A pastoral letter to House for All Sinners and Saints

 

Dear Church,  

A couple of months ago a Lutheran campus ministry pastor contacted me.  He wanted to bring a group of 10 college students to HFASS this week which I assured him, would be no problem.  Then I get a call from him last week indicating that they are combining their trip with another campus ministry group and there would actually be 20 now.  I hemmed an hawed until finally saying that I’d prefer if they split up as a group…there are some other cool churches to check out in Denver; maybe 10 could go to The Wilderness at the cathedral.  As you all know, we get a lot of what I call “church tourism”; people wanting to come see what we do but who aren’t looking to join because they are either visiting from out of town or are members at other churches.  Obviously we are use to this and actually welcome it unless it overwhelms us and totally changes what we are doing.   Then yesterday I find out that there is a youth group from Iowa who is also planning as part of their service trip to come and visit HFASS this week. And there are 28 of them. Are you kidding me? I thought.  At some point the observer changes what is being observed, you know? I love that people are so interested in our funky little church but it feel like we are zoo animals if there are more of them than us.  I mean, if that many people came we’d have to take down the prayer labyrinth, and I’m not even sure we have that many extra chairs.  Plus, I’m not even there this week.  Matthew is covering for me.  

But… then I thought shit.  Is radical hospitality about saying “please join us…that is if we aren’t inconvenienced and we don’t have to change anything from the way we like it”?  So I want you to know that I have repented from my original impulse to protect and preserve HFASS so that all the people who really belong there won’t feel uncomfortable or inconvenienced. It’s not our tent.  It’s God’s tent. (http://tinyurl.com/y8heo4v )  

So this Sunday yes, we won’t be able to have the prayer labyrinth and maybe there won’t be enough chairs and maybe it won’t feel just the way we like it and we’ll need extra cookies and communion bread. And yes, we will have to change what we do. But I ask that you embrace this holy interruption.  Show up.  Meet these people.  Worship with the assembly. Gather around a bigger table than we have ever had.  You never know when you may be entertaining angels.  

It’s an honor to be your pastor.  

Grace,

Nadia

Comments

[Irritable Reaching]

How shallow am I if I think this is the coolest pastoral letter ever, at least partially because you say "shit" (and because you do so in italics)?

[Ryan Torma]

Nadia, beautiful things can happen when tourists, transients, and news crews show up.

If this becomes a regular thing for you all, be careful to not let it go to yours or your community's heads. Fame can be fun but it also distracts. Remember that it is not your tent and you will be fine.

By the way, do you have a member in abstentia program? I kinda wanna join HFASS, I just have this tiny problem of living in another state.

[Existential Punk]

Great decision Nadia! Proud of you.

EP

[Marty Hampton]

Thank you for your frankness, honesty, and public wrestling with all of this! And most of all thank you for reminding ALL of us that wherever we worship, with whoever sit directly around us in that space, it isn't OUR tent, it's God's. Peace be with all of you this weekend.

[Ray Graumlich]

I suppose this is how the Taize Community was transformed into the worldwide ministry they now have. I agree with the other comments--thanks for bringing all your wrestling with this out in the open.

[Kirk]

A good friend of mine in college once said, "You know a pastor is good when they know its ok to say things like shit and damn every now and then."

Wonderful musing! It makes me wonder about the day I visit Denver some time...I should totally round up as many Deaf people as I can and see what happens!

*wink*

[Ray Graumlich]

Oh, and I really like "holy interruption".

[Dawn Coffey]

I think the problem is a good one to have. Maybe Jesus wondered about the tourists when 5000 showed up to eat after he had a teaching session.

[Ray Graumlich]

One more comment: For those of us far away, knowing more of HFASS's situation would help. How many people do you usually have on a late winter Sunday?

[Joelle]

Can I bring my youth group to come visit you?

[Carolyn B-G]

Nadia, you're just the coolest. Someday we'll get a chance to get down there too, but I probably won't bring more than my 3 boys :-)
(reminds me of when we were in Scotland and went to the little Presbyterian church across from the BnB -- there were 5 of us in my family and 2 parishioners and the pastor! [because it was the WAY early in the morning service] Needless to say, we stuck out a little.)

[Eric]

And my respect for you from a distance continues to grow...God bless you and the people of HFASS.

[Sharolyn Browning (StMartians)]

Wishing you loaves and fishes.

[Sheryl]

I am totally sharing this with our congregational council at our next meeting. They need to hear this desperately.

[pat wehren]

I was wanting to ask you about the nature of the pastor/parishioner setup, because there are just these problems with it that I'm not finding work-arounds for, and I've been earnestly trying things for thirty years. I wanted to run it by you because you're up there with the best I've seen.

But then, in Googling you, I found howling witch-hunters practically under the banner of the Ad Hominem argument, who, in all the furor of doctrine and wedge-issues have a tin ear when it comes to the GOSPEL, which you have a sobering and breath-taking fidelity to. No, really, that should be a consideration. Evangelical Lutheranism, if scholars like Leonard Goppelt are any indication, are very good for staying to the Gospel with Hubble telescope precision and you've brought it out with all that veracity in postmodernism. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, and has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation."

So, I'll postpone my general church concerns, since the pitchforks and burning crosses seem to call for support right now.

[Auggie]

Look, any ministry is burdened by the logistics that support weekly worships. Anyone with thoughtful common sense will, or should, consider a local pastorship when presenting ad hoc requests for uninvited visits... yes, I said "uninvited"-- I don't mean the 'spiritually' uninvited, but rather the group tour types who feel "naturally" entitled to impose without regard to pre-planning. While well intentioned, ALL visitors who link up with a parish should really consider the "event-management" aspect of descending upon a regular worship. Come'on folks-- consider that local Pastors RARELY have support teams and resources to wrestle up extra "what-not" to support additions and/or outside requests during regularly scheduled worships. Fellowship during worship may not be about measuring sacristy supplies to projected attendance, but please, give a Pastor a break... If not, be prepared to pull up a piece'o'rug and dig in to the Homily or Sermon for your take-away... Worship take many to pull off logistically... THEY DON'T HAPPEN MAGICALLY!!! Call first... inquire... "offer" to help support and then show up early to pull chairs; stay late to put them back and maybe even bring a plate of brownies... Good on'ya Nadia... keep the faith. Focus on your message and let the sycophants grumble if they don't get coffee, danish and seat to fit their fat asses on during or after worship. Give me a break.