Journeying Out

In Ann Morisy’s revealing book Journeying Out: A New Approach to Christian Mission, Morisy describes the challenges of today’s mission-minded church by noting, “Journeying out requires rising above the anxiety associated with encountering and embracing a potentially overwhelming outside world.”

One may think of “journeying out” as serving in the international mission field, with the obvious challenges of adapting to a new language, culture, tradition and terrain.

However, I have learned that the conscious act to step beyond one’s borders can be equally if not more disorienting when a quiet suburban middle-class congregation is exposed to the realities faced by its inner-city neighbors in Schenectady, New York.

The effort of my home church to journey out beyond its familiar surroundings began a few years ago with the invitation to serve dinner at the City Mission of Schenectady.

Our small but passionate Mission and Social Witness Committee ventured to the City Mission’s dining center one Tuesday evening, intending to serve a meal to members of the community.

However, with plenty of volunteers already scheduled to pass out plates of food, with plastic gloves and a courteous smile, we were asked to address another need that had gone unmet.

Down-hearted and exhausted mothers, lonely unacknowledged veterans and malnourished children sat eating their meals without anyone genuinely asking, “How are you doing today?... What is your name?... Have you been here before?”

Some would’ve preferred to anonymously pass out plates or fill up plastic cups with fruit punch and to remain slightly removed from the overwhelming need of those present.

Still others felt a particular call to pull up a chair and make that initial eye contact, a gesture that can speak more loudly than Scripture and feels more nourishing that a warm meal.

Each volunteer had a unique experience. Some felt false or insensitive, unable to relate to the apparent stranger before them. Others shared that once a common interest was found, it was startling how similar one felt to another with such different circumstances.

Regardless of how effective one felt in reaching out beyond his/her own borders, each person actively participated in a ministry of presence.

This initial act of journeying out has been the catalyst for other acts of faithfulness within my church. There has been more open dialogue about poverty in our own community. There is also a more honest critique of our tendency to isolate and protect ourselves from the pain and struggle just outside our doors.

And most importantly, there is a subtle yet deep awareness occurring in the hearts of those who return to their regular pew on Sunday morning.

There is a growing acknowledgement that church and faith is made evident most readily by sitting across the table from an individual who is not only physically hungry, but hungry for connection.

By journeying out in this simple yet radical way, I find my church entering a transformative ministry, not only for those who turn to the City Mission for food, but for those who take the risk to say hello.