Once a month for three months late this summer, 200 to 300 people have lined up in the parking lot of St. Francis Episcopal Church to receive a food box from the San Antonio Food Bank. The SA Food Bank brings two to three tons of food, reports St. Francis’ rector, the Rev. Patrick Ormos. “We provide the space and some volunteers to help with distribution.”

But, you see, space is something St. Francis has plenty of. “Being a missional church,” says Ormos, “is a matter of leveraging what you have.” St. Francis has seven acres of land, plenty of parking, easy access from IH10, and a neighborhood with a great many needs.

This particular food distribution is a three-month project that networks St. Francis, University United Methodist Church, the Food Bank, and Family Services Association to get food to immigrant and refugee families in the St. Francis neighborhood.

Like many churches, the neighborhood around St. Francis has been an evolving one. “When the church was founded, this area (just off IH10, a couple of miles outside Loop 410, on San Antonio’s northwest side) was suburbia,” says Ormos. Today the growth is happening much farther out, and St. Francis has become what Ormos calls an “urban” church, although not an inner-city church. It is, in fact, a locally-oriented neighborhood church, and St. Francis has recognized that their mission is to their neighborhood.

Today the neighborhood includes a large number of apartments that are the homes of immigrants and refugees. Catholic Charities relocates the refugees in partnership with the U. S. government and pays their rent for three to six months. But their needs are substantial: job-skills training, health care, social acculturation, and English language skills. Especially after the six-month mark, there is a huge gap in services for the refugees.

Several years ago, St. Francis launched a “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program that included such things as collecting canned goods, clothing, and school supplies for their community. That led to a partnership with Family Services Association that now includes – among other things — a full summer program on the St. Francis campus for about 300 youngsters.

When a retired registered nurse with experience in community health care joined the St. Francis congregation, a new dimension was added. The nurse had contacts at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing, and another partnership was formed. Now the nursing students and St. Francis provide a regular health clinic at one of the nearby apartment complexes. “The refugees and immigrants have tremendous health needs,” says Ormos. Typically if there is not a health clinic available, low-income patients ignore their health needs until they are severe enough to require an emergency room visit. “They have no insurance, so the costs fall on us,” points out Ormos. “And the cost of medical care at an emergency room is much higher than at a health clinic. It makes more sense to provide community health clinics.”

One of the things that all the immigrants/refugees love to do is play soccer. “But there is no place to do that at an apartment complex,” says Ormos, “and we have this seven acres of land. We have opened it up to become a soccer field. We’re thinking of who we can work with to get soccer goals donated.”

St. Francis is also thinking about putting in a community garden on the St. Francis land. “We figure we can do two 4,000 sq. ft. plots,” Ormos says. “People can grow their own vegetables, which they need in their diet. Then when we get established we can open a farmer’s market where they can sell produce and make a little money.” Add to that a teaching component of how to cook the produce (partnering with a culinary institute located across the street from the church); then bring in Master Gardeners and the A&M ag extension program, and everyone wins.

Being missional is about networking, says Ormos. “It’s about hospitality and leveraging what you have.”

It’s about a congregation seeing what the local needs are and figuring out how the church can meet them.

Photo courtesy Lisa Krantz/San Antonio Express-News/ZUMApress.com.

“Do life as life,” says John Rayls, the Canon for Strategic Growth and Development for the Diocese of West Texas. Rayls works with congregations to develop strategies for growth. One of his current focuses is assisting churches to become “missional,” as introduced by Reggie McNeal at the recent diocesan Abide in Me II conference.

Rayls has been on the staff  of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas for six years and comes to the position with a background in church planting. He was ordained in the Mennonite Church and has “planted” seven churches in two states. He recently made the decision to become ordained in the Episcopal Church and is now a deacon. He will be ordained to the priesthood this fall.

Rayls recognizes that the Church in America, across denominations, is in membership decline and must make some critical changes if it is to fulfill God’s commission to “make disciples.” Continuing the Conversation visited with John a month or so after the Abide in Me II Conference.

