LA Regional Food Bank

We had a great time pretending to work for Disney on Saturday -- those of us who don't work for Disney, that is. A big thanks to Ben and Melissa for making it possible for us to piggyback on the VoluntEARS day at the LA Regional Food Bank.

We got a lot of food sorted. Watching everyone work, I was proud to be a part of this group. I think Erin's ready to run her own food bank!

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week...

...is this week. To learn more, visit the National Coalition for the Homeless. They've chosen the week before Thanksgiving for their annual observance. Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

According to the January 2005 "count" conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, 88,345 people are estimated to be homeless at a given time in the Los Angeles area.

The LA Regional Food Bank estimates that 1 in 10 people in the LA area are at risk of hunger.

Join us in prayer this week, and in action throughout the year to make whatever dent we can in these numbers. You have an opportunity this Saturday, Nov. 18, at the LA Regional Food Bank from 9am-12pm. Let me know if you and your family would like to volunteer.

Open Door Policy

Last Sunday the front doors facing Glenoaks stood open before our worship assembly.

I didn't expect much to come of it. I thought it would probably mean more to our members who usually come in the back door than to our neighbors walking or driving by outside. But as I looked out the doors, an older gentleman walked past, and when he saw that they were open, he stopped and stared.

And stared. It was a little weird, actually. I kept thinking he would keep walking. But he didn't. I went down the steps to say hello. I said, "I bet you've been walking past this building for years and never seen these doors open."

He said, "Armen, no English." I said, "Parev," which, if you get past my butchering of the Armenian language, means "hello."

He laughed and returned the greeting with the correct pronunciation. He tried to teach me "Good morning." Then he pointed to himself and said, "Yess;" he pointed to me and said, "Toun." Then he pointed to the church and said, "Toun chin?" Are you?

He genuflected, and again said he was Armenian, indicating he is a member of the Armenian Church. He gestured for something to write on. When I returned with paper, he filled it with the numbers 1-9, the Armenian alphabet, and his name in Armenian characters. His name is Degron. I thanked him and we attempted to exchange names. I expect my conversation with Degron will continue. I'm sure I'll see him again, and I hope to have a few new words by then.

We each have something to offer others. But if our doors are closed, those chance encounters never get a shot at becoming conversations. And though they may start slowly with a language barrier, when we open the doors to the outside -- to the "other" -- we find that we each have an alphabet, each have a name, each have something to share. It may take a little extra work, but boy is it worth it.

Degron gave me a boost last Sunday. I went into church feeling alive, that I am -- we are -- part of not only our own church community, but of something larger. And it's all because we opened the doors.

2007 Plan

The below is the text that precedes the 2007 budget proposal for the Community Ministry. I welcome your comments.

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The Community Ministry Plan for 2007 is an investment plan. Last year, nearly a dozen various events and programs were planned for the 2006 calendar year. A quick glance reveals that most of these did not materialize.

Rather than a slew of programs, this year’s budget is built on two platforms: Education and Relationships.

The educational platform will present opportunities for exposure to and discussion of poverty, its causes and effects, both in this country and abroad. This may take the form of classes, small group discussions, presentations, volunteerism, tours of facilities, guest speakers, or other activities that present the opportunity to expose our hearts and minds to a topic close to the heart of God. The aim of this educational platform is to engage poverty with an eye to the response Christ would ask of us as his disciples.

The relationships platform will focus on building new relationships and strengthening existing ones between the church and nonprofit organizations, city departments, and other churches in the area. This is an element that doesn’t show up in the budget because there is little to no cost. This goal will be achieved primarily through volunteering with various groups such as Habitat, PATH, NAMI, local cities, and other groups.

These two elements together comprise a plan that will build over the coming years toward greater financial investment in our community, especially that which directly benefits the poor. What forms this investment will take are undetermined. They will undoubtedly flow out of the resources, passions and talent of our faith community seeking to meet the needs of our larger community.

It is worth noting that 1.6% of our 2006 plan was slated for programs that directly benefit the poor. Actual expenditures for 2006 will probably be lower than this. Additionally, over 90% of our 2006 budget was marked for programs, services, properties, materials, staff, and other items that benefit the membership. Who are the ones benefiting most from the budget, and is this the way we want it to be?

"Duh" Ideas

Ever get some distance from a problem, see exactly what you've been missing, and kick yourself for not recognizing the obvious sooner?

Or worse: if you're full of pride like me, someone from the outside comes in, sees the solution immediately and makes you feel like an incompetent moron.

Here are a few "duh" ideas that have hit me recently:

• More of us need to learn to speak conversational Armenian.
• We need to set more money aside in the budget for the poor.
• We need to learn and remember everyone's name who walks through our doors.
• We need to make sure our doors are open to the community, literally and figuratively.
• We need to look for answers to others' prayers among our own considerable resources.

Any more "duh" ideas that strike you? (I promise not to resent you.)

1.6%

Over the weekend, I looked at the church's 2006 budget plan that we formulated a year ago. Of the total dollars budgeted, 1.6% of that directly benefited the poor.

One-point-six. We can do better. We must.

Additionally, over 90% went to programs, services, staff, administration, etc. that benefits members alone. If 90% of our offering is coming back to benefit us, are we really giving something away? Is it really a sacrifice? Something to think about.

Many among us own homes, vehicles, fashionable clothes, have no trouble eating at restaurants, and enjoy many other luxuries that we tend to think we need. And it seems that even when we give at church, in many ways it comes right back to us.

The church in the first century couldn't have buildings. They rarely, it seems, had paid staff. Things are drastically different in our time. I'm not suggesting we throw out the baby with the bathwater, but I would advocate an incremental shift over time that shifts more of our resources out of our hands and into the hands of those with real need.

We can certainly do better than one-point-six.

Who Are We Giving To?

Larry James posted some excerpts and a link to an article by Ray Mayhew titled, "Embezzlement: The Corporate Sin of Contemporary Christianity?" on his blog this morning. Mayhew's article asks some fundamental questions about church giving and budget appropriations.

Who most often benefits from the spending of the monies we "give" to God?

I thought it was more than appropriate for budget time. I'm not sure that "enjoy" is the right word here, but do take a look.

We Are God's Answer

I'm in the midst of preparing a budget and ministry plan for 2007. During this process, coupled with some real life circumstances lately, I keep coming back to this idea: How much human responsibility has been shirked and thrown back on God when we pray for answers to difficult situations?

Someone is hungry. God, provide food for this person.

Someone is homeless. God, provide a home for this person.

Someone is hurting. God, comfort them.

Someone is lonely. God, let them feel your presence.

How many times have we prayed these prayers in earnest, not thinking that we are called -- commanded -- to be the source of compassion we are asking God to provide? We are the church. If not from us, then from where else will the answers come?

May we not look any further than ourselves when prayers for brothers, sisters, and neighbors may be answered through our own self-sacrifice.