Toledo Area Ministries

Yesterday the nation commemorated the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Marin Luther King Jr.  In Toledo we had a celebration of community unity in honor of Dr. King.  The gathering was attended fairly well and the program was excellent.  When I left the gathering I was struck by the words that were said and couldn’t help but feel that only a very few are attempting to live the dream that Dr. King cast and we commemorate.  One phrase that was repeated twice, attributed to Dr. King was, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”  I’m afraid we are on the slippery slope of foolishness.

Many will make claims that we are making real progress.  Look at the laws we have passed that abolished “Jim Crow laws” and laws that prohibit discrimination yet there is still a void, something is missing.  We have integrated schools and much of our work force is integrated although it is highly doubtful that either of these things would have happened voluntarily.  The gap in wages between blacks and whites is closing; in fact I heard a university President declare that with a Bachelor’s the wage gap closes completely.  Yet everyone knows, BA or not, it is still harder for a black person to get a job than for their white counterpart.  There is still something seriously wrong in our nation and I believe it is a condition that is deep in our hearts.  Laws have made progress but the heart of Americans has made little progress.  Even in the church we boast about our love for each other but we still can’t or won’t worship together.  The church is probably a truer reflection of the segregation and racism that exists in the human heart than the artificial or superficial progress society has made toward Rev. King’s dream.

At the gathering yesterday I heard a Chrysler executive talk about his company’s effort to live the dream in terms of dollars and cents.  He declared that 15% of their contracts go to minority contractors resulting in over 4 billion in contract dollars.  That amount of money is significant but hardly reflects the percentage of minority population in America.  This same speaker later spoke at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon planned on MLK day without even a thought of it being a conflict with a very important day in the life of Americans, especially minority Americans.  The thoughtless planning of the Chamber only points out what’s wrong with our nation not what is right about it.  There were many Chamber of Commerce representatives at the Toledo King celebration; all that I observed were white.  While I was very pleased to see the Chamber representatives there I wondered how many would have come on their own without being informed of their careless act.  Somehow I don’t think insensitivity can be atoned for through such an act of tokenism.

I was also disappointed by the poor showing of Caucasian clergy.  In fact I was embarrassed to be one of the few.  The military color guard was cheered loudly upon their entrance but showed absolutely no diversity either from the military, the Fire Department, or Police Department.  While today’s celebration was excellent; the music was great the speeches said all the right words and the youth participation was marvelous, but it left me just a little empty.  Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  Injustice is still the norm not the exception when it comes to race, especially the black race.  I want to live the dream!  I am also reminded of a quote attributed to Malcolm X, who said, “You can’t stick a 9” knife in a mans back pull it out 6” and call it progress.”  We must not be silent in this battle for we have learned it is not a battle of intellect or laws, but it is a battle for the heart of humankind.  Dr. King also reminded us of this truth, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”

Together, white and black, Hispanic, Arab, Jew and Asian, rich and poor, men and women, young and old, must determine in our hearts that we will begin living the dream.  We must determine that we will not be silenced even by over 4 Billion dollars.  We demand racial justice!  We will not be silent until all God’s children are free!  I will work until the day I die for the dream.  For the dream of integration and equality was not King’s dream, he was simply the oracle for God’s dream!  Let freedom ring!

The holidays have past and the New Year has dawned, its time to start blogging again!  We at Toledo Area Ministries hope that your Christmas was joyous and that you had a few days to visit with family and a few days to rest.  Our prayer is that you will experience the presence of God in fresh and new ways and that you will discover the purpose God has for you in this very important year.  May God’s peace and His wisdom be with us all as we endeavor to fulfill His purpose in our lives and in our world.  Thank you for your support in the past and we look forward to your continued support now and in the future.

I have always been fascinated by the story recorded in all four Gospels about the 5 loaves and the 2 fish.  On rare occasions is one story included in all four Gospels so this one must be important.  It is a story of multiplication that is unexplainable and miraculous.  The Gospel of John account is my favorite of the four.  There a young lad gives up his meager lunch of 5 barley loaves and 2 fish and Jesus blesses it and feeds over 5,000 people.  They all had there fill and there were 12 full baskets of leftovers.  How is that possible?  It defies logic and sensibility and makes it seem almost like a fairy tale.  We think: “I wish something like that could happen today.”  Maybe God could take my meager income and multiply it so I had a bunch of leftover money.  Wouldn’t that be nice?  The story though is not about personal gain.   It’s about one person giving all that he could give to benefit the crowd, even though he had no idea how that was possible. 

