Harder then I thought

I had my first Genesis meeting with our team’s family and it is difficult work. The idea of trying to educate and pass down some knowledge to a family who’s starting out with so little is daunting. The cultural barrier isn’t simply racial, though that exists, but also one of economics. Trying to impart some of the rules of the middle class culture into a working poor situation can be just as much of a culture shock. I think sometimes I can be guilty of a messiah complex or the white horse syndrome where myself or our church will ride into a situation and simply through our presence or initial work or effort or whatever that we’ll have immediate results. The projects that have most the immediate results seem to concern either funds or buildings. I mean, the backpack program that Hillcrest regularly supports is such an exciting project by and large because of how tangible it is- one pack for the year, one child, $125, an amount that stretches but that most middle class folks can pull off, even if it requires a little adjusting. The same is true, I would assume, for a building project. When you give to a something like a new building, you see the results- a new clinic, a new afterschool facility, a new sanctuary, etc.

But when ones gives the gift of time, whether it’s through the Genesis project, mentoring, listening to a child read, etc, how does one measure success? The projects that seem to be of the most struggle, at least in terms of capturing people’s attention and efforts, are these projects where the work is messier and the results less clear. It doesn’t diminish the importance of the work, in fact, it probably raises just how important this work is, and yet it’s more difficult and complex then just getting someone to follow a written budget. For someone to budget, there must be funds coming in. And for funds coming in, there must be someone working. And for someone working, there must be a person who has a marketable skill. You probably see where this is going. Our church has some incredible people who are making these seemingly unnoticed investments- the ones who mentor a child over a lunch hour, the ones who listen to a child who needs a few extra minutes of help with reading, the ones who pour into a family on a weekly basis in an attempt to provide a Genesis or a new beginning, and the efforts of these folks is laying the groundwork for more of what our community will need from those who follow Jesus.