Newsletter

So this is something of a cop-out post, because it was originally written for the Westminster Presbyterian Church newsletter, and was submitted with these edits to the PC(USA) site for the YAV newsletter section, and is now being posted here.  I've been super busy lately, but hopefully things will calm down a bit now that it's after Easter and I can get something a bit more current up for you, my devoted regular readers (all three of you).


Greetings from Northern Ireland! I am now over half way through my term of service here with the Young Adult Volunteer Program and wanted to update you all on what I’ve been doing since I arrived last September. I am working with Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, in Lisburn, which is just to the south of Belfast. Here at Harmony Hill, I work with their Parents and Toddlers group on Wednesdays and Fridays, help teach in two Sunday Schools—both the Harmony Hill Sunday School for 11-15 year olds, and assist with the Lisburn Inter-Church Sunday School, which serves children and young adults with special needs, and I am also a leader in Flame, the youth fellowship at Harmony Hill. Most of my time, however, is spent with Harmony Hill’s main outreach program, a non-sectarian youth drop in center called The Base. The Base, while based in Harmony Hill, is firmly rooted in a non-sectarian approach to youth work, and is open to and attended by youth from both the Unionist (wishing to remain part of the United Kingdom) and Nationalist (want to become part of a united Ireland) communities, and, importantly, is also supported by the local Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland parishes. This cross community work is of critical importance in Northern Ireland now, because, while great progress towards peace has been made, a peaceful future in Northern Ireland is still far from certain. The principal paramilitaries on both sides have now disarmed, but there are fringe groups still active. These groups are generally reviled by both communities, but there is a fear that they may prove successful at recruiting amongst youth, especially amongst those too young to remember the worst of the Troubles.
Despite the advances made, Northern Ireland is still a very divided society. In many places, so called “Peace Lines” divide Nationalist and Loyalist communities. These walls were first erected in the early 1970s as a means of stemming violence by making it more difficult for assailants from one community to get to the other, but continue to increase in height, length and number today. The walls vary greatly in nature, some are large and imposing, others are mostly wire fence, with plantings attempting to conceal them.

This wall to the left is a section of what is possibly the most famous wall in Belfast, the one that divides the Shankill (Unionist) from the Falls (Nationalist) neighborhoods. This wall is something like 20-25 feet high, and, as you can see, has been extended with wire mesh above the older concrete.

One of the great difficulties faced in Northern Ireland is the way in which the walls reinforce themselves. 50% of the population lives in an area where more than 90% share their religious and political background. In 2002, 68% of people between 18 and 25 reported having never had a meaningful conversation with someone from the other community. Just 5% of children go to an integrated school. In this context, bringing the youth from both communities together is of critical importance—as my sister once said: “it’s a lot easier to hate someone you don’t know.”

This is not to say that I am not still having fun. I’ve had a wonderful time taking The Base youth on various outings including a trip to “Planet Fun,” which is similar to the carnival portion of the Dogwood Festival, dressing up as a shepherd for the Carol Service at Christmas, and going on occasional retreats with the other PC(USA) volunteers working in Northern Ireland, especially when we went to see the Giant’s Causeway on the North Coast.

Martin Luther King's Easter message - CNN.com

Martin Luther King's Easter message - CNN.com

This year Easter also marks the 42nd anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. This is a good article by Eddie S. Gloude for CNN on Easter.

Half Time

A few days ago, Patricia asked Andy and I which of us was more manly. I didn't answer, but Andy quickly pointed at me. This is how it should be.

The purpose of the question was to determine which one of us would "help" change a light bulb for Patricia. She has had several near-misses while attempting to change light bulbs in the past few weeks, and has been ordered to cease bulb changing efforts, lest she bring death and destruction on the entire block.

The fact that I am of greater manliness than Andy is largely undisputed, but the bar is perhaps not as high as it could, or likely even ought to be. This is relates to the reason that Andy and I find ourselves out at Sally and Patricia's in the first place. You see, Andy and my building, officially named Riverdale House, but also known as 'The Tower of Darkness' was built during the 60s as public housing.



This year, it has been receiving several upgrades and repairs. It's been a fun ride. We've had hole's drilled in the poured concrete walls, a process which didn't take all that long in our flat, but lasted several awful, noise filled weeks as work was done through the rest of the building. The entire building acted as a sound board for the noise made from each hole, with the result that no matter which flat they were actually working in, it sounded like they were drilling through your skull. It was loud. It was annoying. But it was mostly during the day, and so mostly while we were at work, and thus was avoidable.

