In seminary I had a Christian Education professor who loved for the students to define words. At the beginning of class we all had a few minutes to define the topic of the day’s focus. I hated this activity. But that activity has also taught me well that I must know what something is before I attempt to do it, even if my definition is broad and general. Participating in mission is a bit like this for a local congregation. When people hear the word “mission” they have a sort-of 1950’s version of U.S.
The Church Council discussed starting a food pantry in the fall of 2004. We cleared a space, stocked the shelves, advertised, and waited for the people to come. The project began ever so slowly and it took almost two years for the first guests to even arrive. Since then the food pantry has become very popular—there are now usually 8-10 visits to the pantry each month. The congregation does not get to see people come to the food pantry, but each week they begin to notice the pantry shelves and when they are full and when they are looking bare. For Sunday school offering the children bring canned goods for the pantry or money, which is used to purchase gift certificates for the grocery store. When an after school program was studying the Lord’s Prayer the children walked to the grocery store to purchase food for the pantry to understand “thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This year the Christian Education Committee decided to purchase food for the pantry instead of giving the usual small gift to each Sunday school child as a Christmas present. This decision was announced to the children and instead of sad boo-hoo’s, there was great rejoicing!
When there is food to be sorted and placed on the shelves the older children love to help and have even become skilled at checking expiration dates. The general community has become involved in the food pantry. Other local churches, businesses, civic and social groups, individuals, and even the community school bring food and money for the food pantry. The annual Santa Claus event in town has also become a huge food drive for the pantry.
Since I am the one who gets to know each person who comes to the food pantry, I can testify that we are feeding the hungry and helping the hopeless. But I can also see the effect that the pantry has on those who support it. People come to worship on Sunday and notice the ebb and flow of the pantry shelves. People tell their friends and family to make a gift to the pantry instead of buying gifts for birthdays or Christmas. People call on the phone to ask what the pantry needs before they go to the grocery store. And the food pantry guests want to help sort food and stock shelves to offer thanks for the help they receive. The success of the food pantry as a mission has been that those who support it have made it part of their lives.
Taking a yearly mission trip has become part of the life of Larchwood UCC and many of our members, however this requires a much larger commitment than buying a few extra cans of tuna each month at the grocery. Each year since 2006, Larchwood UCC has participated in a mission trip experience. For a few couples who are “regulars” this is sometimes their vacation. The mission trip is not a youth mission trip—ALL ages (over 12 years) are welcome and encouraged to come. One blessed summer the youngest participant was 13 and the oldest was 84! We usually have an even balance of youth and adults. For an event that lasts only one week, we sure do talk about it and plan for it for a year!
Interested participants meet to discuss our mission destinations and pick a project. We use the UCC Mission Trips booklet (which is free from the national office) and have always been happy with our choices. We hold fund raising events throughout the year in our church and in the community. And the Sunday following the trip every person from the mission trip tells their story during worship so that each member of the congregation can share in the trip and its details.
It has taken a few years for us all to learn that while we go somewhere else and make bunk beds or build a fence or clean an apartment to help someone else, the mission truly begins when we come home. Leaving our own comfortable lives and homes for one week—leaving behind comforts and cell phones and commitments—we become immersed in someone else’s reality for a short time.
Many folks like to say that it makes us more thankful for what we have, but it is my hope that it will make us ashamed of what we have that we cannot let go of and refuse to share. After a few years of mission trips I believe this is happening among those who go—both youth and adults. And certainly nothing can compare with the wisdom of the group as we meet in our exhaustion and delirium each night during the trip for Roses and Thorns—a collage of the best and worst of the day. This past summer a wise 12 year old preached her greatest learning from the week: “The poor people we met have so little and are satisfied; we have so much and all we want is more.”
I have no great words of wisdom that will explain mission to you or a magic formula to help make mission part of the life of your congregation. Each congregation must find her own passion and mission. Perhaps the best formula is to discover the intersection of what Jesus calls us to do and the interests of your congregation and the needs of our world. Since the needs of the world are great, the call of Jesus is beyond limits, and the interests of congregations are broad I suspect you will have a great time finding and making mission part of the life of your congregation.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow Jesus. And God only knows where that will take you!
Blessings on your journey—
Kelly Volk
Rev. Kelly Volk is the senior pastor at Larchwood UCC, part of the Iowa Conference UCC.
