Tuesday morning I almost asked for the banner attached to our church sign to be taken down. It is a banner announcing to all the world that we host a Mid-day prayer service on Tuesdays at 12:15 pm. We call the worship service Tuesdays for Troubled Times. We started the service back in early October in part as a response to the economic crisis and bailout discussions that were causing many of us to feel anxious and troubled. Pastor Lib reminded us that when we encounter such troubling circumstances and uncertain times that we must go to God in prayer. As a way of announcing this new worship service, we not only put a blurb in our bulletin, but we also decided to print up a banner and attach it to our road sign with hopes that members of the larger community would join us.
While it is true that we have averaged 20 or so folks in attendance for these services of worship, until this Tuesday everyone present was either a member or a friend of a member of St. Mark’s. So on Tuesday morning of this week, prior to the the service, I all but decided it was time to take the banner down. After all, it was obvious that it was not attracting the attention of the wider Midtown community. Second, one of the poles used for supporting the banner had been badly bent when a tractor trailer turned in to our entrance a few weeks back and pulled down the power lines. (See my blog post entitled The Afternoon the Lights Went Out.) Needless to say the banner looked tacky hanging from the bent pole. But the thought of taking down the banner did not get shared with the staff and thus the banner did not come down prior to the start of the service.
To my great surprise as folks gathered for worship Tuesday around noon, I was greeted by two women that I recognized but did not know. I knew they were not members of St. Mark’s, but I couldn’t place them. As I approached they quickly introduced themselves as folks who help work the polls at St. Mark’s on election day. They shared that they had seen our banner out on the street and felt compelled to join us for worship. Good thing I didn’t take down that banner after all!
Grateful for the new folks among us, I began the service. When I got to the Scripture reading, I looked up surveyed the gathered group and realized that another new face had joined us. The woman appeared a bit disheveled and wore a mask of distress on her face, but otherwise she seemed engaged in the act of worship, so I continued the service thinking that after the benediction I might speak with her.
Upon concluding the service, I said the final blessing and began to walk to the back of the sanctuary only to hear a strange voice begin to speak. I turned around and discovered that this same distressed woman was now addressing the gathered group. She spoke about how she had no place to stay and nowhere to turn. She stated that she had a job but was waiting on a paycheck. While she had been waiting for the paycheck she had gotten evicted from her place and had spent the past few nights in a nearby park. She began to tear up as she explained that had tried to get help at so many places but had been refused because she didn’t have children or a drug problem. She pointed out that if you do drugs, have children, or don’t have a job there are agencies and places that can help but woe to the one who is out there trying so hard to do right, work a job, and trying to make ends meet. It is hard to find help and even more difficult if you are female. She went on to explain that she was just about to give up on God and turn to drugs when she saw our banner - Tuesdays for Troubled Times and declared to herself, “Well, I’m sure troubled, maybe I should go in. Maybe these folks can help.”
As this woman shared her story, others began to gather around her and offer assistance. It was truly a beautiful, Kingdom of God moment. One person offered shelter, another food, still another financial resources. I was awed by the response of God’s people in this place. And yet…
There was something in my gut that told me to go slow…that there might be more to this story. Sure it sounded good. I too wanted to believe that the banner had done its job and had been a sign of hope to a troubled person, but I’ve been at this work long enough to know that there is almost always more to the story. After some conversation with this woman I helped her find her way to North Raleigh Ministries (NRM). NRM (www.northraleighministries.com) is a faith based mission of St. Mark’s and other area churches who recognized a few years back a need to care for folks just like this in our community in ways better than any one church could handle alone. I called the Executive Director of NRM and briefed her on the woman’s situation. The director lamented that the woman was right about how little help is available for women in Raleigh who are not on drugs or who don’t have children. She agreed to meet with this woman and to see what she could do to help.
A few hours later, the director called me back and confirmed my suspicisions. There was more to the story. There were some troubling details that had been left out of this woman’s story as she first told it to those of us gathered in the sanctuary. And yet…NRM was still willing to offer some basic assistance and shelter for the night.
So, what to make of all of this? First, I’m really glad I didn’t take the banner down. I had all but decided it was not an effective form of communication. God however had other ideas. Turns out 3 new folks were drawn in by the sign…all 3 looking for sanctuary and a word of hope during these troubling times. Second, while the distressed woman’s story turned out to have a few holes in it…regardless she needed help. She is troubled, maybe not just around issues of needing shelter, but about life in general and truth telling. So while we maybe couldn’t help her in the ways she wanted us to, I am confident that we did offer assistance and sanctuary in a moment of great trouble. Finally, I am awed by the generosity of the others that gathered there for worship. Without missing a beat, they were ready, willing, and wanting to help. Indeed, St. Mark’s is a refuge for troubled people during these troubled times, and I’m simply honored to serve among these great folk.
Benediction: Going forward, may God draw others in trouble, regardless of the kind of trouble/need it is, to St. Mark’s and may we stand ready to offer grace, peace, and The Good News of Jesus Christ. And rather than take down the banner may we do even more to get the word out that we are a place for troubled people during these difficult times. Amen.
