How to reach the masses, men of every birth, For an answer, Jesus gave the key: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, Will draw all men unto Me.” Oh! the world is hungry for the Living Bread, Lift the Savior up for them to see; Trust Him, and do not doubt the words that He said, “I’ll draw all men unto Me.” Lift Him up by living as a Christian ought, Let the world in you the Savior see; Then men will gladly follow Him Who once taught, “I’ll draw all men unto Me.” Refrain: Lift Him up, lift Him up; Still He speaks from eternity: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, Will draw all men unto Me.” The Gathering 3/18/20161

 Expanding our view of missions The Gathering 3/18/20162

Agenda  Why missionize  How we think about  Invitation to reframe/expand our thinking The Gathering 3/18/20163

Why  Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11  “For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me.” Mark 14:7  “… the key to happiness is to spend a life helping others.” Herald-Sun; Blake Strayhorn; 2/28/2016; The Gathering 3/18/20164

“…it has been truly spoken that all Christians are, strictly speaking, the result of the disciples in mission…It is therefore the high purpose of every church to follow in that tradition and to be a supportive community for the work of missions. We have the joy and the privilege of the gospel because of a missionary, ancient or modern. All Christians therefore have the obligation to ensure that others may receive the gospel.” Hiscox Guide for Baptist (Goodwin, 1995); 174 The Gathering 3/18/20165

WHY The Gathering 3/18/20166

How WETHEY The Gathering 3/18/20167

“Whenever I ask church people what comes to mind when they hear the word “outreach,” the first thing everyone says is “soup kitchen.” Why? Because the average person in the average pew is far away from the average person in the average soup kitchen. That person in the soup kitchen could never be me. Therefore, I never have to confront the needs of the kind of people I know, or even my own needs. I don’t have to know how needy we all are.” Source: Catherine A. Caimano Faith & Leadership outreachhttps:// outreach Accessed 3/14/2016 Outreach The Gathering 3/18/20168

One approach The Gathering 3/18/20169

An alternate approach 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40 (NRSV) The Gathering 3/18/201610

Community Garden 90 raised bed garden designed to serve seniors/disabled, youth and general public. Organization is in the process of renovating a house on the property into a learning center and installing a fruit orchard. Plans for expansion and a future garden to engage residents in agricultural entrepreneurship for economic development. Source: aven Accessed 3/15/2016https:// aven The Gathering 3/18/201611

Person County Missions Cake Medical Bus DJ Dance Ministry Children’s Activity Table Lunch Homily The Gathering 3/18/201612

Person County Missions The Gathering 3/18/201613

Case Study: Metanoia Community Development Corp.  APPROACH : Asset Based  Community driven  Rooted in faith  RESULTS : 57 houses built or renovated in the community  700 pounds of food produced annually by the community garden  65% reduction in violent crime on one street MISSION : to attract investment to the quiet assets that already exist within these neighborhoods… pushing forward into new relationships with God and one another to create strong communities.  INFLUENCE : Dr. Martin Luther King  What are we willing to sacrifice?  Am I willing to speak out even at the risk of offending power?  What is the aspirational ideal that drives you Source: The Gathering 3/18/201614

TWO DIFFERENT APPROACHES  Need Based  Service to meet needs – driven by crises; short term intervention; start with the answer  Consumers – recruit people to implement the answer  Program is the answer – move to the next crisis  Asset Based  Connect; Contribute – start with conversations  Community members – find out what people care about; what gifts do they have  People are the answers – let people go to work! Source: Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) The Gathering 3/18/201615

Don’t serve the homeless, the hungry, or the poor. Instead …. help a neighbor …. get to know a neighbor …. become a neighbor The Gathering 3/18/201616

Final Words  “The adventure of life is to learn.  The purpose of life is to grow.  The nature of life is to change.  The challenge of life is to overcome.  The essence of life is to care.  The opportunity of life is to serve.  The secret of life is to dare.  The spice of life is to befriend.  The beauty of life is to give.” William Author Ward The Gathering 3/18/201617

Questions / Comments The Gathering 3/18/201618

Franciscan Blessing  May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.  May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.  May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, & war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.  May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. And the Blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you forever. Amen. The Gathering 3/18/201619