CTC: We had a good day with Reggie McNeal on June 5 at our Abide in Me II Conference. Reggie gave us much to think about in terms of taking the church beyond its own walls and becoming “missional,” as Reggie refers to it. I would think that a lot of people are now asking, “How does the church make the necessary changes to begin to think missionally?”

John:  I like to say to congregations, “What is it that we know is impossible to do but if we could do it would radically change our faith community?” We all put limits on ourselves because we “know” that such-and-such is impossible. But what if no one told us it was impossible? This kind of change is really a process, a grassroots movement. I like grassroots movements – they are often the most effective way. Christianity started as a grassroots movement.

JR: ICTC: Why do our congregations need to think differently?

John: We all know that the church has changed dramatically since the 1950s when everyone knew what was the right thing to do on Sunday morning. We were either in church or feeling guilty because we weren’t. We no longer live in a world that thinks that. Most people in our society do not wake up on Sunday morning and say to themselves, “If I could find a church where the preaching was really good . ..” or “the music was really good . . .” or “there was a great youth group . . .” For most people in our society that question is not even on their radar screen.

So one of the things I encourage all churches to do is to use the church van or rent a van and do a little sight-seeing on Sunday morning. Before or after the service take your parishioners to Wal-mart or the ball park or the beach or Target. See where the people are. Observe what they are doing. What could you do differently to engage these people?

CTC: It’s pretty clear that people are staying away from the church in droves. Reggie McNeal said they aren’t going to come to church no matter what we say.

John: And most of us don’t know what to do about that. Mostly we wait for the people to come to us because we don’t know what else to do. For too long we have started things like small groups and invited “outsiders” to join us. I think we need to go instead to where the groups are already formed and join them. I joined the Texas Guard several months ago because it was a group that is already operating. I was called up and spent a week with the Guard down on the border when hurricane Alex was threatening; I had some very interesting conversations with others in the Guard. I have joined a motorcycle club; I hang out at a cigar store in town.

CTC: Now you are talking about what individuals can do.

John: Yes. I ask people to identify what in their present life overlaps with what people in the world do every day. Where do you eat? Do you like wine? Maybe join a wine and cheese club. Get yourself on the board of your local homeowners association. Sometimes for me that means I go to functions I don’t enjoy all that much.

CTC: But, we all will say, I don’t have time to take on one more thing.

John: Right, and one of my ground rules is don’t add anything new to your schedule without taking something else away. We are all already busy enough. But look at where in your life you brush up against unchurched people. Then model Jesus. Sooner or later people will ask you about it. Go to your kids’ or grandkids’ Little League games. Sit in the same spot on the bleachers. Get to know the other parents and grandparents. Pretty soon you start talking . . . “Oh, you like French food, too? Maybe we can meet for dinner . . .” Find the common ground.

CTC: I have heard you say that the church has failed in making disciples.

JR: Matthew 28:19 says to “go and make disciples.” But the verb there is better translated “As you go, make disciples.” What is it that you enjoy doing? Begin to think differently about building relationships and influence in those arenas. Do life as life.

CTC: What do you mean by influence?

John: I have a friend who planted a church in Hutto, near Austin. When he moved to town he got elected to or volunteered for every civic organization he could find. He’s on the town council. He has lots of influence. It earns him the right to be heard. There is a caricature out there of Christians, and it’s not who we really are. Spending time with people breaks down the caricature. Some of the Guard I was with on the border in June saw me differently at the end of the week than they did at the beginning of the week.

CTC: So it’s largely about relationships.

John: We need to learn to be friends, friends without an agenda. Don’t start out thinking you are doing what you are doing to get people to come to church. Our mission, as Reggie McNeal said, is to do God’s mission, to be a blessing to God’s people. Instead of asking, “How will this help us?” ask “How does this help God’s people?” Let God worry about the God stuff.

Let’s continue the conversation. Post your thoughts, comments, suggestions, questions below.

This post was published on August 10 in our diocesan e-newseletter Continuing the Conversation. If you do not receive Continuing the Conversation and would like to, you can subscribe on the Abide in Me II Follow-Up tab on this website.

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