There goes the neighborhood!

This is where I live. It's my neighborhood. People are friendly, it's right by Kincaid Park (and Tastee Freeze) and there are good nearby schools for our son. We love it, though we're still trying to get more connected after two years here.

What does neighborhood mean in an era of digital connection? Do you know your neighbors? Are you involved in your community? And what, if anything, does your neighborhood have to do with your faith?

Alan Roxburgh's insightful book, "Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood" explores how neighborhoods are the places we find God at work and get a glimpse of our call as people of God. Roxburgh, a longtime consultant on the church in mission, argues that churches ask the wrong question when they ask how the church can connect with culture, how the church can find a purpose and mission. Asking "church questions" misdirect us, Roxburgh says. "We need to be asking radically different questions: What is God up to in our neighborhoods and communities? How do we join with what God is doing in these places?"

His advice is solid, if hard to do. As people of the Triune God, we know that God isn't static - God's Spirit is out ahead of us - moving, stirring, forming, changing and challenging. Roxburgh invites readers to use the story of Jesus sending out the 70 apostles in Luke 10:1-12 as a metaphor for what the church could be. This story reminds us that the 70 went out to proclaim the Gospel, but they went with very little baggage, spent time with people and accepted the hospitality the offered. This is the incarnational work of spending time in neighborhoods and communities among people who may or may not believe in God or go to worship. Through work and conversation together, Roxburgh says, we learn to see what God is doing in these places and the church starts from there.

I'd recommend this book, though it bogged down some in the middle with theological talk. The best part is the latter half, where Roxburgh deeply explores Luke 10 and how we could bring the lessons therein into our churches and neighborhoods. He ends the book with a few concrete ideas, though warns that this process of being church in this new way is more of a journey rather than a program. The goal is not to evangelize people up front but to get to know them, build relationships and then see where God takes you.

Here are a few ideas I liked:

* Study Luke 10:1-12 together over a period of time. Ask how God is inviting you to live it.
* Walk through your neighborhood (church's or your own) with others. Notice who you meet, where people gather, what's going on.
* Notice where people gather and talk about how to connect with them.
* Listen to stories of people in the neighborhood (1-1 style)
* Host a neighborhood event, like a BBQ
* Get involved in something going on in the neighborhood.
* Meet together to reflect on what you learned from all of the above.

This way of church as engaging in neighborhoods has really intrigued me. Perhaps it's because I grew up in a place where we knew our neighbors and depended upon each other. Roxburgh suggests that in a time where we're more digitally connected (yet still thirsting for authentic relationships) the idea of "going local" in our neighborhood is both radical and balm.

I keep thinking about how to do this in small ways in my own little Sand Lake neighborhood. Are you interested? Want to try it? Give me a shout - let's talk more.

Kids, money and the scrabble for the plate

A young consumer in the making?

There was a good deal of scrambling and squabbling in the third pew from the back, pulpit side, during offering time at St. John Lutheran Church, Frederika, Iowa, in the 1980s and 1990s. That's where my family sat in the church were I grew up in rural Northeast Iowa and the struggle was between us three kids and we grabbed at mom's purse as the offering plate came near.

This is my first memory of stewardship: grabbing at my mom's purse, digging for coins (the more quarters the better) and trying to get more than my siblings to put into the plate as it went by. What's yours?

It's funny (and interesting) to think back on that now, as a pastor, mom and stewardship resource person in my synod.

It's great that my siblings and I knew that offering was important. Along with the fight for coins, we also saw my mom quietly slip a check in the plate each week. She never said much about it, but we knew it was important and we wanted to do our part.

I wonder now about what it means to teach my own son (pictured above) about giving. How can I help him learn the joys of giving, not just my money but his own, too? How can I teach him that everything that he has belongs to God? How can I create in him a sense of deep faith and gratitude? How can I help him resist the pressures of advertising and consumerism? My son isn't quite two years old; I'm only just beginning. I have a few ideas, but would love to hear your thoughts!

Model generosity of all types and do it together:
My mom was great about making a casserole (hot dish, as we called it) for someone in need and going to visit widows and shut-ins. She took us along and told us why it was important. Often we helped prep the meal. This could be done in other ways too, such as shopping for kids in need, with your kids. The ELCA Good Gifts catalog is a great way to do this. Let kids weigh in on what they'd like to give.

Teach about spending, saving and giving:
Provide a way for kids to separate out their own money. Consider the 10-10-80 model (save, give, spend). You can search online for ideas how to do this, or check out the book, "The Opposite of Spoiled," by Ron Lieber, about raising generous kids.

Recycle together
This is an easy way to teach good stewardship of resources. Or, instead of recycling, urge kids to get creative about new uses for old things. Explain why recycling and reusing connects to our faith.

Say thank you
Lead kids in "thank you" prayers at night and other times, too. Talk about what you are thankful for as a family. Teach kids to write thank you notes, or at least email or text words of thanks and appreciation to others. Model doing this as parents, too.

What else?
What do you do?