I was still learning the best route to work, realizing that thirteen minutes really means fifteen. It’s not because of traffic, but because Google Maps doesn’t seem to understand hills and a bishop trying hard to stick to the speed limit. It was the first Tuesday in July after shadowing Bishop Lane for two weeks, and then being away for two weeks to move and attend General Convention. I was excited as if it was the first day; my office was set up and my pencils sharpened — I was ready to work! I turned from Pinnacle Road onto Goodburlet Road, a hilly local street with houses on one side and fields on the other. Uh oh! Construction! They had already begun to re-tar the road. Immediately I regretted the turn, my new tires and newly washed car creeping over wet tar, squeezing by the compacting roller flattening the the new asphalt. Oh well, off to more important things…
It was a typical workday, appointments with a little time to follow up, time to get through some emails (but not two weeks’ worth!), conversations and lunch with co-workers, but no time to read the thoughtful articles and items I’d been saving for a quiet moment. Despite a pile of work yet to be done, I left at five, determined to keep a good balance of work and home life. I thought of ignoring Google when it directed me to turn on Goodburlet again, but it was finished! The construction crew was packing up and the road gleamed black and smooth before me. Then the thought popped into my head, “What had I accomplished in a day?”
I asked this question a lot in my early life as a priest. I could go home, not check my email, or go on vacation, but the life of the parish and each individual was always on my heart. There was no way to truly “turn off.” The heartaches and ebb and flow of ministry were always waiting for me when I returned. Often it felt like my work was never done. And it is not only clergy whose hearts are on call 24/7, undertakers, medical professionals, educators, and first responders come easily to mind. One of the hallmarks of the Christian life and the life of the world is that our work is never done. Wait, just checking…has the Kingdom of God come yet? Is the God Project finished, turned in, and graded? Nope. There are people and places in the world without hope, without enough food, shelter, peace, or beauty. There are still hearts and minds turning a cold shoulder to the possibility of the sacred. We still have work to do.
Yet if we dwell too much on “what we have left undone” as the confession reminds us, we can easily be overwhelmed. If we can’t finish, why start? One way I personally manage this is to have hobbies and routines that have a start and a finish. I find a puzzle or craft, alphabetizing my spices, or taking a yoga class, are good ways for me to balance all that is unfinished in my life. I hadn’t considered taking a weekend job in road construction, but maybe I should!
But how do we work on the God Project when we have so much on our “to-do” lists already? As a parish priest in an historic building, I discovered that caring for the building and grounds was really pastoral care. The church is the people, for sure, and we don’t have to have a building to be and do church. Yet, our buildings, like our homes, signal to the world who we are and what we value. Most of our buildings are old and beautiful works of art and architecture: Episcopalians value our history and heritage. A run-down building might send the signal that a parish doesn’t care, regardless of the complex reasons for the frayed edges. A church building that is accessible to someone in a wheelchair sends a message that people of all physical abilities are welcome and expected. A parish that recycles and embraces sustainable practices is practicing what we preach about the stewardship of creation. Artwork in the church, on the website, and in the bulletin that has images of the holy embodied in many races and cultures shows a recognition of God’s love for all created beings.
Keeping our church buildings welcoming and well-maintained is one way of doing God’s work in our daily lives. Current outreach efforts encourage us to ask questions about even wider impact. Churches’ food pantries and “sharing sheds” directly aid people in need. How do they help us to learn about and advocate with local governments and businesses for the needs of under-resourced persons? When we cooperate with other denominations, we witness to unity in Christ and shared commitment to serving our neighbors. How might such efforts promote greater knowledge and appreciation of other faiths, and promote understanding and the end of prejudice?
Cleaning and renovating our buildings are not the only projects that we can start and finish on the way to God’s kingdom. How do our food pantries and sharing sheds help us to advocate for under-resourced people in our local governments and businesses? How do programs with other denominations show unity in Christ with our neighbors, or learning about and appreciation of other faiths spread tolerance and understanding?
One of the best preparations I had for being a rector was a class on community organizing through a religious lens. One strategy of community organizing is to create relationships first, and then create a community willing to work for the common goals of the community. This is in contrast, for example, to rally around a single cause like “save the whales” which creates a community of like-minded folks who disband when the project is over or abandoned. We as the church are (hopefully) already a bonded community organization. Unfortunately, we can be so busy being a community we forget the second part – our mission.
Another important tenet of organizing is to start with “small wins.” If the common goal is to bring back fish to a lake they might start with a local clean up before tackling the industry pouring chemicals into the water. It’s small wins that can fight the discouragement in the face of a never-ending project. Whether you are a lay leader, deacon, rector or sit in the back pew I hope you will take this end of summertime to think about the small wins possible in your parish. What can you, as a community, do to show the world what you are about? Fix the sidewalk, hang different art, and be explicit about what it means “All are Welcome.” You won’t finish the road in a day, but you’ll begin to see where it is going.
God’s Blessings,
+Kara