Reflections on Jobs and How the Church Can Make an Impact
As I do more and more ministry in the downtown Akron area and have the opportunity to share in the lives of those around me, the more sensitive I am to the hardships many people experience when they feel they have no place in society. Society almost assumes that you should have a job, and if not, it moves on. Here are some observations that I have about work as we conclude our yearly break for Labor Day.
(1) We must give people hope in the midst of changing work circumstances
I have become painfully aware of how easy it is to lose hope in the midst of changing circumstances as I interact with people who have been on government assistance and are trying to provide for themselves. When you become employed, a lot of your assistance disappears very quickly, making the transition difficult to impossible. After sharing in certain situations with people, it is easy to see why they would give up on work and go back to relying fully on government assistance.
When people have a lack of understanding of how work is part of God’s design, it can be easy to take it for granted or to not believe it is important. Compensation and work are disassociated, and all that matters is survival. But understanding how God created us and the role that work has in all of our lives can really give us a great sense of connectedness to God, His Kingdom and His plan. How quickly one can be disenchanted with God and His promises when government and the church do not stress the importance of work as a healthy path to spiritual growth and fulfillment.
We must give people hope to persevere in the midst of difficult situations and we must be willing to provide opportunities and resources to help people persevere and see how much God loves them and is there to encourage them to rise above the apathy that so many people find in a quickly devolving set of events which lead to shame and self-loathing.
(2) As a church, we need to understand the system better than we do
This is where a lot of Christians just show their ignorance. It’s easy to point fingers and assign blame, to call people lazy, selfish, or undisciplined, but in many stories there are chapters we haven’t read and choose not to read. I must confess, very few people understand the entire picture, including me, but I make it a mission to learn as much as I can about the systems that work for and against people as I can so I can teach and empathize as much as I can. I appreciate how willing our congregation is to help, and my pledge is to continue the education process so that we can move to even greater areas of ministry in our local context.
I pledge to find out as much from the Social Security Administration as I can about different forms of assistance and how getting a job affects benefits. I pledge to find out more from HUD and the Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority about the process of housing. I pledge to seek out answers as to why so many people who are on Social Security and other forms of assistance are so reluctant to get married instead of cohabitating. I pledge to continue to learn more about the SNAP and WIC programs and other food stamp programs. I pledge to keep learning about job-assistance programs and opportunities in our community.
Let’s be advocates for a positive and helpful system. Let’s be supportive where it works, and agents of change in people’s lives where systems break down.
(3) We must continue to pray for the prosperity of our city
God called His people to pray for the prosperity of the cities in which they lived, because when the city prospered, so would they. Some churches see the outside world as the enemy and in a different realm than where the Gospel resides, but I believe we should be more fervently praying for the prosperity of Akron, because when it prospers, so will we and those with whom we do ministry. It will help us be more community-minded and give us empathy for the world around us, so that we don’t get caught in the mentality that the only reason to come downtown is to worship at Zion. Whether we like it or not, we are intimately tied to the city that goes on around us, and that is a good thing. It gives us the opportunity to be advocates for entrepreneurs, prayer warriors for those at Akron U, and community brethren with those who share downtown with us for all or part of their day.
Praying for our city means praying for our church as well.
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Every time I look out my window at the busyness of downtown Akron, I get excited about the opportunities that we have. May God continue to grant us opportunities, and may He grant us the creativity, wisdom, and resources to accomplish great things in this phase of the life of Zion Lutheran Church. Amen.
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