We've Got It Down to a Science

Faith and Saint James are both hosting a Doing What Matters Bible Study during Epiphany. Jordan Krey wrapped up his work on Pastor Matthew's Call Committee just over a year ago. He and his wife have been attending this study. They've been very active members of Faith for a handful of years. Here are Jordan's thoughts on Doing What Matters:

A guy named Newton once wrote down three laws of motion:

An object at rest will stay at rest.
An object in motion will stay in motion.
Each action has an equal and opposite reaction.

The first law describes a congregation that from the looks of it is vibrant and healthy. The pews are filled and money is not all that difficult to come by. But something is missing. Bible study is not very well attended, people are uncomfortable praying out loud, and words like "pledging" and "tithing" make people cringe. What is missing? And does it matter?

The second law describes a pastor. One full of energy, with hundreds of new ideas and thoughts on how to implement them. Our areas of weakness are the areas about which this pastor is most passionate. The pastor seems to have a finger on what is missing and can say for certain that it matters.

The third law describes what happens when the two come together.  When the congregation is pushed, it pushes back. A lot of force is required to move such a creature as a Lutheran congregation.

Another guy, named Einstein, came up with a formula you may have heard of:

E = mc^2

 (or for our analogy)

Spiritual Energy = (What Matters * Congregation) ^ 2

For you math whizzes out there, what happens to your spiritual energy if your doing "what matters" reaches zero?  More importantly, what happens as doing "what matters" reaches infinity?  If you are still with me, this may seem like a lost cause.  If the congregation is at rest and requires a massive amount of force to get it moving, how will it ever start doing what matters?  

This is where the exponential comes in. The congregation will not move on its own or move because the pastor is pushing it. God is the one who will do the heavy lifting.  People -- including the pastor -- plant the seeds. They do what matters and their effort is squared. Jesus says that if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains.  Even the most stubborn of congregations cannot compare to that.

Mobile Loaves and Fishes-A Ministry that Does What Matters

The ministry of the Mobile Loaves and Fishes is a ministry that matters.  It’s a ministry whose home is in Texas, but was brought to Rhode Island several years ago.  The vehicle for the Mobile Loaves and Fishes is a fully functioning catering truck, loaded each week with food, hot drinks, and clothing.  Our friends at the Barrington United Methodist Church have been loading this truck and making runs to places like Woonsocket and Providence for the last three years.  Recently, they have invited us to join them. 

On Saturday, December 18th over twenty volunteers gathered at St. James  to prepare one hundred nutritious meals for the homeless and needy. The kitchen was abuzz with chatter as the food-prep group made peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, hot meatball grinders, washed fruit, sorted snacks and cookies and loaded it all into the Mobile Loaves & Fishes Catering Truck.  The truck was also outfitted with over fifty winter jackets, fleeces and sweaters as well as over one hundred knitted caps, mittens and scarves. The truck was topped off with bulging bags of toys

At noon the “run” team consisting of eight adults and four of our youth left for five planned stops, two in Woonsocket and then on to  Crossroads Rhode Island, a shelter in Providence. At each location people flocked to the truck for a warm meal and hot drink. The stop at Morin Heights was enormously touching as most of the people served were families with young children. The team arrived at a quiet street in the projects with a few scattered folks perched on their stoops.

 As word spread, the scene became a festive occasion with food, smiles, drinks, clothing, conversation, toys and even a little Christmas music shared by all! Our volunteers were able offer them warm clothing in a variety of sizes, colors and styles. Many of the children left chatting excitedly, wearing beautiful new hand-knitted caps. After being given a colorful nylon jacket, one little girl skipped off, beaming from ear to ear. Our youth were able to use their high school Spanish in conversations with children and adults. The run finished up at Crossroads where hot drinks were offered until all supplies were exhausted. The group returned to St. James at 3pm with an empty truck and a full heart, thankful for the many blessings they had experienced that day.

The work of the Mobile Loaves and Fishes is work that matters.  It’s also something that we were able to do because we saw what we had: people who were willing to serve, food to serve, and coats, hats, and mittens to give away.  Now, this emerging ministry is a part of who we are at St. James.  Our first two runs with the MLF truck have inspired so much energy and enthusiasm that we have budgeted funds for a monthly run throughout 2011, and are working to create partnerships for additional runs each month.

This ministry that matters has invigorated us, and inspired continued gifts of clothing, food, and time.  It’s a great example of being who you are, seeing what you have, and doing what matters!

Jill Bowen and Andrew Simon, St. James Lutheran Church