One Without the Other

I’ve been reflecting lately on this unique ministry and thought I’d put those observations on our blog for you to mull over. Hopefully we’ll get the chance to unpack this the next times we’re together.

Ministry is a process that is intentional and relational. Organization requires connections with others who want to create new possibilities, test new boundaries and experiment new realities. Setting people in motion to build something new requires a framework, some beginning plan. Without either – intent or relationships – we don’t live into our potential.

Isaiah 43:19 – I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Advocacy is unknown and/or misunderstood within congregational life. We, as volunteer ‘organizers’ (clergy, congregational staff and lay leaders) and professional staff organizers, must foster opportunities or pathways for congregations to practice advocacy.

Exodus 18:19-21 – Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God; teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do. You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.

Congregation-based organizing, as one type of advocacy ministry, is less known within congregational life. We must work intentionally and through relationships with congregational leaders to know organizing as a form of advocacy, to become good at it for the benefit of congregational life and the common good of society, and to view it as an important tool to get a better return on their charitable investments.

Amos 5:24 – Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

So what have we done in 2 ½ years?

From summer 2007 through end of that year, we asked a simple question – ‘should we organize?’ We met formally each month to build relationships and discern the answer to that question.

In 2008, after answering ‘yes’ to that first question, we asked a second question – ‘can we organize?’ We identified talent through individual meetings and conversations and equipping sessions. Local groups felt like we were ready to build a local organizing network.

In January 2009 we listened to the members of local congregations to assess important issues to tackle. We have started to advance this agenda and build collective power – our ability to act.

Our power base is committed and growing. Our potential – because of the size of our participations congregations and organizations – is even larger and broader, in the thousands.

I appreciate our approach to advocacy, which over time will lead growing numbers of congregational leaders and members to practice and understand governance in a deeper way. I have come to believe, after 11 years of this work, that while I hope one day we will have a ‘golden issue’ in front of us, one that a super majority within our membership will want to tackle through our network, we must stay focused on smaller issues that allow more people to get better grounded in the organizing/advocacy ministry. If we steer away from this approach, and focus only on the ‘golden issue’ scenario to galvanize relationships and community, we will do ourselves and our membership a disservice.

In a quick period we have come to be recognized by some decision-makers and have initial access to them. Now, we must live into our potential and be at the tables when critical decisions are made that shape North Mecklenburg, to make a difference and contribute to the growth and development of the region. We have more work to do, but have established a beginning pathway.

On March 9th, Tim Tate, LaGretta Neal, and myself accompanied Rev. Touré Marshall and other North Carolina organizers, including Pastor Jessica Patchett of Charlotte H.E.L.P.,  to Washington D.C. to meet with some of our elected representatives and/or members of their staff.  Our North Mecklenburg contingent was mostly there as a band of observers, as other organizations from North Carolina were taking the lead on actions on which they have been working together for some time, but the experience was exhilarating.

As a long time, but faraway, observer of national politics, I cannot begin to describe how impactful the visit was for me.  It was both empowering and humbling:  empowering in that, as we walked from building to building and meeting to meeting, we passed other Americans in the street doing the same work we were doing (and maybe with goals antithetical to our own), and doing it peacefully.  I couldn’t help but feel proud of the system of governance we enjoy in this nation.  I was humbled by the dedication of my peers, their personal struggles, and personal commitments to having a voice in the decision-making process that directly affects them and their communities.  I was honored to be part of such a group, and it reinforced my belief that all politics really is local.   From the perspective of “the represented,” I would have to say that some of our leaders in Washington seem to be more in tune with the broad concept of “public service” than others, but for the most part, I was encouraged by how the issues were met and discussed, and I left Washington thinking, “So this is how things get done.  Good.”  Because, things do get done when people participate.  On a personal note, I suppose my most-treasured takeaway from that trip will be the memories I made with the other North Carolinians I met and befriended, as well as the opportunity to get to know Tim, LaGretta, Touré and Jessica even better.

– Suzanne Baldwin Leitner, member of Community in Christ Lutheran Church, and North Mecklenburg H.E.L.P.

