Tenth Presbyterian Church: Sharing the Transforming Word of God Tiendedel presbyterianske kirke: Sharing omdanne Guds ord

Tenth Presbyterian Church: Sharing the Transforming Word of God Tiendedel presbyterianske kirke: Sharing omdanne Guds ord

The prayer meeting had ended, and the small group of Tenth Presbyterian church members were bundling up in their coats to go home. Den bøn mødet var slut, og den lille gruppe af tiende presbyterianske kirke medlemmer var bundling op i deres frakker til at gå hjem. They were about to step around a lump of blanket huddled on the church steps, when something stopped them short. De var ved at skridt omkring en klump tæppe huddled om kirken skridt, når noget stoppet dem kort. Here they had been in God's presence in prayer-while right outside the church was one of God's children, suffering in the cold. Her de havde været i Guds tilstedeværelse i bøn, mens højre uden for kirken var en af Guds børn, der lider i kulden. One member turned to another and said, "We need to do something about that." Et medlem henvendte sig til en anden og sagde: "Vi er nødt til at gøre noget ved det."

Later, the prayer group approached the deacons and said, "What can you do?" Senere, den bøn gruppe nærmede sig diakoner og sagde: "Hvad kan du gøre?" The deacons wisely answered, "What do you want to do?" Diakonernes klogt svarede: "Hvad vil du gøre?" And so the church members began praying and reflecting about how the church could be a good neighbor, not only to this one particular person, but to the growing population of homeless men and women in the downtown area around the church. Og så kirken medlemmer begyndte at bede og reflekterende om, hvordan kirken kan være en god nabo, ikke kun til denne en bestemt person, men at den voksende befolkning af hjemløse mænd og kvinder i downtown området omkring kirken. At first, the response was to start a feeding program. I første omgang skal den reaktion var at starte en fodring program. The church soon realized, however, that the most important thing they could do was to establish relationships and to share the Word of God with the people they fed. Kirken hurtigt indså dog, at de vigtigste ting de kunne gøre, var at etablere relationer og til at dele Guds ord med dem, de er blevet fodret.

From that small seed, ACTS (Active Compassion through Service) has grown into a ministry that now involves about twenty percent of the congregation. Fra, at de små frø, RETSAKTER (Active Compassion gennem Service) har udviklet sig til et ministerium, der nu omfatter omkring tyve procent af menigheden. ACTS aims "to educate, motivate, and equip the members of Tenth to imitate Christ in attitude, humility and service, and to be good stewards of their God-given resources and talents." RETSAKTER sigter mod "at uddanne, motivere og ruste medlemmerne af Tiende at efterligne Kristus i attitude, ydmyghed og service, og at være gode forvaltere af deres Gud-givne ressourcer og talenter." An array of ministries provide abundant opportunities to serve: dinners and Bible studies for homeless guests, after-school tutoring, nursing home visitation, a worship service for people with HIV, single parent/divorce support groups, and a racial reconciliation fellowship. En række ministerier give rigelige muligheder for at tjene: middage og Bibelen undersøgelser for hjemløse gæster, efter skoletid vejledning, plejehjem visitation, en gudstjeneste service for mennesker med hiv, enlige forældre / skilsmisse støtte grupper, og en race forsoning stipendium. The mission of ACTS is nothing less than the "total transformation of individuals in the name of Jesus. It seeks to be a prophetic witness of Christ's love to those who suffer from spiritual and physical poverty." Missionen af retsakter er intet mindre end "total transformation af enkeltpersoner i navnet Jesus. Det søger at være en profetisk vidne af Kristi kærlighed til dem, der lider af åndelig og fysisk fattigdom." In part because of this overt evangelistic thrust, ACTS ministries are entirely funded through the church. Til dels på grund af denne åbenlyse evangelistic hovedlinjerne, RETSAKTER ministerier er fuldt finansieret gennem kirken.

