Viewing Material: "58: The Film"

About a month ago, I attended a screening of "58: The Film." Based on Isaiah 58, it is a documentary about the global Church in action in some of the world's poorest places. The film is part of a global initiative to end extreme poverty by connecting thousands of churches with thousands of local projects around the world.

The film was very difficult to watch; by the end I was traumatized by the awful situations and suffering. Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, they did. An 8-months pregnant mother of four in famished, rural Kenya, whose husband has left the family, walks miles every day with her eldest daughter collecting sticks and twigs that can be sold as firewood; the daughter is too young to carry them so the mother does. Some people have left the village for the city, hoping for better living conditions; there they face raw sewage flowing outside their front doors and rampant drug and alcohol abuse by adults and children alike. In India, a man works all day, every day in a rock quarry. He has sold himself into slavery because of his mounting debts, but he will never be able to pay them off. Elsewhere in India, cash-strapped parents sell their daughters to sex traffickers to work as prostitutes. Amidst all of the brokenness, the film highlights how the Church is coming alongside those in these desperate situations. An organization teaches the wife and daughter of the enslaved Indian man job skills so they will not fall into slavery themselves. International Justice Mission rescues young girls from brothels and works with local governments to prosecute the traffickers.

Fortunately there was a group discussion afterward, because I needed others to help me process my thoughts. My initial thought was "Why am I here?" working with this population, who are far better off than the people depicted in the film. Then I was reminded that I am here because I have been called to be here, and I should not feel guilty about that. Still, the point of the film is to inspire and show us, the Church, how we can partner with those on the front lines in the developing world and make a real impact. I was personally inspired by a church in Queens, NY highlighted in the film. The youth pastor there has helped to ignite a passion in members of the youth group, who are poor themselves, for the hungry overseas. One day a week they fast and pray for those who are worse off than them. It was very timely for me because that week in Discipleship, I introduced the idea of tithing (giving 10% of your income to the Church) to our 8th and 9th grade boys. They thought it was crazy, and I probably did too when I was their age. But it got me thinking: we do a lot of fundraising activities during the summer for our program. What if I showed 58: to the boys and helped them get passionate about one of these issues or geographic regions, and then challenged them to tithe 10% of everything we raise to one of the organizations highlighted in the film? I told two of them about the film a few weeks ago and they want to see it, so I am excited to share it with them this spring.

You can watch the film for free here, and learn more about the 58: movement at live58.org.

Training Up Leaders

One of my goals as 5/8 Club Coordinator is to have at least one former 5/8 participant serve as a volunteer leader with the group. I've managed to do that for the last four years, and in fact have had two at a time for most of that span. This effort is consistent with the ministry's goal of developing indigenous leadership in the community, but also has practical implications. Who can relate better to the boys in 5/8, or tell me how we could do things better, than young men from the community who have come through the program themselves? I have the opportunity to take these young men under my wing and teach them how to be effective leaders.

It's also important that the boys in our community have positive male role models to look up to, and that these role models come from similar backgrounds and look like themselves. I now have a problem where almost every 8th grader who graduates out of 5/8 wants to be a volunteer leader, and I can't use all of them! As I mentioned in my last post, we are making efforts to plug the boys in as tutors at our Johnson Elementary tutoring program. For those boys who are 10th grade and above, are mature and responsible, and have a love for Jesus, I have a few spots for them as 5/8 leaders. Most serve for multiple years, like Bryan, who served for three years as a high school student and one in college, and Martell, who has served for the last three years. This year I added Paul, an 11th grader who shined in his internship at the Boys and Girls Club this summer and approached me about leading back in September. Paul shows up at my house on Mondays just before it's time to pick up dinner for 5/8, and I use the car ride to Trinity (our meeting place) as a chance to prepare him for the evening and quiz him about what he is supposed to do. He helps lead the 5th and 6th graders during the meeting and helps me clean up afterwards. On the car ride home, I ask him how the evening went, what he did well, and what he could have done better. He is growing into the role, and his commitment to the group is admirable.

As I did with all my leaders, I gave Paul a sheet of the expectations I have for 5/8 leaders, in the form of the acronym DISCIPLE (see below). Unlike my other leaders, I challenged Paul to memorize what each letter stood for. For several weeks I quizzed him, and he couldn't remember a single one! In fact, he often would guess negative words that were the opposite of traits I was looking for (e.g. "selfish" instead of "selfless"). Last week when I asked him, he managed to name two. He wanted to make a bet that if he learned them all in a week, I would have to buy him Chinese food. I thought there was no chance. To my surprise, he listed them off on Monday, two days before the deadline! It would appear that not only does he take his volunteer position, but also his Chinese food, very seriously.

