Could You Give It All Away?

A young United Methodist clergy woman, Rev. Lorenza Andrade-Smith, has sold everything she has, given up her salary for the time being, and is living under a bridge so that she can learn what is means to do work with the poor, not for the poor.  The article describing this can be found here.

Engaging in ministry with the poor is one of the four major initiatives (global health, new places for new people, and developing principled Christian leaders) that all United Methodist churches are supposed to focus ministry plans around.  From the beginning, I’ve wondered about the “engaging of ministry with the poor,” knowing that I am not poor.  I may not be rich, but I am most definitely not poor.  How can I personally do this when, no matter how much I might ache for their plight, I am free from many of the stressors of the really, really poor?

Often, I ponder the issue of access to health care for those on the margins.  With my good, although enormously expensive health insurance, provided by The United Methodist Church and with the mandate that the church to which I am appointed fund, I can just swipe my magic card and essentially get what I need for a small co-pay and a reasonable yearly deductible.

I’ve been lucky.  After a brush with a decline into real ill-health this spring, I’ve discovered I can keep myself energetic and functioning well with extremely careful eating and enough sleep.  No meds, the only supplement being good quality fish oil, and I’m doing fine.  But during the brush with ill-health, I know the insurance carrier was billed several thousand dollars for laboratory tests and doctor’s visits.  The carrier only pays a small percentage of what is billed, but had I no insurance, I would be billed for the full amount. This system is riddled with inequities.

So what do those do that have no resource like this? Little things that could easily be mended tend to multiply out of control until a huge medical crisis arises.  And then who pays? The taxpayers, who then revolt at the high costs, not seeing a system that sets so many up for catastrophe.

I so admire the Rev. Lorenza Andrade-Smith. She very much put her money where her mouth is.   That’s integrity.  And I’m impressed.