Your Obstacles to Moving to Allendale

For almost a year, we have been communicating that we would be leaving Allendale. Many people have asked us, “Is anyone going to come and take your place?” The short answer is, “No.”

We have been praying for someone to move to Allendale, particularly someone from Grace Church. One of the biggest ways that we got to support Grace Church’s work in Allendale is by being “feet on the ground.” The biggest impact we had here isn’t what we’ve done ourselves, but how we were able to connect and support others.

While we would have loved someone to have moved here this summer (and we did talk with a few individuals), I think it could be a good thing that no one else is coming here immediately. Some of the benefits of not having someone move here as we transition are:

Not “Bigger and Better”

It was last day of working at the Boys and Girls Club, a program that I helped re-launch at the beginning of 2011. Just weeks earlier, I made a decision to leave that job, even without knowing what I would do next. (PS — God did come through for me with these four jobs.) But I did know that my wife and I were committed to the well-being of children in Allendale County.

On this final Club day of the semester, the children led a special Christmas-themed program, in which we invited parents and organization leaders. The children did a fantastic job, of course.

Near the end of the evening, one of the organization leaders spoke to the audience. She thanked me for my work that year, and wished me the best. But what she said next infuriated me, and it was only by the grace of the Holy Spirit that I did not react immediately.

She said, “Mr. Joey is moving on to bigger and better things.”

Reunited (And It Feels So Good)

(OK, how many of saw the title of this post, and are now singing with Peaches & Herb in your head? Or out loud? You’re welcome.)

Last month I was having lunch in the local elementary school, and I was sitting with a school staff member and with a mom who helped lead this year’s spring break camp. The mom was telling the other person about when she volunteered at the camp in 2013.

She explained,

“I was touched by the spirit of love that was in that place. Those volunteers from Greenville, they showed so much love that it filled the air. I know that all Christians should love others, but I’ve never seen it like that.”

Did you catch what she said, or what she didn’t say? Not once did she mention how much better the campers got at soccer, or how great of a job I did leading the camp. (That’s OK. Really. Sniff.)

What encouraged and inspired her was the love shown by the families and teenagers from Grace Church (Greenville, SC).

Beyond the Camp  

We have loved being a part of the Spring Break Camps, but it’s not because we really care about teaching kids soccer, or doing arts and crafts, or playing games. Those were fun bonuses, but not the goal.

What we’ve loved seeing are the relationships that form. The relationships between two moms. The relationships between young boys. And the relationships between teenage guys.

The Surprisingly Simple Way You Can Start Living on Mission for God

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the story of Elevate Spring Break camp – how it came to be and what we’ve done with it. I hope that you see that this event may have originated from us with a simple thought and question, but that it was made a reality by a larger community.

A few months ago, as we were reflecting on our 3+ years in Allendale, my wife remarked, “We really haven’t done anything too difficult here.”

She’s right. For all the times when people try to give us credit or praise, or when people ask us what legacies (programs, initiatives, leaders) we are leaving behind, we have to remember why we moved here:

• To be a part of the community
• To work with kids
• To be “feet on the ground” to help others get connected

And we have to remember how all of this started. It started in January 2010, when my wife and I went away to discuss the life adventure that God had for us. We left that weekend knowing our mission from God:

Just a Vapor

I like walking around in historic graveyards. (But not for too long — creepy.)

Last fall, we visited Beaufort — which I think is the most beautiful city in SC — for the umpteenth time (one of the many blessings of living in Allendale). We came down for the annual shrimp festival, but got there early to stroll downtown, including an old cemetery.

Community and Mission Everywhere

I’ve still been thinking about my recent mission trip to Eleuthera, and the community and sense of mission I felt there. By our second day there, all two dozen men on our trip were in complete awe of Keith and Lori Doster, who moved – together with their two girls – to that island in January 2013. Everywhere we went on that 110-mile-long island, Keith knew and talked to people. In turn, the locals were just as excited to see him and talk to him.

