musings from the road: Somewhere Under The Rainbow

On a plane somewhere between Dallas, TX and Los Angeles, CA: This week, I discovered that my long lost friend on the spiritual journey (and just in general), Peanut, was actually going to be home at the same time I was for the first time in months. Sadly, this did not fall on a Sunday, but we were both determined to pickup with The Great Church Search in some other form or fashion. A friend had recommended trying out The Bridge Ministry and since it feel on a Tuesday night, we chose that to suffice for our Sunday service.

Aesthetics: This church was literally under a bridge. Specifically, the Jefferson Street Bridge, a mere eight minutes from my house. Three portable trucks and tables were set up as food and beverage stations and folding chairs were brought in and setup for the congregation. A portable PA system, microphones and a keyboard were transported here for the choir and large oriental rugs offer a bit of feng shui for the stage area.

Greeting: When we arrived at 5:45pm, the place seemed to be a cluster. We saw a check in station for volunteers (who received a pink or red wristband), so we made our way through the crowd to sign in and figure out what to do. They had run out of wristbands but we were told to go to the food station. People seemed to be very focused on getting to where they were going but the few folks stopped and talked to were very helpful. We were even told, “this place seems to be a little chaotic, but it’ll all make sense once we get started.” Sure enough, at 6:00pm, when the service began, people seemed to fall in line with the well-organized routine.

Community: Since people were scattered around, I couldn’t get an accurate count of the total, but I’m going to guess around 500. It was a mix of volunteers and homeless people, mainly Caucasian and African American with some Hispanic ethnicities. There were children and elderly, families and couples -- on BOTH the volunteer and homeless sides.

Music: The music was led by eight singers and a keyboardist with percussion tracks. The songs were mainly upbeat pop Christian songs and included some feel-good tunes (though not necessarily religious), such as “Lean On Me.” Most people seemed to just listen, but there were some that were singing along.

Service: As I already mentioned, volunteers arrived between 5:30pm – 6:00pm to sign in, then the service began at 6:00pm with some announcements (the little girl they’d been praying for is now cancer-free, the new building they will move their warehouse into is almost finished, etc.) and welcomed different churches that were helping today. Then the music leader offered a prayer and once he wrapped with an “Amen,” people dispersed to their appropriate stations. Peanut and I were assigned to the food station. The right line was for volunteers, where we would walk up to the food truck and pick up a plate of food and a bowl of dessert. Directly across from us was the left line for the homeless guests. They were to pick up a water and silverware and once complete, one volunteer met one guest at the top of the line. There, the two would walk together and the volunteer would carry guest's food to the chair of his or her choosing. Once the guest was settled, the volunteer would return back to the back of the line and start the process again.

After everyone was fed (which probably took an hour or so), the service began. The founder of the ministry, Candy Christmas (seriously.), welcomed everyone, then introduced her husband, Jim, who was the preacher. Initially, it felt very evangelical and show-y, reminiscent to that other husband/wife duo. But as the preaching continued, I could tell the words spoken and message shared were coming from a genuine place.

Message: This was my first service where I didn't bring my notebook to jot down blog anecdotes. I actually forgot it at home, but it worked out well since I was using my hands during the service. Not having it allowed me to fully participate in the full experience (instead of writing down what I would later blog). However, not having it also kept me from remembering the specifics to what the message was. The bits I did later jot down on my iPhone were:

- you mustn't be content -- you need to be desperate for God

- you can't wait for God to come to you, you have to go to Him

- you know don't where you're going, but you have to take a step out

What I loved most about this message was that if I were personally homeless, being told by a rich (so I'm assuming) white man who lives far away from the bridge I live under (I'm assuming again) the above statements, I would think, what the hell do you know about any of my struggles and/or how can I rely on God when I don't even have a place to sleep tonight? But instead, I saw people in the crowd nodding their heads, clapping when they agreed and some even standing up, throwing their hands in the air. What real faith someone must have to believe that this God is out there, despite the circumstances!

Denomination: The Bridge Ministry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with no religious denomination listed on their website. There is a "Statement of Faith"listed which declares beliefs in God, the trinity and the bible. It was started in 2004 when Candy Christmas (seriously.) took pots of jambalaya down to the homeless living under the bridge. Again, I am in admiration of the humble beginnings of this community.

Overall: It's funny, in most churches, I hear "we" need to help "them." But what happens when those lines are blurred? What do you do when you look around and the "them" are all around you and you are merely a guest in their space? I have a feeling if Jesus were here now, he would be hanging out under the bridge.

www.bridgeministry.org

Reflections on the Journey Thus Far: This night's experience confirmed what I suspected all along: I feel most connected to God when I am serving and connecting with others. I'm not sure what this looks like for the future (Do I call The Bridge Ministry my main church or is that a supplement to a Sunday morning home of worship? Or maybe this will be a one-time-only experience?), but I do know that I feel like the pot of gold I've been searching for might be under the rainbow instead of at the end of it.

One More Thing: But the REAL best part of the entire night? My reunion with Peanut. Damnit, I've missed that girl. Specifically, I love that she had some major opinions about the food choices served (she is a touring chef who feeds a lot of people, so she knows all about preparing mass quantities of food). And I loved catching up on all the ridiculousness of life and knowing that she was missing this part of our friendship as much as I was. I am so grateful to her for continuing the spiritual journey with me... even though we probably won't do it again together for another few months!