DISCIPLE

DEPENDABLE – Your commitment to each other and the boys is very important. Not only does it show you care, but it helps ensure the health and success of the program. Just as the boys are expected to attend every meeting, so are you.
INVESTING – Being a 5/8 leader requires more than just showing up. Always come to meetings prepared for your roles. Make parent contacts and spend time with the boys outside of our Monday night meetings.
SELFLESS – Put the feelings and needs of the boys and other leaders above your own. Participate and perform tasks even when you don’t feel like it.
COMPOSED – Don’t take it personally when dealing with an unruly child. Be fair and equitable towards all kids. It’s ok to get upset but don’t let that affect your judgment or the standards of how we deal with the boys.
INFLUENTIAL – Recognize that your relationship with the boys gives you a unique opportunity to speak into their lives and help them make good decisions.
PRAYERFUL – Our work requires us to come to our knees in prayer for the boys, their families, and ourselves.
LOVING – Love the boys, not because they love you but because Christ loves you. Be patient and forgiving with them as Christ is with us.
EXAMPLE – Let the way you live your life in and outside of the program be one that positively reflects the Kingdom and how we want the boys to live.

Heroes

This spring I created a logic model for the 5/8 Club that outlines our inputs, activities, outputs, and expected outcomes to guide the program.  Among the outcomes (or goals) are the boys developing ethics of positive leadership and service to others (intermediate term) and becoming Christian leaders who give back to their community (long term).  Towards these ends, Richard and I are making a concerted effort to prepare our teenage boys to serve as volunteers in Abundant Life's 1st-4th grade tutoring program.  Because we want them to take this seriously, and because we only want those serving who will actually benefit the program, we came up with the acronym HEROES to explain the qualities we are looking for and the standards we are setting for volunteer service.  While it may be too much to expect these boys to be true heroes at 15 or 16 years of age, my hope is that we are adequately preparing them to be just that someday for their families and their community.

HEROES

HELPFUL – You are respectful toward the school staff, tutoring staff, other tutors, and children, follow instructions from the tutoring staff, and are patient with your tutee. The tutoring program is better because you are a part of it.
ENGAGED – When you are at tutoring you are focused on connecting with your tutee and helping him learn.
RELIABLE – You can always be counted on to be at tutoring when you are supposed to and will let Dylan know ahead of time when you are unable to attend.
ON TIME – You are where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there.
EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS – You are a role model for the children in how you speak and act, not only at tutoring but also in the community.
SELFLESS – You put the feelings and needs of your tutee above your own. You participate and perform tasks even when you don’t feel like it.

Kids Say the Darndest Things, Pt. 8

Last year, Richard, my partner in ministry, had this exchange with one of the 5/8 boys.
Richard: How old are you?
8th grader: 15.
Richard: When do you turn 16?
8th grader: My next birthday.

Kids Say the Darndest Things, Pt. 7

Last Thursday, we went fishing at a private pond for our weekly 5/8 Summer Program field trip. In our group of ten, five of the boys had never fished before and others were not very experienced. Our host, E.N., showed some of them that the best way to hold onto (certain) fish is to put your thumb in their mouths just past their teeth and pinch. When Devin caught an 11.75-inch bass and was unsure how to grab it, I yelled from a distance, "Stick your thumb in it's mouth!" K'Jawn, who was near me, said, "Eww! He has to stick his tongue in it's mouth?"

(God's) Image is Everything

While on a recent vacation in Miami, I was struck by a billboard I saw on the way from the airport to our condo. “Because image matters,” was the tagline; what it was selling, I don’t remember. Seeing such a billboard in Miami probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, but I was dismayed nonetheless, because it was exactly the type of cultural myth that I have been preaching against this year in 5/8 Club.

Back in April, I knocked on the door of a 6th grader to give him a ride to 5/8. He told me he couldn’t come, and I asked why. While laughing, he said, “I was arrested on Saturday for fighting.” I asked him to explain to me why it was funny, which he did a poor job of. He invited me in to talk to his father. While sitting on the couch, I listened as his father explained all the heartache and trouble that he has been putting him and his mother through. His father said he could come to 5/8, but only if I personally transport him there and back and call him when I drop him off. I agreed.

On the way to the meeting, this boy proudly asked the other two boys in the car if they had heard about his fight. I told them not to talk about it. I had been planning on teaching the life skills lesson from our conflict resolution curriculum that evening, but decided I wanted to more directly address this boy’s attitude and others like it: one that takes pride in being feared, in rejecting authority, in acting apathetic towards life and the people who care about you. I knew that this kid didn’t think his arrest was funny; he just wanted others to think that he thinks it’s funny. Sadly, he will sabotage his own well-being to uphold the image that he wants others to have of him.

During that night’s lesson, I reminded the boys of two verses I’ve tried to impress on them this year: that everyone is created in God’s own image (Genesis 1:27), and that the only thing worth boasting about is one’s understanding of the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24). As clear as I could, I explained to them that put-downs are pointless because we all have equal value in Him. It doesn’t matter what other people think of them (good or bad); the only one they should be concerned about pleasing is the Lord. I’m hopeful that the boys can grasp these truths at a young age so they can live in harmony with their peers and experience the freedom that comes from knowing that “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Kids Say the Darndest Things, Pt. 6

Last year during circle time of a 5/8 meeting, someone brought up the topic of jellyfish. I said, "You know, if you get stung by a jellyfish you're supposed to pee on it." One of the 5th graders quizzically asked, "Pee on the jellyfish?"