One of the principles underlying the diverse ACTS ministries is the goal of nurturing relationships between Christian volunteers and needy members of the community. Et af grundprincipperne bag de forskellige RETSAKTER ministerier er målet om at pleje forholdet mellem kristne frivillige og trængende medlemmer af samfundet. In the monthly Community Dinners, for example, the homeless guests (not "clients!") do not line up to have meals served on trays cafeteria-style. I de månedlige Fællesskabet Middage, for eksempel, hjemløse gæster (ikke "kunder!") Ikke line op til at have måltider, der serveres på bakkerne cafeteria-stil. Instead, they are seated at tables with attractive, full place settings and served family style, sitting beside church members who share the meal and dinner conversation. Stedet, de sidder ned på tabeller med attraktive, fuld kuverter og tjent familien stil, sidder ved siden af kirken medlemmer, der deler måltidet og middag samtale. A worship service before the meal provides spiritual nourishment for many guests who would never dream of entering the church on Sunday morning. En gudstjeneste service før måltidet giver åndelig næring til mange gæster, der aldrig ville drømme om at komme ind i kirken søndag formiddag. The dignified setting and relationships forged over the meal make guests more open to accepting the message of the Word. Den værdige indstilling og relationer forfalskede over måltidet gøre gæsterne mere villige til at acceptere budskabet i Word. For more substantive spiritual guidance, guests are invited to the weekly Fellowship Bible Study, which also includes a less formal meal. For mere materielle åndelig vejledning, gæster opfordres til at den ugentlige Fellowship Bible Study, som også omfatter en mindre formelle måltid. The Community Dinner draws about 120 homeless persons; about 25 attend the Fellowship Bible Study. Fællesskabet Dinner trækker omkring 120 hjemløse; omkring 25 deltage i Fellowship Bible Study.

The relational approach to evangelism is rooted in Christ's model of incarnational love and sacrificial servanthood. Den relationelle tilgang til forkynder evangeliet er rodfæstet i Kristus's model af incarnational kærlighed og blote servanthood. Dr. David Apple, director of ACTS, explains, Dr. David Apple, direktør for handlinger, forklarer,

Just as Jesus became a servant of others, washing others' feet, not being afraid to be vulnerable, not being afraid to come alongside people who are hurting, not being afraid of coming alongside someone who may smell- we're called to be advocates, to come alongside and be available. Ligesom Jesus blev en ansat af andre, vask andres fødder, der ikke er bange for at være sårbare, ikke at være bange for at træde ved siden af mennesker, der er skadelig, ikke at være bange for kommende sammen nogen, der kan lugte-vi er kaldet til at være fortalere , Til at komme sammen og være til rådighed. Servanthood means to be available to people, and to know that God is in charge of our time and our resources and our valuables-to give all those things to God, for his service. Servanthood betyder at stå til rådighed for folk, og at vide, at Gud står i spidsen for vores tid og ressourcer og vores værdigenstande-at give alle disse ting til Gud, for hans service.

ACTS is as much about discipling Christians to a deeper commitment as it is about serving those outside the church. RETSAKTER handler lige så meget om discipling kristne til et dybere engagement, som det handler om at tjene dem uden for kirken. Engaging the church in mercy ministry, says Dr. Apple, requires "converting those who call themselves believers." Engagement fra kirke i nåde ministerium, siger Dr. Apple, kræver "konvertere dem, der kalder sig troende." To become a servant and friend to someone very different from you is to embark on a pilgrimage of discipleship. At blive ansat og ven til en meget anderledes end du er til at slå ind på en pilgrimsrejse til discipleship. The impact of the Gospel is seen equally in how it transforms street people's social circumstances, and how it transforms church members' innate self-centeredness into Christ-like love for the marginalized. Virkningen af Evangeliet er set lige i hvordan den forvandler gaden folks sociale omstændigheder, og hvordan den forvandler kirke medlemmer deres karakteristiske selvstændige centeredness i Kristus-lignende kærlighed til de marginaliserede.

Dr. Apple's own pilgrimage to holistic ministry began with his salvation experience. Dr. Apples egen pilgrimsfærd til holistisk ministerium begyndte med hans frelse erfaring. "I was saved in a small, black church, through the witness of former drug addicts, recovering alcoholics, former prostitutes, and people who had nothing physically, but showed me that they had everything, because of Jesus Christ." "Jeg var gemt i en lille, sort kirke, gennem vidnet af tidligere narkomaner, inddrivelse af alkoholikere, tidligere prostituerede, og folk, der ikke havde noget fysisk, men viste mig, at de havde alt, på grund af Jesus Kristus." Because of their witness, and because of struggles he faced in his own life, he says, "My calling, my passion, is to be available to God to help the poor." På grund af deres vidne, og på grund af kampe han står i hans eget liv, han siger: "Jeg ringer min passion, er at stå til rådighed for Gud for at hjælpe de fattige."

Dr. Apple explains why evangelism and discipleship are central to this mission. Dr. Apple forklarer, hvorfor forkynder evangeliet og discipleship er centrale for denne mission.

