Germantown Church of the Brethren: A Church In, Of, and For its Community Germantown Crkva braća: crkve u,, i za svoje zajednice

Germantown Church of the Brethren: A Church In, Of, and For its Community Germantown Crkva braća: crkve u,, i za svoje zajednice

In 1723, the first Brethren church in America was founded by a small group of German religious refugees. U 1723, prva Braćo crkva u Americi je osnovana od strane male grupe njemačkih vjerske izbjeglice. For over two hundred years this congregation thrived. Za više od dvije stotine godina ovog thrived zajednicu. But by the 1950s, as many white members dispersed to the suburbs, the church sadly discontinued Sunday worship services. Ali od 1950-ih, kao i mnoge bijele članovi raspršili na pašnjacima, crkva nažalost ukinut Nedjelja poklonim usluge. Then in 1989 a denominational officer met Richard Kyerematen, and together they agreed to give the church another chance. Tada se u 1989 jedan vjerski službenik u susret Richard Kyerematen, a zajedno se dogovorili da će je dati crkvi drugu priliku.

A visionary, energetic native of the African nation of Ghana, Rev. Kyerematen's arrival at Germantown Church of the Brethren heralded a change in the church's relationship with the community. A vizionar, energičan native od afričkih naroda Hrana, vlč Kyerematen je dolazak na Germantown Crkva braće heralded promjenu u crkvi u odnosima sa zajednicom. The church already had a legacy of providing social services, including a day care, a feeding ministry for homeless people, and a food and clothing bank. Crkva je već imao stariju od pružaju socijalne usluge, uključujući i dan briga, a Ministarstvo za hranjenje bolesnika, kao i hrana i odjeća banke. People in the community viewed the church as a place that cared about their needs. Ljudi u zajednici pogledano crkve kao mjesto stalo da o njihovim potrebama. However, according to a long-standing church member, the previous pastor had "never invited people to come into the church." Međutim, prema dugogodišnji član crkve, prethodni župnik imao "nikada nije pozvao ljude da dolaze u crkvu."

Rev. Kyerematen invited everyone he met. Rev Kyerematen pozvao sve je u susret. He desired that the church provide its neighbors not only with services, but with a spiritual home. On željenu da je crkva pružiti svojim susjedima ne samo usluge, ali s duhovnim kuće. He preached the Gospel on the street, in housing projects, and at homeless shelters. On je propovijedao Evanđelja na ulici, u stambenim projektima, i beskućnici skloništa. Within about six months, the church had grown from 10-15 church members to almost 75 in attendance-about a third of these the fruit of an outreach encounter. U roku od oko šest mjeseci, crkva imala od narasli 10-15 crkva članova na sudjelovanje u gotovo 75-o trećine tih plod je susreta nadmašiti. "In spite of the traumatic changes that came over the course of the centuries," the church's brochure proudly states, "the Germantown Congregation has remained as firm as a rock. Today a community-oriented, interracial, inter-generational congregation is passing on the promise." "U inat od traumatskih promjena koji su dolazili tijekom stoljeća", crkva je brošura ponosno navodi, "u Germantown Kongregacija je ostao kao čvrstu kao stijenu. Danas zajednice orijentirani, međurasni, inter-generational zajednica je na prolazu obećanja. "

Rev. Kyerematen notes that residents have also tended to think of the church "as a white church, because when most black people moved into this neighborhood, they didn't feel welcomed here." Rev Kyerematen navodi da stanovnici su skloni misliti na crkvu "kao bijela crkva, jer kada je većina ljudi crne preselio u ovom susjedstvu, oni ne osjećam dobrodošla ovdje." Slowly the congregation is gaining a new image as a family that embraces all cultures and economic backgrounds. Polako zbor je dobivanjem novu sliku kao obitelj koja obuhvaća sve kulture i ekonomskog porijekla. The church's answering machine greets callers, "Welcome to Germantown Church of the Brethren, where our family can be your family!" U crkvi je sekretarica Pozdravlja pozive, "Dobrodošli u Germantown Crkva braće, gdje naše obitelji može biti vaše obitelji!" A church member affirms, "The outreach programs and the open doors, it's like a big welcome sign on the outside. And people get a lot of love when they come here." A crkva član potvrdjuje, "The dosezati programa i otvoriti vrata, on je kao veliki znak dobrodošlice na van. A ljudi puno ljubavi kad dođu ovdje."