“Sojourn into acting for justice locally” -by Laurie Hadley (baptized at LFC’s one year anniversary, wife, mom, athelete, community leader, kick-butt soccer player sunday nites for lfc)

Sojourn, defined: (n) a temporary stay;  (v) to dwell temporarily.

Some of us seem to be born knowing our mission.  I live among some of those people and am in awe of them, I envy them.  I listen to the teachings of Mike and others, soaking it up and agreeing, yet I have yet to feel laser-focused for God’s purposes.

So it is indeed by definition that I am sojourner with HELP (Helping Empower Local People), supporting the steps that Chad described (in previous blog).  But I did not arrive here because I had set my compass on this destination and so aimed to travel here;  instead I have wandered here more haphazardly, more on a journey of attempting to discover who I am in God’s kingdom.

My journey of social justice began like many of us at LFC with Room in the Inn.  Through that ministry my eyes were eventually opened to some important insights about others, and more importantly about myself.  I saw that everyone has a story, and most have fibers of social or familial circumstances woven into their fabric that they would not necessarily have chosen had they been given choices.  I found myself restless after serving, imagining conversations with the homeless that delved deep into root causes, their experiences.  Room in the Inn left me wondering and curious about systemic issues versus personal responsibility and choices.  As much as I loved knowing that these folks were taken care of for one night, there was something inside me nearly screaming to do more, to understand more.

It was during one of these seasons of restlessness for me that a woman came to speak from International Justice Mission at Lake Forest on a Sunday, telling stories of freeing people from lives of slavery and human trafficking.  I went home frustrated that my life was so – NORMAL.  Empty the dishwasher, make lunch, sit in a heated house to do my Bible study without the risk of anything, blah, blah.  I wanted to pop. It was shortly after this day that Mike emailed about the formation of HELP and asked if I was interested.   I confess to showing up at the first HELP meeting thinking that we were going to save all future Filipino generations from the threat of sexual slavery or some other grand and compelling mission, yet I believe that there are no coincidences.  (note to self….do better preliminary research.  HELP stands for Helping Empower LOCAL people…duh!!)  I was interested in HELP’s mission, their methodology, so I listened and agreed to participate in HELP’s local listening campaign.

The listening campaign, as Chad described (in the previous blog), involved HELPers asking the simple question of our friends and neighbors about what concerned them, about their fears for our community, about what they would be willing to do to change things if they could.  This was an ironic beginning in itself because I am notorious for talking and a shamefully poor listener.  The listening campaign was at first difficult for me to embrace.  I felt that, in relation to many situations in our world, we simply don’t have problems so what would I hear if I asked people?  I imagined a conversation in which someone told me that their biggest concern was that their neighbor’s grass was too long, that their dog barked too much, or that they didn’t take their garbage cans in from the curb in a timely manner.  In my imagination, my response to this was neither Christlike nor helpful.

I was delighted to find that there were many people thinking similar, bigger things.  Their concerns resonated with our own:   “What can we do to stop the exodus from CMS into charter and private schools that is draining money from CMS and making matters worse for the majority?”,  “We would like to believe in public education but don’t want our own children being the martyrs for our cause.”, “We want to send our kids to high school here but not at the risk of them being unsafe.” The idea that HELP may embrace big, honkin’ issues like schools and teen centers inspired me.

So I learned that my issues, frustrations, fears as a parent were similar to others.  When all HELPers submitted the responses that they had collected from the community, it was an enlightening compilation of real thoughts (from 15 diverse churches, with 900 people in LKN).  More importantly, I was once again in a position to sit back and listen and learn, to have a window into the lives of some of the people that live here.  I was surprised to learn about what concerned others.  Frankly I didn’t even know what weatherization was, much less that it was a top concern for some of our population (see Chad’s previous blog, that we acted upon last Saturday).

Because HELP has identified weatherization as our first focal point as a group, I find myself standing shoulder to shoulder on this journey with the power and collective voice of HELP and the faith community.  For now, it quells the frustration and allows me to labor alongside and learn from my fellow journeymen.