TAM is a modern example of this very old story.  If you have ever wished that a story of multiplication like the loaves and fishes were possible today then I challenge you to consider the following.  TAM – Feed Your Neighbor gave out food to 57,000 people this past year.  FYN gives a three day supply of emergency food for individuals and families at 13 sites.  FYN gave away the ingredients to prepare 513,000 meals last year.  We did this by spending around $66,000.  Do the math… that’s less than .13 per meal.   How is that even possible?  It defies logic and sensibility and makes it seem like an exaggeration.  This happens because individuals surrender cash and/or food products into God’s hands and He blesses it and it feeds 57,000 people for three days.  This modern story of multiplication is unexplainable and miraculous.

TAM through all of its ministries and programs will serve tens of thousands of people in 2008.  Whether through grant funded contracts or ministries completely dependant on donor dollars TAM will touch the lives of many people.   Our cost is around $10 per person we serve!  This modern day miracle is happening because people like you and I are surrendering our meager gifts of time, talents, food, cash and other resources into the hands of Christ who blesses it and multiplies it to the glory of God. Thank you for your support and remember for every $10 we collect over and above what we are already collecting impacts one more life!

I was in attendance at a revival at Third Baptist Church listening to Bishop Timothy Clark and he quoted the title of a sermon by F.G. Sampson of Detroit, MI.  “Obsessed With The Obvious” was the title of the sermon and it started a series of thoughts in my mind that have continued all week.  Bishop Clark used that title to mean that we often read scripture and focus on the obvious and miss the real message.  I agree with Bishop Clark’s application but I cannot get that sermon title out of my head.  I believe it has far reaching applications for many types of organizations and individuals.  The thoughts that have my mind racing apply to Toledo Area Ministries and the direction we are heading.

The obvious when one reads our mission statement is meeting human need, creating community and working for justice.  Those are obvious and we can become obsessed with doing those three very important things.  The less obvious but more important phrase in our mission statement is “Assisting Congregations and Church Leaders…”  The reason I believe the most important part of the mission statement is the least obvious is it has the farthest reach and the potential for the greatest impact.  If we focus on bringing congregations and church leaders together and inspire, educate, equip and empower them to meet human need, create community and work for justice we will have multiplied our impact.  I’m sure I’ll be stuck on this thought for quite sometime.

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There was an excitement in the air as the New Fall Assembly took place at Grace Lutheran Church.  The energy of the event was contagious.  It seemed that everyone left with a great appreciation for TAM and where the organization is headed.  Around 200 people were in attendance for what Chairman Bob Ball called a historic night.  Toledo Campus Ministry provided great music and the Praise Dancers form First Church of God excited the crowd.  The silent auction raised $885 and provided Chairman Bob Ball a ride home on his newly purchased motorized cooler.  (not scooter - cooler, like what you put your soda in) The offering brought the total raised to $2300.  In addition there were new pledges that served as icing on an already nice cake.   Rev. Karen Shepler (Monroe St. United Methodist)  presented the new Executive Director and Pastor Robert Culp (First Church of God) issued the challenge to the new Director that inlcuded three points… 1) Honor the past, 2) Be patient in the present, and 3) Have a great vision of the future.  Rev Steve Anthony, the new Executive Director, responded to the challenge by recognizing Rev. Larry Clark and Mrs. Nancy Adkins for creating such big shoes to fill in the way they led the Organization for years.  “A great history is the foundation for a bright future.”  He then began to outline the kinds of things he plans to work for.  Number one was; Heal the Breach.  “I want to do away with the labels that divide us and just become the family of God.”  Steve purposed that this be accomplished initially through clusters, relationships and praying together.  “As we hear one another pray we will discover their heart and realize who they really are.”  He also purposed that TAM give back to the church.  Resource the Church is what he called it.  “We ask a lot from the church in this community.  We ask you to do food drives, we’re asking for an offering tonight and we are asking for pledges for this year, its time we give something back.”  Rev. Anthony purposed that what TAM gives back be centered around leadership development and other unique services that churches cannot get from their denomination.  The main thing he wants to Resource the Church with is communication.  TAM will become the communication hub for all ministries in the greater Toledo area.  The next point made by Pastor Steve was Ministry Development.  Tam would become an incubator for new ministries in order to more effectively assist congregations and church leaders in meeting human need, creating community and working for justice.  Steve’s definition for meeting human need has to do with effective impact and real life change.  Creating community falls under the catagory of functional unity, the Body of Christ coming together to be an authentic witness of the Gospel in the greater Toledo area.  Working for Justice was defined by Rev. Anthony as “swimming up stream and preventing injustice where ever possible.”  He annouced the Year of the Parent for 2009 as an example of up stream thinking.  “If you fix the parent you fix the by-product of the parent.”  “I’m tired of standing down stream catching the brokenness that could of been easily prevented at the source.”  “To me,” he said, “that’s real justice!”  The final part of Rev. Steve Anthony’s response had to do with Community Development.  He talk about New Urbanism and the concept of “relationship of adjacencies,” stating that the community of faith should be the catalyst for getting all of the key stakeholders at the table.  He talked about filling our role as peace makers; changing the tone of the conversation in our community.  “We should be standing up and saying you cannot talk about the beloved of God that way.”  He called for people to stop demonizing those they do not agree with and change the tone of the dialogue.  He called for collaboration - partnerships and relationships to be the way we build our community as a destination place for the world.  He also commented on the fact he was not a big fan of tolerance.  “If I am tolerant of you it means that I don’t like you and I’m just putting up with you.”  “I prefer the term respect, I want to respect you as a person, not a people group, but a real person who I can be in relationship with.”  He concluded by asking us to renew our commitments and raise our expectations!  “I am not looking for members any longer.”  “Thank you for your past memberships, they’ve been valuable.”  “Today, I am looking for collaborative partners who raise their expectation of participation in the ministry and finances of Toledo Area Ministries.”