The church serves as a bridge between a predominantly white, middle class, rural denomination, and a predominantly African American, struggling urban neighborhood. Crkva služi kao most između pretežno bijele, srednje klase, ruralni vjeroispovijest, a uglavnom African American, bore urbane susjedstvo. The style of worship and special events such as an annual "Celebration of Life" Gospel Concert affirm the community's African American heritage. U stilu bogoslužje i posebne događaje kao što su jednom godišnje "Proslava životu" Evanđelje Koncert potvrditi zajednice's African American baštine. The friendly partnership between the pastor and the church's Social Services Coordinator, who is white, visibly symbolizes the church's commitment to racial harmony. U prijateljskom partnerstva između župnika i crkvu je koordinator za društvene djelatnosti, koji je bijeli, vidno simbolizira crkvu je zalaganje za rasnu harmoniju.

The congregation's diverse fellowship includes single mothers and two-parent families, recovering substance abusers and social workers, homeowners and homeless people. Kongregacija raznolike zajedništvo uključuje majke i obitelji s dva roditelja, oporavlja tvar abusers i socijalni radnici, kuće i beskućnici ljudi. The church has focused ministry attention on two populations in particular: people with addictions, and homeless persons. U crkvi je fokusiran ministarstvo pozornost na dvije populacije u određenom: osobe s ovisnosti, i beskućnike. "When I came here," Rev. Kyerematen recalls, "the church was just going downtown and feeding people, which I call 'Sandwich Evangelism.' "Kada sam došao ovdje", vlč Kyerematen sjeća ", crkva je samo ide u centru grada i hranjenja ljudi, što ga ja zovem" sandwich-odanost ". Our desire, singly, has been to take people into the life of the church." Naša želja, iskreno, je da se ljudi u život Crkve. " The church transports homeless shelter residents weekly to church services, teaches occasional Bible studies, and organizes other Church of the Brethren congregations in providing a meal and devotional at a shelter. Crkva prijevoze beskućnici sklonište stanovnici tjedno na mise, uči Biblija povremena istraživanja, organizira i druge Crkve o Braćo congregations u pružanju jelo i zavjetni u sklonište.

Carl* was one of the homeless shelter residents who accepted a ride to the church. * Carla je bio jedan od stanovnika koji su beskućnici sklonište prihvatio vožnja do crkve. He felt drawn to the congregation, but was sucked back into a life of addiction and homelessness. On je osjetio nacrtana na zajednicu, ali je bio usisan povratak u život ovisnost i beskućništvo. Many years later, after he had recommitted his life to Christ through a rehab program, he came looking for the church that had first shown him Christian love. Mnogo godina kasnije, nakon što je imao recommitted svoj život za Krista kroz rehab program, on je došao u potrazi za crkve koje su prvi pokazali mu kršćanska ljubav. Although he wondered if people would accept him, he sensed in his spirit that this was the place he was supposed to be. Iako je čudio ako bi prihvatili ga, on je detektiran u svom duhu da je to mjesto je trebao biti. "They have to love me," he told himself; and when no one chased him away his confidence grew. "Oni su za mene ljubav", rekao je on sam, i kad ga nitko nije otjerao njegovo samopouzdanje raslo. He found a job, remarried his wife in the church's sanctuary, and bought a home and a car. On je našao posao, remarried njegova žena u crkvi u Svetište, i kupio kuću i auto. Now he coordinates the homeless ministry. A on koordinira Ministarstvo beskućnici. When he tells other homeless guests, "I've been there," he means it literally. Kad on kaže drugi beskućnici gosti ", bio sam tamo", on je doslovno znači. His life embodies the church's message of hope. Njegov život embodies crkve poruku nade.

