Faith Works 7-7-07
Jeff Gill

Gifts, Graces, and Gumption

Saw Scott Hayes working at one of the key tasks of ministry the other day, outside of the “Look Up Center” on O’Bannon, the former Hazelwood School.

He was, of course, um . . . preaching? No. Witnessing? Well, sort of. Building up an effective ministry on the east end of Newark? Kinda.

He was mowing the lawn.

I was explaining to a fellow clergyperson the other day, new to some of the ways of the World as it intersects with the Church.

My point, sadly, was nothing more complicated than “never let anyone know you are good at clearing paper jams in the copier.” Parallel to that point is discretion about displaying plumbing skills in front of anyone other than the trustees.

Pastors, ministers, clergy of whatever sort, all know that there is an intrinsic hazard to having keys to the building, because you’ll be the first call most people make. And there is not a seminary dean who hasn’t joked that they need to add a plumbing and electrical skills course to the program, and everyone would sign up. (Instead, they add another class in Akkadian or Sumerian, and wonder how to get more student interest ginned up for them.)

Scott, and many of us, know that before a wedding on a Saturday or when the VBS is coming, you just gotta go find the clippers or the trimmer or the pushmower (I’ve been blessed through the years by good parishioners with riding mowers and a trailer, Amen!), and you do what has to be done.

What clergy are, as a group, not prepared for in schooling, and barely aware of until it hits us in the face, is that you need to know how to do fundraising.

No, I don’t mean preaching stewardship sermons, though those are important. But the mechanics of putting together a campaign, the nuts and bolts, the techniques of how to set up a leadership phase, announcing your goal, keeping the progress in front of the congregation (and other supporters if we’re talking a program or non-church ministry), and having an effective closing stage . . . these are skills, with a body of knowledge and best practices, that are out there but often not well understood in the church. You may have chiropractors or entomologists in the parish, but you’re more likely to have a certified arborist than a development professional sitting in the pews.

All of which creates certain problems, like feeling tugged and torn by each offer made by someone selling or providing a product or service to the church, to use their “fool proof, almost always works” set of tricks for raising money.

Add in the tempting swamp of “can’t we find a grant for that?” and a church leader can find themselves up to their necks in said swamp.

If your faith community is part of a denomination or church body, the problem is magnified by the fact that almost all of them are running their own capital campaigns or outreach initiatives, so if you go to them for assistance, they’re likely to just route you through their own priorities. That, and they often don’t know any more about fundraising than you do, and just have glossier fliers and a shiny veneer of confidence.

There are a number of vital settings for ministry in our community that need and deserve our support. The Look Up Center, Open Arms Shelter a little closer to downtown on E. Main, the Licking County Jail Ministry where Scott Hayes doesn’t have to mow, Water’s Edge Ministry in Buckeye Lake . . . the list could go on. All of them exist for the good of the community and to advance the Kingdom; most of them have websites, a few have Paypal, and even that represents the challenge and opportunity to do fundraising in an unfamiliar modern context.

Trusting God and rooting your work in prayer are necessary first steps, but fundraising is a skill and a gift that should be sought and valued just as you wouldn’t want just anyone switching out the wiring in your church building. We know to look for a certified electrician for major work, but fundraising folks think can be done by anybody.

Pray that God gives you a plan and people who know how to implement that plan when it comes to fundraising, and I’m praying someone offers to do the mowing for Scott!

Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and supply preacher around central Ohio; he’s seen a capital campaign or twelve through, some successfully. Not all, though! If you have good news, fiscal or faithfilled to share, write him at knapsack77@gmail.com.

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Faith Works 6-30-07
Jeff Gill

Have You Ever Been To Moss Point?

We’ve all heard of New Orleans, and many of us in Licking County not only heard about Hurricane Katrina, but have been down to the region assisting in the clean-up and rebuilding effort.

The whole impacted area is called the “Gulf Coast region,” and along with N’Orlins you may hear sometimes about Mississippi, and Biloxi.

On east of Biloxi there was incredible damage, in an area admittedly a little less populous than to the west, but where the force of the hurricane winds and storm surge was arguably the strongest. Right in the path where the eastern corner of Katrina was fiercest, is Moss Point, Mississippi. You’ve probably never heard of Moss Point.

Next door Pascagoula gained a measure of fame in the 1980s when novelty singer/songwriter Ray Stevens featured the town in his hit, "Mississippi Squirrel Revival." But Moss Point has mainly had reason to sing the blues the last couple years.

On August 29, 2005, on the strong eastern side of Hurricane Katrina, much of Moss Point was flooded or destroyed in one day, pounded by vicious hurricane-force winds which lasted from 7 am to 2 pm at a consistent 75 miles an hour, and with a storm surge exceeding 20 feet in some sections. Moss Point was devastated.

Dozens of folk from Central Christian Church, on Mt. Vernon Road in Newark, went down to the Gulf Coast in 2006 and again in February. On the first trip, they slept in the Moss Point Christian Church sanctuary, elevated enough that the structure was sound even with major external damage. The members of that church, led by Pastor Lester Brooks, fixed the roof of their church even before they repaired their own homes, and quickly turned their skills to help others. In that, too, Pastor Brooks led them, taking his day job as a licensed electrician out into a community ministry of repair and healing.

When the Newark folk joined them, sharing meals cooked by Mabel Ford and joining together for morning devotions, driven from job to job by Daddy Willie Smith, 87 years young, they all came together as family. Like a big family reunion, folks made do: for instance, Steve and Connie Crothers slept under a grand piano. Others found pews and patches of floor that suited them.

Then they woke up, sang “This Little Light of Mine,” ate more of Mabel’s cooking, maybe heard Pastor Brooks preach a bit, and went out to work some more until they had to come home.

But they felt like they needed to go home again when they returned, this past February, but needed and housed in Gulfport. So they made sure to go back for Sunday worship to Moss Point, where they were welcomed like the family they’d become. And three of their Moss Point family took time off from their work to come help their nearer neighbors rebuild in Gulfport, all working side by side.

Tomorrow, Central Christian gets to return the favor, and welcome Pastor Brooks to their pulpit at 10:30, and feed Mabel Ford, and Willie McClendon, and Daddy Willie if he can make it, and any of the rest of you who show up, with a potluck to follow. The choir will sing “This Little Light of Mine,” and I’m assured “there will be some preaching.”

There are many of these stories rattling around Licking County from those who’ve been there and returned, but not as many where the story comes to live and walk and preach and eat among us. You’re invited to join these brothers and sisters in a celebration of what faith is building in Moss Point, and Pascagoula (no squirrel involved), and right here in Licking County. And there’ll be plenty to eat.

Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and supply preacher around central Ohio; he’s seen work trips and mission trips change lives on all sides of the relationship. If you have a mission trip story to share, write him at knapsack77@gmail.com.