Fanning a tiny flame of hope

"Becoming Missional - A Work in Progress"...That was the title of a webinar presentation I did for the EDGE Network of The United Church of Canada late in the fall of 2011. At that time,(was it only a couple of months ago?) I was hopeful that the vision we had begun to implement less than five years ago at the historic First United Church in Vancouver's gritty Downtown Eastside would continue to emerge piece by piece. It had been a tumultuous time for us, full of highs and lows. Through it all, those of us in the senior leadership held fast to the vision that had been set before us by our Board when we were called to this ministry, a vision that had morphed in agile response to the needs of the neighbourhood we were committed to serve and at the same faithful to the overall intention of the vision statements of 2007.

To outsiders looking in, the sheer volume of human misery and need which presents itself to anyone who dares to walk through the doors of Gore Ave and Hastings Street would seem to make a folly of the vision we boldly proclaimed. To those of us who spent our waking hours in the building engaging in conversation with the community, the vision was like a tiny flame that we obsessively fed with stories of hope.

And what was that vision we fought so hard to articulate? It was the vision of an intentional, inclusive community at the margins of society shaped by the lens of Christian faith. A community where all would feel welcomed. A community which would welcome those that no one else wanted to welcome. A community shaped by the gospel call of justice and radical hospitality and where membership was not based on shared religious belief but on shared commitment to be in relationship with each other regardless of religious identity or any other label that might divide us.

That was the vision that drove us these just over four years. We held it in the face of opposition from the bureaucracies of the City and Province. We held it in the face of opposition from some groups in the Downtown Eastside who competed with us for funding dollars. We held it not because we are stubborn and arrogantly believed that we could challenge authority with impunity. We held it because we believed that this is what First United Church is called to be in this neighbourhood.

We held our ground in a number of conflicts especially in 2011. Unfortunately we couldn't hold our ground in the face of opposition from our denomination. The following posts are the story of a four year experiment in creating a Missional church. As an introvert I learn best when I write. I am hopeful that these reflections will also help others who are interested in thinking about the future of faith.