Keith and Lori have obtained (and are still obtaining) this level of cultural engagement just by being in the community and showing love (such as by giving rides to people in their bus or van). We were challenged as we saw the depth and breadth of their friendships all over the island, which they built in just 15 months. We all left Eleuthera challenged and inspired to better engage our own “mission fields” back home – our families, our work, our neighborhoods, our cities, etc.

But as we engage our own communities, we must remember that God’s mission for us is more about our own obedience, instead of the results we see.

The Most Important Thing in Missions (Sharing Our Story with CBC — Part 3)

Finally, I’m concluding this series. As I wrote over 2000 words in these 3 posts, I’m amazed that I was able to share all of this in 12 minutes at CBC – Savannah. I could be an auctioneer.

You can listen to the complete podcast of the sermon, including my talk, on the CBC Sermon page. Try this link or this one. My part starts with about 12 minutes left.

In the last two posts, I explained the Context for Hopelessness in Allendale and then how we can engage that hopelessness through true hospitality and incarnation. I will conclude this topic with a quick explanation of missions done well, then a few examples of “random” opportunities to teach, and then some additional inspiration for you.

Missions Done Well

For missions and being missional, the goal must never be the event or the project or the program. Those are good things, but life change doesn’t happen by a project or program all by itself.

The primary means of missions is engaging others in meaningful relationships, for the purpose of helping others worship God. Life change always happens best in the context of community.

When it comes to “missions” programs, most churches use the relationship as the means to get the project done. They connect with certain people, get the team there and back home, and then they are happy. But this is wrong, and often harmful in the long-run.

Hospitality Is Not What You Think It Is (Sharing Our Story with CBC — Part 2)

In this three-part series, I am letting you know what I shared with the congregation of Community Bible Church (in Savannah, GA) a couple of months ago. I was asked to share our story of living in Allendale, as a part of their teaching on James 1:26-27 (regarding looking after the vulnerable of our society).

Here is the second part of my talk.

Last time, I set the context of Allendale, with respects to its demographics. Then, I focused on the issue of how generational poverty involves a lack of hope. When our “neighbors” don’t have a hope that life can or will change for the better, what do we need to do?

We need to be the body of Christ, and share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Your Presence, Not Your Presents

A lasting hope does not come by writing a check, or donating your used clothes, or by telling people, “You need to work harder and get an education,” or even by teaching a Bible story and doing an altar call. Yes, those things may be needed, but you can’t start (or stop) there.

What is needed is for the body of Christ to come alongside and to show love. People need your presence more than they need your presents.

Community and Mission in Eleuthera

Besides general prayers for family, friends, ministries, and myself, I also keep a list of specific prayer requests for all those groups. Sometimes those prayers are answered immediately, and sometimes I keep praying for years. And sometimes those prayers are granted, and sometimes God says “no.” I’ve learned that no matter the timing or the answer, God shows His mercy and grace.

I have been praying for two things for a few years now: 1) to go on a mission trip (I haven’t been on one since I went to Kenya in late 2007), and 2) closer community with other men.

Through my recent mission trip to Eleuthera (Bahamas), God answered these two desires with a resounding “yes.”

Eleuthera Mission Trip

I’m going to the Bahamas, and I need your help.

No, not the “Bahamas” that you’re thinking of. Well, probably not.

In less than 5 weeks, I will be going on an overseas mission trip to Eleuthera, a long, skinny, and barely populated island east of Nassau. I will be a part of a team of 20+ men from Grace Church, in a trip that is a combination of service and a training camp.

This will be my third overseas mission trip, after going to Nicaragua (March 2003) and Kenya (November 2007). My wife went on a mission trip to Eleuthera in May 2010. And all this comes after I thought I’d never go on a mission trip, since I Hate Roughing It.

In fact, this culturally engaged opportunity will include all these aspects: