Building Fences Big Enough For A Neighborhood [Fr. Tony Bleything]

There is a common sentiment rising up out of the parish that I serve: “I love the diversity of opinion in this church.” Among our members we have strong complimentarian views but we also have a female postulant preparing to be a priest.  We have a person in our congregation who recently officiated a gay wedding in Michigan yet we belong to a denomination that does not support same sex union.  We have a number of staunch Calvinists in our church that worship next to a number of Anglo-Catholics.  We have members that would love to see greater partnership with the Episcopal Church and others who wish for greater separation. We have members that believe in paedo-communion and others who practice believer baptism!  WTF?!?

Honestly, this type of brutal unity was never our goal.  It was not our vision, it doesn’t even show up in our ministry plan!  So I’ve been reflecting on this, how did this happen?  I think it is best answered in a word: place.  From the beginning, our community has fixed a gaze on our neighborhood.  Our church plant began by asking the question who are they rather than who are we.  Our posture was prayerful and outward facing.  Because this was our posture, I believe, we have drawn others who also love the neighborhood and desire to see it flourish.  This desire trumps other desires, and this desire allows us to live together with the Story of Jesus at the center while allowing other things to get pushed to the margins. I can’t think of any other reason why our parishioners would take up the same space and share a meal with each other during the week if it were not the common desire to see a thriving parish in this neighborhood under the Reign and Rule of Christ.

This longing for a geographical rootedness is such a growing desire among a generation growing up ‘Alone Together’.  Today we are all more connected to people all across the globe while feeling more and more disconnected from the person sitting across the table. Our church made a decision to resist the temptation to be The church for Milwaukee in order to be A church in A Milwaukee neighborhood.  Our church drew a line in the sand and said,

We will care for the poor, but we will do it in this neighborhood.  We will fight for justice, we will proclaim Jesus to the nations, and we will seek out the widows and orphans, but we will do it in this neighborhood.  We are not trying to be all things to all people, we are trying to be all things to all people in Riverwest.  And then, we pray, we will have the opportunity to learn to be all things to all people in Harambee, the neighborhood next door, when we are ready to root people in that community.

We made a decision to limit ourselves to a particular place because Jesus made a decision to limit himself to a particular place in a particular time.  This limitation and laser focus on this neighborhood of 11,000 people has created the space to link arms with those around us who believe differently than we do yet believe in the same Lord as we do.

We’ve built a fence and that fence is around this community not around this church.

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[Image by Elaine, CC via Flickr]