Now, however, they have received permission to upgrade the building's water pumps. Which means that there will be no water in the building tomorrow. Nor will there be electricity to the common areas. This means no functional elevator, which is annoying when you live on the 8th floor, but is worse when you consider that there will also be no lights in the hallways or stairwells. On top of no water.

So, we are spending the night at Sally and Patricia's. So we won't have to experience the mild inconvenience of not having water for one morning. So we won't have to deal with using the chemical toilets they set up outside, or go without a shower. This is the bar our manliness has failed to surpass. This makes me feel a little disappointed in myself, especially after reading blogs of some of the other YAVs serving in international sites, some of whom have no power or electricity regularly--for instance those in Kenya who face rationing of both due to the drought.

This post is titled half time because we have now entered the back half of my time here. In honor of that, we recently were asked to complete Mid-Year evaluations which asked us to reflect on how we are adjusting and growing during our time here. Overall, I feel I am doing pretty well, but I sometimes worry that I'm not growing enough, not being challenged as much as I would have been if I had gone, for instance, to Kenya. This isn't to say I regret coming here at all, I really do love working with Harmony Hill and at The Base, but the similarity of cultures is sufficient that this has been a generally easy transition to living here, and I wonder if I might have grown more if faced with more of a challenge.

Or, given the fact that I got a ride across town to sleep on a couch rather than miss a shower, perhaps this is the right place to be, and I would have folded under greater pressure.

Really though, I think I am underselling myself. The cultural differences between the U.S. and here might be subtle, but they are still pervasive, and at times more unsettling because they are so easy to overlook or forget about. The differences in our cultural taboos are very sneaky for their subtlety, and it can take a great deal more control than I'm always aware of to keep myself within the lines, especially when I don't always see them until I'm right on top of them.

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor - From Ireland to Israel - NYTimes.com

Interesting piece comparing the Troubles in Northern Ireland to the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict from the New York times written by Irael's Ambassador to Ireland

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor - From Ireland to Israel - NYTimes.com

Here is the video from the service. I had to split it into four parts to get it into manageable pieces. Please leave a comment if you have trouble viewing the video--it's hosted by facebook, and while I think I've sorted out any privacy restrictions here, if people are still having trouble I'll host them somewhere else.

Part One: Call to Worship and Opening Prayer



Part Two: Reading and Second Hymn



Part Three--Sermon



Part Four--Third Hymn thought Benediction

First Service

Last night I led my first service.  It was incredible.  I was absolutely terrified going in, but everyone from Harmony Hill was incredibly nice.  I'm working on getting video up (both of the service, and also something from the day I shaved my head--ok, it was a number two and not down to skin, but still).  Anyway, the rough text of my sermon is below.  I'm not posting the text of the prayers I used because they came from other sources and I don't want to get in any copyright trouble (I think it kind of unlikely, but just to be safe).  The scripture I worked from is Matthew 6:25-34, though I focused primarily on 6:33-34:

But strive first for the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you as well.

For my PC(USA) readers, I apologize for the lack of inclusive language, it's something that just isn't done here and I didn't want to cause a ruckus.

I'm tentatively titling this sermon "Control"

So.  Here I am.  On the wrong side of this lectern.  In a country where I have to think before getting into a car to make sure I don’t get into the wrong side.  Even once in the car, I go through a brief mental struggle—not just because I’m on the wrong side—I struggle some with being in the passenger seat when it’s on the right-hand side too.  I like to be in control, and so I’ll find myself trying to operate the pedals that I know aren’t really there.  It’s just compounded here, where I feel like I SHOULD be in sitting in the driver’s seat, but the controls aren’t there, where I have this vague feeling like I really ought to be driving the car, seeing as I’m sitting in what should be the driver’s seat.  Because it’s obvious that it’s the car’s mistake, not mine.  Even later, when I’ve begun to come to terms with the fact that there is not an invisible steering wheel somewhere in front of me, things still feel strange. Intersections are especially hard on me.  While you, having been kind enough to give me a lift somewhere, are patiently waiting for the light to change, I’m thinking “traffic is clear, let’s go!” and forgetting that one can’t turn right on a red light in this country, and that even if it were legal, we would then be driving into oncoming traffic.  Sometimes I’ll remember, and get the same feeling of urgency on a left turn, but still, we must wait. 

I do acknowledge that these misplaced instincts are just a few of a great many very good reasons why I’m a passenger, and why I don’t drive in this country, but I still sometimes struggle to remember that you know your own local roads and traffic laws better than I do, you’re used to shifting with your right hand (am I alone in thinking it odd that the pedals ARE in the same positions despite seemingly everything else being reversed?)

