The Messiness of Ministry

Often at Laurel Ridge we speak of having a mountaintop experience and wish we could stay, but the time comes when we must move on. Our life, our calling, our ministry waits for us somewhere down the mountain. As we seek to live authentically in our day-to-day world there are several factors, which contribute to the messiness of ministry.

Messiness Factor #1:
Understanding Our Call
As we read 1 Samuel 3:1-10, we realize how hard it can be to even hear our call to ministry. Samuel heard a voice three times and still needed some outside help before discerning that this was indeed God calling him. Our calling is often best understood as it is affirmed and experienced in the context of community. Laurel Ridge is a place where, through the years, many have heard and wrestled with God’s call. It is a blessing to have the support of an encouraging community as we strive to understand who we are and what we have to offer.

Messiness Factor #2:
Who, What, When, Where
Dr. Susan Trout describes true service as the ability to offer the right thing, at the right time, in the right amount, for the right reason. Not an easy task. Last winter, it was my privilege to begin the work of developing Youth Mission Camps at Laurel Ridge. Many of our young people have had wonderful mission experiences in West Virginia, Jamaica, Georgia, and other places. The Laurel Ridge Youth Mission Camps were developed so Moravian youth could also have an opportunity to serve the very real needs of people right in our own backyard, in the Appalachian counties around Laurel Ridge. We have been driving up and down that mountain for over 40 years. It’s a beautiful drive, but I hate to admit that for myself, and perhaps a few others, there was little more than a passing curiosity about the people and dreams that lived inside the substandard homes I drove by. To do what I thought I had been called to do, I could no longer just drive by. For several months, in order to set-up the work sites for our groups I had to keep driving up that mountain, right past the turn to Laurel Ridge and on into Sparta. That’s where I met JoAnne the director of an incredible thrift shop, and Sammy and Paula case-workers for an agency called CAPS which serves the needs of blind adults, and the pastor of a Methodist church which has a men’s group that builds handicap ramps, but has more requests for help than they can possibly meet. Gratefully, we at Laurel Ridge began to learn how we might be connected with the people of Alleghany County, to share in the on-going life of the community. We hoped to think beyond what we thought we had to give to what projects we might complete. Amazingly, the houses we once passed by became our community. Nameless faces became friends and unknown needs became shared dreams.

Messiness Factor #3:
Giving and Receiving
“It is more blessed to give than to receive,” said Jesus. But receiving is a messy matter. It can imply that the giver is better off than the receiver. I saw this happen to Anna as she walked into a clothing closet early one morning. Her disheveled appearance led my colleague to believe she had come to ask for assistance, when in fact she had walked quite a distance to volunteer at the center out of gratitude for all she had received. Being identified as the recipient injured her spirit of giving. In my 15 years of church work, I have been deeply blessed by going on mission trips to serve those in need. We have rich resources and abilities, which enable us to clothe the needy, feed the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. While these are good works we must remember that our role as “helper” is one-sided. To paraphrase Romans 12:4-5, “It takes every one of us to make His body complete, for we each have a different work to do, so we belong to each other, and each needs all the others.” We belong to each other: I belong to the “needy” people I’ve met like James who lives in a box in the streets of an L.A. slum, Bessie in an unfinished Sparta home, Jim in Glade Valley who is blind and needs a wheelchair ramp. We belong to each other: I belong to the young people who came to the mission camps last summer and worked everyday in the rain, Zack from New Philadelphia, Courtney in Kernersville, Elizabeth in Raleigh, Mandy in Winston-Salem, Linda in Mt. Airy. Not only do we belong to each other, but we need each other. Our call to ministry is one of interdependence. We are called to discover and share gifts — even in those we might consider the unlikeliest among us. Interdependence isn’t an easy thing for us; it is often a bit messy. During the mission camps we stress over and over the need to respect ourselves and others. We need to recognize Christ in one another. While some may be hard at work building a wheelchair ramp, another might be holding the hand of an elderly woman and listening to the stories of her life. We begin with a task, but we rarely know what is truly needed. We gather each night for evening prayers and remind ourselves of each day’s blessings, surprises, challenges and we affirm a willingness to believe that we have everything needed to do what God has called us to do. Most importantly, we name the ways those we came to serve have touched our lives. Were we able to receive?

Messiness Factor #4:
Divine Economics of
Mud, Sweat, and Tears
Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a reckless farmer who flings seed everywhere with wild abandon. And so, at our first Youth Mission Camps in June of 2003, we left the comfort of Laurel Ridge & flung seeds all over Alleghany County. I could write pages about all the daily miracles. This kind of ministry is also scary because it’s unpredictable. A young man left his muddy mission camp t-shirt with me so that I might tell others about his experience. He came to Mission Camp to help people who couldn’t help themselves. He didn’t know what that would mean, what he might be able to do. He didn’t really believe he had anything worthwhile to offer, but he found out he had things to give he never even knew about. The week was rainy — lots of mud, wet jeans, and smelly socks — but the community was not dampened. He had come to Laurel Ridge worried about what he might have to offer. He was surprised by what he received.

Messiness Factor #6:
Leaving the Mountain
On the last day of mission camp, we gather for worship. So much has changed, both inside and around us. Saying good-bye isn’t easy. We shed messy tears of love, hope, and joy. And though we’d like to stay in this awesome place, we depart singing words of blessing from musician, Bebo Norman:

Walk down this mountain with your heart held high.

Follow in the footsteps of your Maker.

And with this love that’s gone before you,

And these people at your side,

If you offer up your broken cup,

You will taste the meaning of this life.