Comments made after the installation service included things like; “Now that’s what a new fall assembly should be like.”  “Did you notice the mix of people was drastically different already.”  “The dancers were great!”  “Look at all the younger people, their presence made this new assembly historic!”  There were many more positive comments and the energy in the room was amazing.  Thanks to everybody who made this evening a great success!

Tonight, starting at 6:30 Toledo Area Ministires has a New Fall Assembly.  A combination of events including a News Conference, a Ministry Fair, a Silent Auction, a Special Offering, also featuring the  Executive Director, Steve Anthony’s Installation Service, all of this is followed by Desert Reception.  Tonight is the official launch of a new era in the long and storied history of Toledo Area Ministries.  TAM is 121 years old and is the largest ecumenical group in Northwest Ohio.  A great foundation has been built and tonight we launch a new era building on the strengths of the past while forging a bright future.  Tonight we will renew our commitment to functional unity in the Body of Christ as well as pledge a higher level of commitment as we move from mere Members to Collaborating Partners!  Please join us for this very exciting occasion.

“I appeal to you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” (1 Corinthians 1:10 TNIV)

Four more days until the new Fall Assembly.  At the conclusion of the installation service an offering will be taken that needs to be significant.  TAM is looking for our current membership to have a greater vision for what we are trying to accomplish.  TAM is also appealing to those not yet members to step up in significant ways.  One of our newest member congregations pledged $400 with their membership application.  That’s a good beginning.  One of the things that will be said during the installation service is that we are no longer looking for mere members of a nice organization.  We are looking for Collaborating Partners who understand that together we can transform Toledo.  We need to raise our expectations from TAM and about TAM as well as raise our expectations of what it means to be a collaborating partner. 

In other news… The silent auction is coming together quite nicely.  Each of our ministries not only will have displays that tell you what they do but they will each have a basket or item in the auction that you can bid on and learn hands on how they serve their clients.  We have other nice items donated such as a 19″ flat screen TV, a motorized cooler, several seasonal items for both Halloween and Christmas, a beautiful collection of picture frames, jewelry, cosmetics and much, much more.  So come prepared to bid on these items and also to give a generous offering as we strengthen TAM together.

In just 5 days…. Toledo Area Mnistries will officially install their new Executive Director, Rev. Steve Anthony.  Already he has hit the ground running by doing many public relations activities as well as recruitment efforts.  The passion displayed has been contagious.  The New Fall Assembly will be an event that generates a lot of positive energy and will be something no one will want to miss. Its not too late to RSVP, just call 419-242-7401 or email dstockmaster@tamohio.org.

 Also keep in mind another important date… The 7th Annual Gala Gathering for the New Hope Christian Community Foundation.  This event raises money for local Christian Ministries and informs the community about these valuable ministries.  Its not to late, you can still purchase a ticket.  Call 419-873-HOPE, or email: infor@holytoledo.org.