Integrating people on the socio-economic margins into the life of the congregation is rewarding, as Carl's story illustrates, but also challenging. Integriranje ljudi na socio-ekonomske margine u život u zajednici je rewarding, kao Carla priča ilustrira, ali i izazovan. There are barriers to be overcome on both sides. Postoje prepreke da se savladavaju na obje strane. Rev. Kyerematen describes one little girl from a homeless shelter who wanted to join the praise team. Rev Kyerematen opisuje jedna djevojčica iz skloništa beskućnici, koji su htjeli da se pridruže u tim hvale. When they started to sing, she asked, "Is this the choir for the shelter people or is this the choir for the church?" Kad su počeli pjevati, ona je upitao: "Je li ovo zbor skloništa za ljude ili je ovaj zbor u crkvu?" Her plaintive question reminded him of how isolated people in distress can feel. Njezina tužan pitanje podsjetio ga kako izolirani ljudi u nevolji mogu osjetiti. The testimony sharing time, a regular feature of worship services, helps to build bridges. Svjedočanstva dijeljenja vremena, regularna značajka poklonim usluge, pomaže da se izgrade mostovi. As church members share their struggles and praise God for having brought them through, newcomers to the church from the community see that their stories are not so different. Kao crkva članovi dijele njihove borbe i hvale Bogu za to što ih je kroz, novih članica u crkvu iz zajednice vide da njihove priče nisu tako različite.

Germantown's efforts not just to serve but to identify with the community have signaled its intention to become a "neighborhood church". Germantown napore ne samo da služe, ali da se identificiraju sa zajednicom imati upozorenje da njen namjera postati "kraj crkve". The leader of a community organizing nonprofit attests to the change in its reputation: "It's not just open on Sunday and people come in from outside the neighborhood. It's part of the community now." Lider zajednice organizira neprofitna svjedoči da su promjene u svoj ugled: "To je ne samo otvoriti u nedjelju i ljudi dolaze izvana u susjedstvu. To je dio zajednice sada."

Germantown Church of the Brethren's outdoor worship services, tent revivals, and door-to-door distribution of church flyers proclaim to the neighborhood, "We're here!" Germantown Crkva braće's otvoreni poklonim usluge, šator obnova i vrata do vrata distribuciju letaka proglasiti crkva u susjedstvu, "Mi smo ovdje!" At the start of their youth ministry, they held an outreach crusade on a street crowded with kids. Na početku svoje mladosti ministarstvo, oni održao je dosezati križarski rat na ulicu krcat djecom. The crusade led to a Bible club in the home of one of the parents. U križarski rat doveo do Bibliju klub u kući jednog od roditelja. After six weeks, they invited the kids to a Friday youth service at the church, and 70 youth came - far more than if they had not first gone to where the kids were. Nakon šest tjedana, što je pozvao djecu do pet mladih usluga u crkvu, a 70 mladih je došao - mnogo više nego ako oni nisu prvi otišao do mjesta gdje su djecu.

Rev. Kyerematen continually encourages the congregation to look beyond the walls of the church. Rev Kyerematen kontinuirano potiče zajednicu da izgledaju izvan zidova crkve. "I have a big problem when people go to church and say, 'I'm just in this church because it meets the needs of my family, because this church has these programs,'" he says. "Imam veliki problem kada ljudi idu u crkvu i kaže: 'Ja sam upravo u ovoj crkvi, jer oni zadovoljavaju potrebe moje obitelji, jer je ova crkva ima tih programa," kaže on. "What about the other children who don't have that opportunity?" "Što je s ostalom djecom koji nemaju priliku da?" The church is reminded of its mission to the community in sermons, prayer times, and announcements of volunteer opportunities. Crkva je podsjetio na svoju misiju na zajednicu u propovijedi, molitve puta, volonter i objave u mogućnosti. Information on various community programs, issues and resources are posted on a bulletin board near the church's entrance, alongside flyers for such church ministries as the summer camp, after-school program, youth activities, counseling ministry, and discipleship class. Informacije o raznim programima Zajednice, pitanja i resursi su postavljeni na oglasne ploče kraj crkve na ulazu, pored letaka za takve crkve ministarstava kao ljetni kamp, poslije-školskog programa, aktivnosti mladih, savjetovanje ministarstvo, a discipleship klase.

Rev. Kyerematen invests significant time in community networking. Rev Kyerematen ulaže značajnim vrijeme u zajednici umrežavanje. He is well-known to local social service agencies, both for recruiting their participation in the church's ministries, and for offering his support. On je dobro poznat lokalni socijalne usluge agencija, za zapošljavanje i njihovo sudjelovanje u crkvi u ministarstvima, te nude svoju podršku. "When the community has a problem, [Germantown Church of the Brethren] backs the community and gets that problem solved," says a woman active with a local service organization. "Kada je zajednica ima problem, [Germantown Crkva braće] podupire zajednice i da se riješilo problem", kaže žena aktivno s lokalnog davatelja organizacija. "We work together to get things done." "Mi smo raditi zajedno kako bi učinili stvari."

