What is *Christian* outreach at Christ Church Cathedral?

"Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?"

"Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, 

and respect the dignity of every human being?" 

(Baptismal Covenant, BCP p. 305)

We all have a sense that following Jesus and being the church involves service (particularly with the poor) and working for justice. Christ Church Cathedral has a long history of embracing this. Lately, many people have come to me saying it feels there is no coherent vision for outreach here, that we're sputtering without a clear sense of what we're supposed to be doing. 

As our congregation, the diocese and representatives from the neighborhood and region go through the process of discerning the shared, core values that will guide this Cathedral, much of that vision will emerge. But after hearing so many of these voices, Amy Cortright, Mark Sluss and I decided that even as that process was happening, it would be good for us to convene a diverse group of Cathedral parishioners to wrestle with some foundational and structural questions about outreach that will enable us to be ready to move once our values are discerned. Questions like:

*Why we as Christians are called to outreach with the poor and to work for justice (i.e. what makes us different from the United Way?)

*What are the opportunities and challenges for outreach and social justice based on location/population/etc.?

*What process can we propose for Chapter to consider that will help the Cathedral identify outreach ministries for the congregation to engage in and also for helping figure out whether a ministry proposed by a parishioner is something the Cathedral as a body should support or whether this is something the person should be encouraged to support individually as part of their baptized life in Christ?

The group is gathered and has begun its work ... and I'll be using this blog to give you updates.

First of all ... who! We invited a group that was diverse in many ways including years at the Cathedral. I am convening it and the other members are Dr. Huldah Blamoville, Dr. Michael Kyzer, Eli Anderson, Sharon LaRue, Chloe Hollett-Rickard, and Jane Mayfield.  Each have a strong life commitment to outreach and have also been involved in various degrees with outreach at Christ Church Cathedral.

Our first meeting was this past Sunday. We prayed our guiding prayer, which is this collect for the ministry and mission of the church, and we looked at one of our guiding scriptures, Matthew 25:31-46

The conversation was wide-ranging. Some of the highlights were:

*We are called to do outreach differently because we are the church. We are different because of Jesus. Because we are Christ-centered. Because we take seriously the claims the Bible makes on our lives. As Episcopalians, we recognize that what that translates into (what does being Christ-centered mean? How do we read the Bible?) is not handed down from on high but is discerned in community and in line with the tradition of the church.

*Lifting up outreach as not just about church programs but also what they do everyday in service (e.g. Sally works as a Big Sister. Ralph volunteers at the Food Bank).

 *We may (will?) disagree about how best to love people in service. How do we live in that tension?

 *We need a process that has enough steps to do the job and keep a level of excellence and appropriate control, but not so many that it kills energy and creativity.

*The serving Jesus is talking about is personal ... small, one-on-one actions.

*There is a grave warning about not serving Christ in the poor ... the stakes are high

*This sort of ministry is going on already at the Cathedral --pastoral ministry --not just "out there" but "in here"

*The people Jesus was speaking to didn't know they were doing the right or the wrong thing. Jesus is who was giving their action (or inaction) meaning and importance.

*Service is a part of who we are.

When we asked the question: If the person whom I am serving is Jesus, how does that change how I serve and approach service, several things came up:

*Would make no difference -- it's always the golden rule "what I would have done to me." *We are all on the same level, all are one, all are equal, all are worthy. Don't differentiate by race, class, status, etc.

*"I would be so nervous I wouldn't do anything!"

*Would treat the person with honor and dignity.

*Christ longs for us to become our best selves ... we should help everyone become their best selves (but what does that look like?)

At our next meeting (Sunday, Sept. 2) we will...

*look at our second guiding scripture (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).
*Ask if there are other scriptures we should be looking at as we ask "Why are we as Christians called to outreach with the poor and work for justice?"
*Look at our knowledge of the history of the Episcopal Church and Christ Church Cathedral and examine our legacy of outreach with the poor and work for justice?
*(if we have time) ]take a first shot at the question "Why are we as Christians called to outreach with the poor and work for justice?"

Why is this important for Christ Church Cathedral?
Why we do things and what they have to do with following Jesus is as important or even more important than the actions themselves. This is important because our ministries of seeking and serving Christ and working for justice and peace can not just help the world but bring all of us closer together in Christ. Our service will be exponentially more meaningful as we consider why we are serving ... and what it means to actually be serving Christ.

What do you think?