themselves to people in the community as representatives of the Church. A lot of these people live in the surrounding neighborhoods and already have connections with their neighbors, so we want to build off of those established relationships. My goal is for our churches to bless our neighborhood even more than we already do. By getting to know our neighbors we can find out who's in need and how we can help. Also, by building relationships with our neighbors they are more likely to feel comfortable in coming to things we do: concerts, art shows, arts and crafts classes, parenting classes, VBS, carnivals, day camps for kids, block parties, etc. We've got a lot of things we want to do with our neighbors (including worship God), but they're probably not going to come if they don't know who we are.