The church has been willing to get involved with community development projects without insisting on getting the credit. Crkva je spremna da se uključe sa zajednicom razvojnih projekata bez insistira na dobivanje kredita. Rev. Kyerematen relates, Rev Kyerematen odnosi,

The buildings across the street had been in bad repair for almost 20 years, and nothing could be done. Zgrade preko puta ulice su bile u lošim za popravak gotovo 20 godina, i ništa ne može biti učinjeno. The church kept at it for the last 12 years, and we finally were able to network with Greater Germantown Housing Development Corporation. Crkva čuva u njemu za posljednjih 12 godina, i konačno smo bili u mogućnosti mreže s većim Germantown Stambeni razvoj Corporation. They turned those buildings around. Ona se okrene te oko zgrade. ... The church doesn't own [the housing complex], but we see it as one of our strengths that we were the catalysts, that we were the ones that went out and found the owner and did the initial work, and provided the seed money. Crkva ne posjedujete [stambenog kompleksa], ali vidimo ga kao jednog od naših snaga da smo bili katalizatori, da su one koje je izlazio i nađe vlasnika i da je početno radu, a pod uvjetom da je sjeme novac .

One creative way that the church draws in neighborhood leaders, while promoting the congregation's awareness of the community, is its annual "Church/Community Award Sunday." Jedan kreativni način da se crkva privlači u susjedstvu vođa, dok je zajednica u promicanju svijesti o zajednici, njegov je godišnji "Crkva / Zajednice Nagrada nedjelje." The award honors persons from the community who have worked hard to make it a better place for its residents. Nagrada počasti osoba iz zajednice koji su radili tvrdi da bude bolje mjesto za svoje stanovnike. In 1999, for example, the award went to two men who were involved in starting the community market. Godine 1999, na primjer, nagrada je otišao na dva čovjeka koji su bili uključeni u zajednici s početkom tržištu. Rev. Kyerematen asks other churches and community groups to nominate the names of people for the award, then selects the recipients. Rev Kyerematen pita drugih crkava i zajednica skupine imenovati imena ljudi za nagradu, a zatim odabire primatelja. The awardees usually bring their families, and often others from the nominating agencies will attend as well-giving the congregation an opportunity to build a relationship with people who might not otherwise attend church. U awardees obično donose njihove obitelji, često i drugima iz imenovanje agencije će prisustvovati i-davanje u zajednici priliku da izgradi odnos s ljudima koji inače ne bi mogli pohađati crkvu.

The church's mission statement, printed weekly in the bulletin, includes a call "to be a beacon of Light, Love, Hope, Peace, and Service in our homes, church, community, and world." Crkva's Mission Statement, tiskan u tjedni bilten, uključuje poziv "da se far svjetla, ljubav, nada, mir i usluge u naše domove, crkve, zajednice i svijeta." The community service and revitalization projects give concrete expression to the church's mission. Zajednica usluga i projekata revitalizacije dati konkretan izraz za Crkve. But the church's relationship with the community is more than the sum of its many activities. Ali crkva je odnos sa zajednicom je više od pukog zbroja svojih brojnih aktivnosti. Rev. Kyerematen explains that the church is "a spiritual, living community. Our influence has also come through just being here, being one of the neighborhood institutions that people could rely on and trust." Rev Kyerematen objašnjava da je crkva "duhovno, žive zajednice. Naš utjecaj ima dođu i kroz koje se samo ovdje, jedan je od susjedstvu institucije da bi mogli osloniti na ljude i povjerenja." As the church has become invested-financially, relationally, and spiritually-in the holistic well-being of its neighbors, its very presence has become a beacon of God's Good News to the community. Kao crkva je postala uloženo-financijski, relacijski, i duhovno-u holistički dobrobit svojih susjeda, njegova prisutnost vrlo je postala far Božje Radosne vijesti u zajednici.

*Not his real name. * Nije njegovo pravo ime.

[Adapted from Churches That Make a Difference, chapter 7]. [Prilagođen iz Crkve koji čine razlika, poglavlje 7].