If someone has no friends, has no support, then he or she is going to find themselves feeling abandoned and hopeless. Hvis nogen ikke har nogen venner, har ingen støtte, så han eller hun vil finde sig følelse opgivet og håbløs. Why try? Hvorfor prøve? The systemic solution is escape-whether it's escape through chemicals, your drug of choice, or sexual promiscuity; all of them are some form of self condemnation, because we're punishing ourselves for the situation that we are in. ... Den systemiske løsning er escape-uanset om det undslippe gennem kemikalier, dit stof i valgfrihed, eller seksuel promiskuitet, alle af dem er en form for selvregulering fordømmelse, fordi vi straffer os selv for den situation, vi er i. ... But all of that I believe has a spiritual solution, because if we're in a proper relationship with God then there's no condemnation. Men alle, som jeg tror har en åndelig løsning, fordi hvis vi i et ordentligt forhold til Gud, så er der ingen fordømmelse. ... So even if we have absolutely nothing, the starting point for renewal is spiritual. Så selvom vi har absolut intet, udgangspunktet for fornyelse er åndelig. ... There's a solution based on the confidence that we have in Christ: we can begin obtaining skills and putting all that garbage behind us. Der er en løsning baseret på den tillid, som vi har i Kristus: vi kan begynde at opnå færdigheder og lægge alt det affald bag os. ... It's only in Christ that people finally possess the freedom to finally look beyond themselves for a source of healing. Det er kun i Kristus, at folk endelig have frihed til at endelig se ud over sig selv for en kilde til helbredelse.

People with habitual needs should be offered services, skills, and economic opportunities - but in David Apple's experience, unless the spiritual bondage is broken, they may never be able to benefit from the assistance. Personer med sædvanligt behov skal tilbydes tjenester, færdigheder, og de økonomiske muligheder - men i David Apple's erfaring, medmindre den åndelige trældom er brudt, kan de aldrig være i stand til at drage nytte af bistanden. Tenth Church does not duplicate the social services that other Christian and secular institutions are already doing well. Tiende kirke ikke duplikere det sociale tjenester, som andre kristne og verdslige institutioner er allerede godt kørende. Rather, by building ongoing, supportive, Christ-centered relationships with people, ACTS ministries help empower people to take advantage of other resources effectively. Frem, ved at bygge løbende, støttende, Kristus-centreret relationer med folk, RETSAKTER ministerier være til gavn for borgerne at benytte sig af andre ressourcer effektivt. Progress with homeless guests is slow, but the fruits become evident over time. Fremskridt med hjemløse gæster er langsom, men frugterne blevet klart over tid. Dr. Apple can point to "several homeless guests who because of becoming a new creature, are able to assume new characteristics and able to take off old labels and assume responsible citizenship." Dr. Apple kan pege på "flere hjemløse gæster, der på grund af at blive et nyt væsen, er i stand til at påtage sig nye egenskaber og i stand til at tage off gamle etiketter og påtage sig ansvaret statsborgerskab."

One of these men used to sleep on the steps of a synagogue a block from Tenth Church. En af disse mænd bruges til at sove på det trin af en synagoge en blok fra tiende kirke. For years, he was consumed by multiple addictions. I mange år var han som forbruges af flere misbrugsproblemer. He was, in Dr. Apple's words, "a walking dead man." Han var i Dr. Apple's ord, "en omvandrende død mand." A couple of ACTS volunteers befriended him, and from time to time would bring him sandwiches and blankets. Et par RETSAKTER frivillige befriended ham, og fra tid til anden ville bringe ham sandwiches og tæpper. Each time they saw him, they invited him to come to the church, to come to the Community Dinner, to come to Fellowship Bible Study, where he could come out of the cold, get a hot meal, and form new friendships. Hver gang de så ham, de inviterede ham til at komme til kirken, til at komme til Fællesskabet Middag, at komme til Fellowship Bible Study, hvor han kunne komme ud af den kolde, få et varmt måltid, og danne nye venskaber. At first the man wanted nothing to do with the church, but eventually he accepted their invitation. Ved første manden ønskede ikke noget at gøre med kirken, men i sidste ende han accepterede deres invitation. For several years, he came occasionally to church activities for the meals and the warmth, but refused other help. For flere år, han kom lejlighedsvis til Kirken aktiviteter for måltider og varme, men nægtet andre hjælp.

