The PMC process has been both an invigorating and frustrating process for me. It is invigorating because I feel like it has sparked some really good dialogue and dreaming that probably would not have occurred otherwise. The way we talk about being missional, a sent people, who seek to form new relationships with our neighbors and seek out the work that God is doing in the world is very healthy and, quite frankly, really exciting. On the flip side, the process has been frustrating because I feel like we have stalled out in many ways. We've hit the part of the process that requires actual engagement with our neighbors and you can almost hear the tires screeching on the asphalt as we came to a complete halt. Okay, that's a bit of an overstatement, I know. We've done some good work. I just know that I haven't fulfilled my responsibility as a plunger the way I was supposed to and that we've spent the last couple of months saying, ‘We need to get moving. What's the next step? We need to get moving. What's the next step?’ I say this not to point fingers or pour on the guilt, I'm just reflecting and articulating what I feel has been our experience. From the conversations I've had, I know that many of you will agree with me.
Here is what has happened in the last week. Last Thursday I received an e-mail from Lindsey (activities director at a nearby apartment complex). In that e-mail she stated that she's been talking and working with the families there and around 18 families are interested and excited about the possibility of a community garden. Here's the thing. I mentioned the idea of the community garden nearly two months ago in passing. I said something to the effect, ‘We've thrown around this idea. What do you think?’ That's it. On her own initiative, Lindsey is currently connecting with a few resources that deal solely with community gardens, helping organizations and communities work out the logistics. That was an exciting e-mail to receive and our conversations since then have been very encouraging. Lindsey has talked about ‘partnering’ with us. She's brainstormed ideas about how we could build relationship with one another. While I wish I had given her this language and these ideas, I have to confess these were her words, not mine.
Okay, fast forward to Monday … Diane (children's minister/church administrator) is meeting with Bill (a non-member Cub Scout troop leader) to discuss the Cub Scout troop using our building to host their monthly troop meetings and occasional den meetings. Bill lives near the church building and his backyard backs up to our property behind the building. Without any prompting from Diane, Bill begins to talk about how he looks at our property from his backyard and thinks to himself, ‘It would be such a cool idea to do a community garden there.’ Bill then goes on to talk about how he would happily take some vacation time this month to get the garden ready. Did I mention Diane did not prompt Bill at all? I met with both Bill and Lindsey yesterday to further discuss what it would like. Both Bill and Lindsey have connections with community gardens or people who help with community gardens and they committed to do research this week about the logistics of it all. Standing in the parking lot with the two of them, Lindsey commented, ‘I can't believe how beautifully this is coming together.’ In additional conversations, both Lindsey and Bill have said, ‘I wonder if this couldn’t be a place that brings our community together. Maybe this garden could be a place where unity and peace are experienced in ways our neighbors have never experienced.’
Here are a few reflections I have of what has transpired in the last few days:
1) While reflecting on Luke 10 for over a year, we spoke a great deal about extending the peace of Christ to others in anticipation of finding others that ‘share in our peace’ or having our peace returned to us. I say with all the passion and confidence I can muster … Bill and Lindsey are people of peace. People who care deeply about the world, the neighbors, and those less fortunate than them. Although they wouldn't speak of it in these terms, God is at work in their lives and we have something to learn from them. I wonder if we should ‘remain in this house (with Bill and Lindsey), eating and drinking what they provide.’
2) I'm looking at the sheet that the Missional Engagement Team prepared for us many months ago. The sheet that has those things they've discovered after the first phase of questioning and deepening our adaptive challenge and suggestions on possible missional experiments. One of the ‘Large Projects/Ideas’ they have listed is this: ‘Field turned into community garden.’ Here's what I think is pretty cool. We worked very hard to make sure that we had something to take to the cluster event so that we could say that we had accomplished at least one or two tasks since meeting last November. My fear, as we got closer to the next cluster event in July, is that we would try a missional experiment primarily because we needed to get one done so as not to completely embarrass ourselves. It seems that the spirit of God has been working. Most of you know that I am not too quick to say ‘God did this!’ or ‘God did that!’ For example, I don't think God gives us parking spots or really big boats. However, I do believe this … I believe that the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. I believe that if you pray to the Lord of the harvest he will provide laborers. And I believe that the laborers may not always come from within. To put it bluntly, I think that Bill and Lindsey may be the laborers we've been praying for.
I was sharing all of this with my best friend earlier today and he had a pretty prophetic response (at least I think it is prophetic). After I told him this story all he said to me was ‘Wow! Ben, this is a gift!’ In that moment it hit me, Aaron is right. This is a gift!
There are a thousand questions that need to be answered, I know. Many things may, and probably will, go wrong. Whatever happens, I do know this … if this is to work, we need to be willing to lead. We need to be willing to risk. We need to be willing to do more than say ‘Here's our land, grow some vegetables.’ Here's what I'm imagining … I'm imagining the shared laughter as we try to negotiate the language barrier. I'm imagining shared joy with our neighbors as we finish a hard day's work in our garden. I'm imagining the day when we'll kneel next to our neighbors, neighbors we previously had no connection with, and express thankfulness as we harvest the fruits (and vegetables) of our labor. I'm imagining a day when we gather around a table and share a common meal with those in walking distance of our building. A common meal that not only has produce from our garden, but also a plate that holds some bread and a cup that holds some wine.
This will be fun!
Peace,
Ben
