• By RJ Walters, Editor •
Parsing together some of her trademark "laugh out loud" humor with authentic stories of working in partnership with the needy and homeless, the Rev. Faith Fowler challenged church members to consider their work with the poor at Thursday's opening laity session.
The charismatic executive director of Cass Community Social Services in Detroit approached the topic with candor right off the top.
“Poor people get a lot of attention in the Bible and the non-poor people get a lot of attention in the church,” she said.
Below are a compilation of some of the key points and stories she laid out for an audience that was engaged and excited throughout.
For the full story on her message, including some extra insights from a short sit-down with Fowler, check out the June edition of the Michigan Area Reporter or check back here frequently.
Fowler's "Three likely reasons the church is not full of poor people..."
1. “Poor people aren’t always the easiest to get along with.” Fowler mentioned that a lot of the generalizations about homeless or the poor that include them making poor choices or being lazy or abusing substances might be true, but everyone makes poor choices, so they are not that different from any other class of society.
2. “Maybe, sometimes we avoid poor people because we realize if circumstances were slightly different we might be them. If we had been born to different parents or lost a job or had a terrible medical condition…some of us are only a few missed paychecks away from where they are.”
3. “We really don’t know how to get a handle on poverty. It’s complex and complicated and sometimes it takes more mental horsepower than I have”
Things people should do when ministering to and with the poor
• Consult with people who have worked in specific settings to better understand the ramifications of decisions that are made in trying to assist them. She illustrated the point with this example: “A man came in (to Cass) before Christmas last year with some things to donate and he had met one of the homeless children on the steps, so he wanted to donate, in addition to what he had already brought to the giveaway, a bike to this particular boy. We’ve got a problem I said. He lives in a room with 30 other children who won’t be getting a bike and there’s no bike rack or lock or helmet and I could go on and on. That’s why it’s important to talk to someone who is there working about the pitfalls or how others might receive certain treatment.”
• People should also take into account cultural differences and do their best to stay away from dangerous situations
Things people should not do when ministering to and with the poor
• “Don’t wait until you’ve figured everything out about poverty or else you’ll never do anything." Fowler said making mistakes is par for the course and provides some of the best lessons for future consideration.
• “Don’t think you should be stymied or put on hold because of a meager budget, just start small.”
Fowler's real passion came through when speaking about how as committed United Methodist Church members who have taken the vow of membership for the denomination the church needs to re-focus more of its efforts on its home bases.
She said almost every organization that serves people in need around the country and in the state are full of good, "but so are the things are church is connected with and they need your help." She noted there are UMC mission projects everywhere from the Upper Peninsula to Detroit and their are organizations like Children's Village, Cass and more.
“It doesn’t make any sense to always be on the road. In fact, it’s a bit obscene to always be on the road when your neighbors are hurting.”
Tidbits that got her central points across with a few chuckles mixed in:
• “A group of youth were at Cass and it was a hot Michigan day, so they were asking why there was no air conditioning. They were Christian groups, so I asked them: “Is there a story in the Bible of Jesus just relaxing in the air conditioning?”
• Fowler, talking about a trip she took with the Ambassadors, a gospel choir composed of homeless men from Cass: “As we’re going over the bridge to the Upper Peninsula I was hoping for a compliment or an ‘atta’ girl,’ so I say, ‘Have you ever been to the Upper Peninsula before?’ hoping they will say, ‘No, thank God Rev. Fowler that you are taking us. Not the answer I seeked, the voice came out of nowhere: “Yes Rev. Fowler, but the last time it was in shackles.”
To watch an archived web video of Folwer's speech, check out www.detroitconference.org/annualconference.
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