This isn't criticism, its awareness to the reality that it is easy to slumber into complacency, numbness when we retreat to our suburban getaways. For most of us, and for many suburban churches there is a disconnect from the inner city. Sure we catch glimpses of homelessness, poverty and addiction through our peripheral vision, or our rear view mirrors as we rush by it, or drive by it, during our shopping or dining excursions to the city. Somehow, the little glimpses over time are just enough to inoculate us, giving us a passive immunity to it's reality.
So on the weekend, to bring awareness to the inner city...to poverty, homelessness, addiction and mental illness, we brought a part of the inner city to suburbia. The event, which we're hoping will be come an annual event was called, " The Mustard Seed...more than a Food Bank ", hosted by Saanichton Bible Fellowship.
More than 20 years ago the Mustard Seed was planted in a prayer closet in a store on Government Street. The need of the under-privileged was so great that the ministry re-located into a building on the lower end of Pandora Avenue. It began its outreach to the community as a church which soon grew to include a food bank, clothing bank, counseling , advocacy service, prison ministry, and street ministry. Since 1995, the new facilities on Queens Street have brought an enlarged dimension to the existing ministries.
The current economic climate will only tax all Mustard Seed ministries due to the ever growing demand. More than 5,000 people use the food bank every month. The tragic reality is that around 1,500 are children. Sadly, more and more, single senior widows are finding their way into the daily line-ups.
So, we can't roll up the sidewalks, streets, and dimly lit alleys and load them into a van and bring it out to suburbia and miraculously set it up. But we can bring images, we can bring some of the people and their stories. And for 2 hours that is what happened. We opened with Chris Riddell, a pastor down at the Mustard Seed with worship and prayer...lyrics and words permeated with the truth of the gospel, that set the stage for the evening.
We heard the story of Bill Ganner, a 12 year addiction with cocaine and heroin, of sleeping rough on the inner city streets. Through being fed, and clothed he received the physical gospel, " I was hungry, I was naked, I was thirsty...you fed, you clothed, you quenched my thirst." Soon he would receive the living word, the truth...the ultimate life that the gospel is. Bill has been up at Hope Farm, the Seeds restoration center up in Duncan for a year now...his life changed.
We heard from Brooke Pepplar through her alternative acoustic folk music. Her music is weaved with the reality of her bother's addiction and living on the street. Lyrics filled with despair, suffering...but also with grace, mercy and hope.
I read the poetry of Al Kirkwood, who describes himself as an " urban prospector ". Al lives rough on the street, spending his day writing poetry, prose and short stories. Al, by the way, road his bike out from downtown to the peninsula. Again, Al's poetry is raw, it is graphic, there is a depth of spirituality that seems to come from where the psalmist would say, " deep cries to deep." It comes from a place most of us have never been, " finding yourself rich, with only a dime in your pocket."
And then there was the Dr. Bones Blues Project, house band for the homeless. We are honored, and blessed to have the opportunity to hang out with this community for Saturday meals down at the Seed. " In my Father's House, you don't need a membership card...you're always welcome in my Father's House." The lyrics of a meal time favorite song.
The tragedy of the inner city is like a cancer, it is growing, it is spreading...it effects the very young and the very old. But, even away from it as we retreat to suburbia...it effects us. Because if we say nothing, do nothing...it speaks clearly what we think about the inner city.
The Mustard Seed is truly a small seed planted in rocky, hard, and seemingly infertile soil of Victoria's inner city. But even small, through faith it has grown and continues to grow...spreading the gospel into a world of injustice.
Maybe, you've thought, your church has thought about partnering, volunteering, time or money down at the Mustard Seed. What we do for the least...we do for Jesus.
The goal was to bring awareness to the Mustard Seed, its ministries...poverty, homelessness, addiction...social issues of the inner city.
The highlight...this little gathering raised 1,226.62 $
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