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Outreach & Organizing

Why?

Feminist Emancipatory Evangelism was the title of a not-so-well-received paper I wrote in seminary. But I stand by it, still. It is based on the notion that our faith should emancipate people. That is to say the obvious really, that our faith is to free people from anything that binds, limits or confines; and then empower people beyond what is into the embodiment of what might be. This evangelism is not fed by fear of hellfire or surrounded by brimstone; it is driven by love. It requires courage to show compassion by listening and a five-point track will not do this work justice. This is nuanced and values difference; even, or perhaps particularly, honoring relationships with community members that may never be a part of worship, but may be a part of the transformation of the world. This is evangelism for the long hall. It is a work of valuing every relationship and seeking to build more. We honor each relationship for where it is, not where we want it to be.

I think of the Abbey as a community created by a diversity of orbits. There are those that orbit close by, present every week, active beyond Sunday and intentional about their commitments. They make the world go round…so to speak. Of course there are other obits of people that attend worship, some so faithful that you worry when they are missing, and others that you light up to see when they are able to be a part of worship. And there is a diversity of orbits, some flung far and wide reaching…like all the business people in our community, the professionals in our partner organizations, or the teachers at Liberty, because when we have a new idea or see a new connection, we have a relationship that can bring new life into ministry. These far-flung relationships give us social capital to respond, and these relationships mean we don’t have to go it alone. When we think about outreach or evangelism, we think about connecting with people no matter what orbit they may be a part of, and we offer key invitations to connect all of the orbits into key worship services during the year. We want to be the first church, bookstore, coffee shop they think of when they need a listening ear, are seeking a church, have a new idea or need a cup of coffee. When they have a friend longing for a faith community to call home, we want them to think of us first.

How?

We build relationships. Each relationship is so important that we cannot simply wait for people to join us, we go out to build new relationships. The heart of community organizing rests in relational power. We want to build a relationship, our network, and our capacity to change the world. We engage in one-on-ones within our community, to listen and learn about their dreams, visions, and concerns. We look for passions and build from there…we even go door-to-door to ask “what are your biggest concerns and your greatest hopes?” We participate in The Old Market Business Association and the Chamber of Commerce to meet, learn and listen. We surprise our community with coffee and sweets in weekly “not-so-random” acts of kindness, and on Christmas Eve we make and deliver special care packages for everyone working in the Old Market. We host coffee tastings in local buildings and make sure each building has our information for their new resident welcome packets. We pick up trash and hand out cold water on hot days to kids and parents enjoying the biggest slides in town, just three blocks away. Everyday at the coffee bar, we have a chance to meet, welcome, offer hospitality, and listen. Every week we welcome 400 guests at our coffee bar, and during the Farmer’s Market, the world comes to our door, and we open it wide. We march in parades and fine-tune our electronic footprint to get connected beyond our doors. We are determined to meet people.

We care for our local elementary school. This began with sharing coffee and saying thank you. It has grown, and we say thank you with personal notes of gratitude to each staff member four times a year, a start of the year gift bag, a meal during parent teacher conferences, and lots of coffee surprises through out the year. As our relationship grew, we have grown the ways we can support, from hosting a student poetry reading in our coffee house to bringing hot chocolate to students celebrating something special. We raise money to support our teachers at the coffee bar and twice a year at our Mac-N-Cheese Off. The Mac-N-Cheese Off is not only cheesy; it is a chance for fellowship and fundraising to mix. It is a lighthearted potluck with a purpose, and that purpose is getting to know and care about the parents, students, and staff at our local school. Twice a year, we welcome our local principal into worship to share her passion for education, and each time we offer a blessing of the teachers. Our support dives into the politics and policies supporting our public educators with letter writing, phone calls, and presence when needed at our state legislature to advocate for public schools and the way they care for every child.

Each month, we work with a non-profits doing vital work, and we give them 10% of the coffee bar sales-not profits-sales. This practice invites us into risky generosity as a community and allows us to invest ministry that we are not equipped to do alone. We come alongside our partners to support their efforts, rather than creating programs of our own. Our partners range from advocacy organizations, like Omaha Together One Community and Nebraska Appleseed, to direct service organizations, like Stephen Center Homeless Shelter and Nebraska AIDS Project. Each partner plans events with us and invites new people into the Abbey as a part of the partnership. Their guests become our guests, and we have an opportunity to not only support a powerful gathering around a topic vastly important to our social fabric, like human trafficking or immigration reform, but we also have an opportunity to build new relationships with active community members, invite them to worship, and follow-up with an email thanking them for joining us and asking them to join us again.