In the congregation I serve we have established a very meaningful ministry and relationship with Alcoholics Anonymous. This is not an uncommon relationship and in many ways is a very natural one. Local AA groups often meet within the walls of churches regardless of denomination.
This relationship is very meaningful for several reasons. First, our congregation provides sanctuary in its purest form – a safe shelter and respite for men and women of various ages, occupations and social status. We host three groups which total about 15 meetings each week.
Our largest group, which meets 7 evenings per week, might have as many as 65-70 people at each meeting. Over the course of the last 18 months this group has grown tremendously as a direct result of our church having a quality meeting place. Among the three groups you could easily say that 400-450 people come through our doors each week – lawyers, doctors, politicians, homeless, and store clerks – each one receiving sanctuary, healing, and wholeness. This is more people in one week than who come four Sundays per month combined. Some who attend AA in our church have even claimed to receive salvation – were it not for AA and our support, their lives would not exist.
Secondly, and I do not think I am violating any pastoral confidence here, we have in our congregation members who are very active in AA, and while some may choose to attend meetings in other locations to protect anonymity, that we host these three groups in our church in many ways affirms their own dignity and identity as beloved children of God in spite of or even because of their addiction.
Lastly, this is an important ministry for our congregation because for so long the doors of our church [and even some hearts] have remained locked to the community out of fear. We are located in a downtown college community. We consider ourselves “urban” in some ways but also residential as our church literally sits on the border of a historic neighborhood.
The neighborhood is an eclectic mix of renters and homeowners, students and young professionals; very progressive in their politics and commitment to issues of justice. It is often assumed our neighbors are apathetic and cynical towards issues of faith and the church {that is another posting for another time}. It is this last issue which often draws and drains my focus and attention as a pastor and preacher.
This relationship is very meaningful for several reasons. First, our congregation provides sanctuary in its purest form – a safe shelter and respite for men and women of various ages, occupations and social status. We host three groups which total about 15 meetings each week.
Our largest group, which meets 7 evenings per week, might have as many as 65-70 people at each meeting. Over the course of the last 18 months this group has grown tremendously as a direct result of our church having a quality meeting place. Among the three groups you could easily say that 400-450 people come through our doors each week – lawyers, doctors, politicians, homeless, and store clerks – each one receiving sanctuary, healing, and wholeness. This is more people in one week than who come four Sundays per month combined. Some who attend AA in our church have even claimed to receive salvation – were it not for AA and our support, their lives would not exist.
Secondly, and I do not think I am violating any pastoral confidence here, we have in our congregation members who are very active in AA, and while some may choose to attend meetings in other locations to protect anonymity, that we host these three groups in our church in many ways affirms their own dignity and identity as beloved children of God in spite of or even because of their addiction.
Lastly, this is an important ministry for our congregation because for so long the doors of our church [and even some hearts] have remained locked to the community out of fear. We are located in a downtown college community. We consider ourselves “urban” in some ways but also residential as our church literally sits on the border of a historic neighborhood.
The neighborhood is an eclectic mix of renters and homeowners, students and young professionals; very progressive in their politics and commitment to issues of justice. It is often assumed our neighbors are apathetic and cynical towards issues of faith and the church {that is another posting for another time}. It is this last issue which often draws and drains my focus and attention as a pastor and preacher.
How we have used [or not used] our church building in the last three decades and how we have been called to use this building in the present often live in holy tension; a tension which often brings a flood of emotions well beyond the surface of the individual.
We Christians are a very territorial bunch of folk – we have lines in the sand and boundaries we dare anyone else to cross. I have come to believe, both through my own experience and through the experiences of my colleagues, the most powerful political body within a congregation is NOT the group who controls the money (finance, stewardship) but the group who controls the keys and access to the building (most often called a property committee).
The property committee in my congregation is headed by a dear, kind and humble servant of God. He is truly a saint, because not only does he give of his time and energy to help maintain a 93 year old building, he must also deal with certain personalities who I know have aged him tremendously over the course of our relationship and ministry with AA.