Finally, as David Apple puts it, "he got sick and tired of being sick and tired. And he had seen people he had shared needles with die of AIDS, and started asking the question, 'Why am I still alive?' Endelig, som David Apple udtrykker det, "fik han syg og træt af at være syg og træt. Og han havde set folk, han havde delt nåle med dør af AIDS, og startede spørgsmålet, 'Hvorfor er jeg stadig i live?" In developing relationships with the people of the church ... he started coming regularly and saw who Jesus really was, and how He could help." I at udvikle relationer med folk i kirken ... han begyndte at komme regelmæssigt og så, hvem Jesus virkelig var, og hvordan han kunne hjælpe. " ACTS volunteers led the man to a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. RETSAKTER frivillige førte manden til et erhverv af troen på Jesus Kristus. They also helped him get into a Christian drug recovery program. De har også hjulpet ham komme ind i en kristen stof nyttiggørelse program. After several episodes of relapse and re-treatment, he became drug-free. Efter flere episoder med tilbagefald og fornyet behandling, han blev dopingfri. He reunited with the mother of his children, and they were married and bought a home. Han genforenet med moderen til hans børn, og de blev gift og købte et hjem. His wife and two teenage daughters became believers. Hans kone og to teenage-døtre blev troende. He stood before a judge and paid old outstanding fines, saying, "The person who did all these things, I'm not that person anymore." Han stod foran en dommer og betalt gamle udestående bøder og sagde: "Den person, der har alle disse ting, jeg ikke denne person længere." The former crack addict who slept on the synagogue steps now volunteers with ACTS, sharing the gospel with people with whom he used to share drugs. Den tidligere crack narkoman, der sov på synagoge skridt nu volontører med RETSAKTER, at dele evangeliet med mennesker, med hvem han har brugt til at dele narkotika.

Another worship service and Bible study for persons with HIV was started at the request of a secular respite home, after Tenth Church members attended the funeral service for a woman who died of AIDS. En anden gudsdyrkelse service og Bibelen undersøgelse for personer med hiv blev indledt efter anmodning fra en verdslig pusterum hjem, efter tiende Kirkens medlemmer deltog i begravelsen tjeneste for en kvinde, der døde af AIDS. The woman had attended the Fellowship Bible Study and accepted Christ before she died. Kvinden havde deltaget i Fellowship Bible Study og accepteret Kristus før hun døde. Because of the relationship that they had nurtured with her, the church gained credibility and access to a population that desperately needs and is open to the gospel, but rarely trusts the church. På grund af forholdet, at de havde næret med hende, kirken vundet troværdighed og adgang til en befolkning, der desperat behov og er åben for evangeliet, men sjældent har tillid til kirken. Says the Tenth volunteer who leads these worship services, "We have a responsibility to everyone, but especially those whose life span is going to be shorter than everyone else's." Siger den tiende frivillige, der fører disse gudstjenester tjenester, "Vi har et ansvar for alle, men især dem, hvis levetid bliver kortere end alle andres."

Center city areas are often considered places of alienation, corridors of style and power lacking in true community, where commuters pass by homeless persons in alleys and doorways on their way in for a day's work or an evening's entertainment. Center by områder opfattes ofte som steder af fremmedgørelse, korridorer af stil og magt mangler i ægte samfund, hvor pendlere bestå af hjemløse i stræder og doorways på deres måde, for en dags arbejde eller en aftens underholdning. When Tenth Church faced the decision of whether to sell its property and move to the suburbs, following the trail of so many other white urban churches, Tenth decided to remain. Når tiende kirke stod over for en beslutning om at sælge sin ejendom og flytter til forstæderne, efter spor af så mange andre hvide byernes kirker, tiende besluttet at forblive. They have stayed, not just to keep a piece of real estate but to be a witness and servant in the city. De har opholdt sig, ikke bare at holde et stykke fast ejendom, men at være et vidne og ansat i byen. Church bulletins proclaim, This church opens wide her doors and offers her welcome in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Kirken nyhedsbreve proklamere, Denne kirke åbner hele hendes døre og byder hende velkommen i navnet på den Herre Jesus Kristus. Homeless men, suburbanites, HIV sufferers, international students, young urban families-all have made good on the invitation. Hjemløse mænd, suburbanites, HIV-ramte, internationale studerende, unge urbane familier, alle har gjort gode på invitationen.

[Adapted from Churches That Make a Difference, chapter 1]. [Tilpasset fra kirker, der gør en forskel, kapitel 1].