Sojourn into Acting for Justice Locally (By Chad Lacy – Lake Forest Ministry Partner, business executive, Leadership Charlotte member, husband and dad)

I remember seeing a bumper sticker in college that read ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’ and always thought it was poignant. The concept stuck with me and when I became a Christian in 2003 it still seemed to resonate with me as the way Christ would have us live our lives. Think of the larger body of Christ and what Christ can and does mean to so many people around the world. Then live that out in your daily actions. Lake Forest Church has held that same concept in its mission to “make more and better disciples of Jesus” and meet people right where they are when they introduce people to the Good News.

As I’ve heard Mike Moses say so many times, “Lake Forest Church is to be a blessing to the community, not just its members.”  Lake Forest Church has been purposeful in making connections outside of the walls of the building on Gilead Road. It started with Mike meeting the pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church, Byron Davis. A friendship was established and during their conversations, Pastor Davis informed Mike about an organization in Charlotte called Helping Empower Local People (H.E.L.P.). This organization exists to help provide a voice to those people in the community that may not be heard. It cuts across religious, racial, ethnic, class and neighborhood lines for the good of the public. It is driven by the belief that the member congregations are the cornerstones of a vibrant democratic society and hold the key to mending and reweaving the social fabric essential for strong families, healthy communities and a just world. Pastor Davis invited Mike to partner with him and get this organization started in North Mecklenburg.

So, for the past two years Lake Forest Church and H.E.L.P. have been making connections and reaching out to other faith institutions and neighborhood organizations in the North Mecklenburg area. 2009 was spent aligning these relationships. In a short time, 15 member organizations were identified, made up of diverse churches and neighborhoods across Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville.  The rest of 2009 was spent building a consensus of what we, as a community of North Mecklenburg residents see as issues in our communities. What are the unfulfilled needs of the people that live amongst us? What injustices do we see every day that are left unanswered? As an organized body we decided to listen to each other and a multitude of others, to get ideas of the needs in our communities. Approximately 900 conversations were conducted and this fed into our main areas of discussion:

• · Seniors
• · Traffic and Transit
• · Economy
• · Youth and Education

On October 29^th, 2009, H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg made its public debut by hosting its first public assembly at Torrence Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. We invited the mayoral candidates from the three towns, introduced them to our collective mission as H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg and our areas of concern.  Then, we took action on our first campaign. We obtained commitments from all the mayors to work in partnership with us – as a collective body called H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg – and announced our plan to help provide and insure senior and low-income residents within the three towns receive weatherization services for their homes. Together, we have partnered with Gaston Community Action who is designated by the state of North Carolina to distribute federal stimulus dollars for weatherization assistance to Mecklenburg County residents. As brothers and sisters in Christ, through H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg, we have gone out into the communities to identify those who need this assistance.  Saving them money on their energy bills, and upgrading their homes.

As 2010 unfolds, H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg is poised to act boldly and collectively on the issues important to us. In Huntersville, we’ve held meetings with Karen Bentley (Mecklenburg County Commissioner) and Danae Caulfield (Huntersville Town Commissioner and H.E.L.P. liaison to Mayor Swain). The results of these meetings are:

• Support to secure a sidewalk in front of St. Mark’s and an interest to identify other areas with similar needs (through H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg);
• Support to coordinate an educational event and neighborhood outreach for the weatherization stimulus program – Huntersville officials want to hit the streets with us to promote the program. Join us this Saturday, 10am at the Angels and Sparrows soup kitchen on Statesville Road in Huntersville for this effort!
• Interest to explore with H.E.L.P. North Mecklenburg other issues and actions re: the use of $27 million in approved bond money for a youth/senior center in North Mecklenburg, a town hall meeting with Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones about social services and access to services in North Mecklenburg, and securing a magistrate in North Mecklenburg, among others.

It is very exciting to see the faith community in North Mecklenburg organize to give voice to issues and pursue action with the local business and political leaders. It’s also exciting to see Lake Forest Church express our values and beliefs publically for the betterment of our community.  We are living into the body of Christ that we hear about in worship, in study and in prayer. We will continue to grow and address more issues as the organization progresses, and as our relationships with others grow. This is just one very powerful way that Lake Forest Church is – and will be – a blessing to the community.