I have learned over the years that AA consumes a LOT of coffee and by “a lot” I DO mean, A LOT!!! I have often heard it is rather common as a person is attempting to overcome one addiction to move towards another; in this case, from alcohol to caffeine. As an aside, I am a huge Eric Clapton fan and I remember as he was overcoming his addiction to heroin decades ago, he says that is when he started smoking (thus the lighted cigarette kept in the neck of his guitar as he plays) and consuming mass quantities of coffee – hence the album, Coffee and Cigarettes.
So as a way of saying “thank you” to the church for offering sanctuary and space, our largest AA group donated to the church a very nice, professional-grade Bunn coffee maker. The coffee maker requires a permanent water line to be installed so to provide a constant supply of water. I have been assured this installation is not difficult at all by Saint Property Chair. Not only would it provide coffee for AA meetings but also for church meals, gatherings, etc. What a GREAT gift, right????
Well …
It seems the coffee pot has become somewhat of a symbol around our place, possessing different meanings to different groups. To some it is a hindrance and nuisance; a permanent reminder of a group some never wanted in the church to begin with.
“Those people are using our electricity and water. They use our toilet paper and paper towels.”
Those people? That’s nice. Forget the ministry being provided. Forget the Gospel. Forget the fact we receive a monetary donation from each AA group every month which more than offsets their use of power, water and paper products. Disregard what I consider to be one of the most beautiful passive-aggressive acts in all of Christianity … an anonymous church member who literally snuck down to the church in the cover of darkness as not to be seen … and delivered a case each of Charmin toilet paper and Bounty paper towels. If you know anything about the kind of toilet paper most churches keep in their bathrooms, then you realize how wonderful a gift Charmin can be (I put three rolls back for personal use).
Those people.
So the coffee pot is a negative symbol and reminder of those people.
For others, the coffee pot is a symbol of triumph, hope, inclusion, salvation, openness, and ministry. To some in this group, we might as well serve communion from it each Sunday in worship – it has become that powerful. We have discovered the location of the Holy Grail!!
The exact location of the coffee pot has yet to be decided. The fearful group has asked it be put in the boiler room next to the trash can and cleaning supplies…
Let me allow that to settle in for a moment.
In the end it will gloriously sit on the counter right next to the ice machine, a beacon of hope for all who enter our facility!
When I sit at board meetings and have other conversations at which the coffee pot is discussed, I often ask, “And Jesus died for this?” [Let’s not debate the simplicity or theological nuances of THAT statement at the moment.]
For the record, let me be very clear that the fearful group represents a very small, but very vocal part of our congregation. But as you know, fear begets fear … anxiety begets anxiety …
But hope also begets hope, faith also begets faith, love also begets love. I think Springsteen said that once.
In both Matthew (15:21-28) and Mark (7:24-30) we hear of a Gentile woman coming to Jesus asking that her daughter be set free of a demon or unclean spirit. This text has often bothered me deeply, not because of her request or need, but in the way Jesus first responds. Essentially, he calls her a dog; and not in a “family pet” kind of way. He degrades and demeans her in front of others.
Now I am sure if a biblical scholar [real or imagined] were to read this post, he or she would give me a deeper explanation of what is going on here – the nuances of the text and such. But what really bothers me is just before entering this woman’s home, Jesus has just told the Pharisees that it is not what goes into a person’s both thru the mouth which defiles them, but rather what comes OUT of their body, through their mouth; for these things come from the heart.
What I do love is the way in which the woman pushes back against Jesus and holds him accountable.
“Even the dogs,” she says, “desire to eat the crumbs which fall from the master’s table.” In that moment, faith overcomes fear and everything else. We are told that immediately, the woman’s daughter is made well.
I do not think this woman was asking for all that much. Nor do I think AA groups ask too much of their hosts. We all want healing and wholeness for ourselves or our loved ones. We all want a place to provide sanctuary. We all need doors to remain open and not closed to us … the same for hearts as well.
So yeah, Jesus DID die for this … for coffee pots and crumbs … for AA and for those who struggle with their very presence in our midst. That is the strange thing about the Kingdom of God, I suppose. Sometimes the least of these are those people … and sometimes they are me.
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