Anyway, intellectually, I know that, despite being on the side of the car where I still kind of expect that controls to be, they aren’t there, so my attempts to manipulate them are futile, and just make me look silly (though hopefully you are sufficiently focused on the road to not notice them).  Further, I know that I am almost certainly much safer with someone else driving than I would be if I were.  I’d end up turning when I shouldn’t, turning into the wrong lane, or making some other disastrous mistake that hasn’t occurred to me.  Even though I should know better, my subconscious foot movements indicate I still think I am in control, and, to be honest, I wish I were.

But I am not in control, and not only am I not in control, it is better that way.  This is true of so much more than just automobiles.  Just as I need to trust that you will safely get me to wherever it is I am going (and please, don’t think this is a comment on anyone’s driving ability, it’s purely a manifestation of my own neurotic nature, and bears little to no relation to anyone’s actual skill behind the wheel).  The feeling that I should be in control is a false one, and acting on it would actually be dangerous.  Even if I were able to avoid the disasters mentioned earlier, I would almost certainly quickly get lost, and be left to wander around northern Ireland for hours until finally finding my way back home, because let’s be honest, I’ve already missed whatever it is I was meant to be going to.

Just as I need to trust that I cannot control a car from the left hand seat here, that, in fact, I should not, so we all need to trust that God is guiding our lives and will do a better job protecting us than we ever could on our own.  We may feel at times that we are in complete control, that we are on our own, but that is a false feeling.  We are not alone in control, and do not need to be.  God is there to guide us and to provide for us.  To help prevent us from crashing or getting lost.

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

This is not just a command to seek the kingdom but also a promise.  And it applies not just to the future, but today.  Jesus is not only promising to take care of us in the kingdom, but here and now as well.

I chose this passage because of a book David recently lent me.  The book is about Peter Marshall, a Scot who emigrated to the U.S. in 1927 in order to become a Presbyterian Minister.  Peter had no clear direction or plan when he left for the U.S., but he had faith that he was following God’s plan and trusted that would be enough.  A point repeated a number of times throughout the book is the statement that true belief in God requires faith that God is also the God of the market place.  God controls not just the spiritual, but the concrete.  God will provide for you just as He provides for the birds of the air, and the lilies and grass of the field, according to your needs.  At the morning service you sang “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and truly He does.  The whole world, not just part of it, not just the church, but also the shop and the market, the industrial park and the city center, and yes, even your wallet.  All these things will be given to you as well. 

There is, of course, a catch.  There’s always a catch.  Even.  First we must seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  We must seek to know God’s will and to carry it out.  We should not just be content with a vague promise of a future kingdom to be divinely gifted to us, but we must strive to bring it closer, to help God nudge it along.  This begins simply, with quiet faith that God will carry us over and through our troubles, that God will grant us the strength to overcome today’s troubles so that we may face tomorrow’s with a clear mind.  Seeking the kingdom begins with listening to God, with prayer and contemplation to understand His will. We should not, however, rest in contentment, but strive for the kingdom actively, seeking out ways we can act make this world better, ways we can make this world more like the kingdom to come.  We don’t need to achieve perfection, indeed, we cannot bring the kingdom under on our own but we must always try, and trust that if our actions are in accordance with God’s will we will find success in our endeavors.

Hair and Money

Tomorrow, Sunday, February 7th, The Base is having a soup lunch fundraiser in Harmony Hill after the service.  In addition to funding continued programs, we are also hoping to purchase new furniture.  I've decided to help by offering to shave my head if we can bring in an addition £250 in donations.  (Sorry, Mom).  The suggestion has been met with a great deal of interest here--mostly people who support the idea, but there are a few who worry they might not recognize me, especially if the beard goes too.

And so that gave me an idea.  As of my last update I have raised $5,200 of my $9,000 goal, so I still have $4,800 to go.  So, in hope of generating some donations, I'm offering up the beard here.  Donations, which are all tax-deductible, can be made online by clicking here, or through the link near the top of the column to the right.  Just shaving the beard isn't perhaps all that interesting, so what I've decided to do instead is to allow some control to you, my donors.  While making your donation, you'll see an option for a comment box.  You should put my name in the box to help make sure it comes through to me, and in that same box put in a suggestion for what to do with the beard--those comments do generally make it through to me in the periodic fund-raising reports sent to me by the YAV office.  I will shave to the option that raises the highest dollar amount, and will keep it for at least one week.  I don't know for certain when I'll get another report, so I can't say exactly when I'll shave the beard, but I will also take a new profile picture for facebook featuring the new beard which will also remain up for at least one week.

I also want to thank everyone who has donated so far.  You have all been exceptionally generous, and are all in my prayers.