Becoming 'like next door neighbors' transforms church
In 2005, when the Rev. Jeff Newton was appointed as part-time pastor to Trinity UMC of Kokomo, Ind., about a dozen people attended worship each week. In November of that year, the treasurer gave him disheartening news: the congregation had just $30 in its checking account.
Closing the church would have been the obvious choice, but Trinity believed there was still ministry for them to do. And it wasn’t about keeping their building open; it was about reaching out in the name of Jesus.
“The church is located in a low-income neighborhood, and they had not really welcomed neighbors before,” said Mr. Newton.
Trinity decided they wanted to become a community center for the neighborhood. So they began thinking beyond survival. After years of leaving apportionments unpaid, they started giving a tithe to the Conference, even when 10 percent of their weekly offering amounted to just $7. (They now fully support UMC ministries beyond their local church through apportionments, and have done so for the past three years.)
But how would they extend hospitality to people who had never come through their doors? One matriarch of the church said, “We need to become like next door neighbors.” She took down all signage that didn’t serve to welcome people, such as “No Kool-Aid on the carpet,” “Turn Off Lights When Leaving,” and “Last one out LOCK THE DOOR.” They began to rally around their new mission statement: “Love God. Love others. Nothing else matters.”
In addition to pastoring Trinity, Mr. Newton had also been working to start the non-profit Kokomo Urban Outreach. Trinity decided one way they could serve their neighborhood was to use empty classrooms to host the outreach center.
After learning from area teachers that many children arrived at school hungry every Monday morning, Trinity began inviting kids to come have a meal on Sunday nights. Fifty-five children—more than triple the number expected—came the first week. The church now serves about 100 of those meals weekly.
They also hold Sidewalk Sunday School, which is “held inside, not on sidewalks, sometimes not on Sunday and are not schools,” said Mr. Newton. (They’re renaming it KIDMO, “Kids In Motion,” later this year.) Through this effort, the church builds relationships with 40 to 70 kids, teaching them about loving God, others, and themselves. Church members visit the kids’ homes every week, letting them know what’s coming up next.
When Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations hit bookshelves in 2007, Mr. Newton knew the people of Trinity would identify with Radical Hospitality and Risk-Taking Mission and Service. He preached a series of sermons on Five Practices, seeing opportunities for the congregation to go even deeper into ministry. And they’ve done it:
- Trinity UMC now serves a full breakfast between worship and Sunday school.
- It began a new Sunday school class for youth where there had been none before.
- The church nursery, which had been closed for years, is now an active, caring, and welcoming place for youngsters.
- In what used to be a vacant Sunday school room, food pantry clients receive a warm welcome and have cookies, coffee, and even counseling while they wait for their food order.
- Trinity has become a training center for community outreach: 2,900 volunteers have trained there in the last three years. Ten neighborhoods in town are now “Neighborhoods of Hope,” with churches from multiple denominations working with Kokomo Urban Outreach and using the training they received at Trinity.
“It’s been incredible to see what happens when a little church decides to offer Risk-Taking Mission and Radical Hospitality,” Mr. Newton said.
The congregation has also seen Extravagant Generosity: Their building had been in disrepair, but those problems are over. Thanks to a member who chose to live modestly, then left 10 percent of her estate to the church building fund, Trinity can focus on serving others instead of worrying about the next leak or broken appliance.
Average worship attendance now hovers around 50 people, and 98 percent of the congregation has been involved in outreach. “People in the neighborhood come and feel at home here,” Mr. Newton said.
And that nearly empty bank account? It’s grown from $30 to $10,000, all of which is designated for ministry.
Signs with stern rules haven’t reappeared at Trinity Kokomo. Instead, behind the scenes, strategically placed signs “keep us focused when it gets a little stressful,” says Mr. Newton.
They give helpers an important reminder: “Remember Radical Hospitality.”
1. PAULA wrote on 2/15/2010 2:43:58 PM
I know Jeff and Chris and their love for God and people. They're the real thing!
God is using them and their church as wonderful examples of God's renewal when we make the gospel relevant to the people God has placed around us.
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