The Family Comes Home

Following the closing worship service for the 229^th Annual Conference in Tampa, Florida, there was a second gathering of Brethren at Camp Ithiel in the Atlantic Southeast District.  The ZME Choir and a number of other EYN guests stayed at the camp for a week of rest and recovery following a demanding concert tour that took them to Church of the Brethren Congregations all across the United States.

My wife and I lived and served in Nigeria in the 80’s and then again from 2004 to 2006.  We now live in Florida and were delighted to spend some extra time with our Nigerian brothers and sisters.  The years we spent in Nigeria were brief compared to other missionaries who spent most of their lives there.  Nevertheless, we have a deep affection for the people and culture of Nigeria.  When our plane touched down in Abuja, Nigeria nearly 20 years after our earlier time of service there, it felt remarkably like returning home.  The fragrant scent of charcoal fires and kerosene lamps mixed with the reddish dust of Nigerian earth brought tears to our eyes.  It is said that certain smells can conjure vivid memories and emotions.  On our return to Nigeria we sensed the familiar fragrance of home.

The gathering of Nigerian and U.S. Brethren at Camp Ithiel provided a similar sense of coming home.  Following the closing worship service in Tampa, the Nigerians headed to the camp, about two hours away, and prepared for their final concert later that evening.  When they arrived at the camp they discovered that their drums and other instruments were in another vehicle that was on its way to Lancaster, PA.  No worries.  The concert went off without a hitch with the help of a couple of trash cans as drums, a set of bongos and a beaded shaker from the office of camp director, Mike Neff.  The dining hall at Camp Ithiel was seldom livelier.

The following morning was set aside for conversation.  The day began with impromptu conversations, followed by an open conversation moderated by John Mueller, Atlantic Southeast District Executive.  For nearly three hours the little white chapel at Camp Ithiel buzzed with conversation.  The Nigerians shared stories of tragedy and triumph, thanksgiving and praise.  They were generous in their appreciation for the financial aid and prayer support offered by U.S. Brethren.  

When the conversation concluded, the group prepared to celebrate Love Feast.  Brethren from Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Nigeria gathered in the dining hall for the agape meal and then returned to the chapel for foot washing and the bread and the cup.  The Nigerians significantly outnumbered the Americans, kind of like that first worship service in Garkida in 1923.  A bronze plague has been placed under the Tamarind Tree where that first gathering took place.  The plague is inscribed with the scripture lesson Stover Kulp read that day:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.  In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.  (Ephesians 2:19-22) 

That was the essence of the Love Feast service at Camp Ithiel.  We did not gather as strangers and aliens, but as members of the family of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as our cornerstone.  Mixed among the Nigerians were former missionaries, BVSer’s, Global Mission and Service staff and those who have never set foot in Nigeria.  I was amazed to discover that one of the Nigerians was someone who had been a boy when we lived in the Nigeria in the 80’s.  I still have the picture I took of him 30 years earlier when he and several other boys were sitting on our front porch.  

When we gathered that afternoon for Love Feast, we thought we had come together as strangers.  We were reminded once again that in Christ Jesus we are no longer strangers but members of the same family.  Our family may be scattered in many placed around the globe, but when we come together as the family of God, it feels very much like we have come home.

Millennials: What We Need to Know, but are Afraid to Ask

Will our children’s children continue the work of Jesus?  The most recent report by the Pew Research Center provides little reason for optimism.  It isn’t surprising that the Pew survey shows a continuing downward spiral in church attendance in North America.  What is more alarming is the sharp increase in the number of young adults who identify themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nones” which is the abbreviation for “nothing in particular.”  The “nones”, are the fastest growing segment of the religious landscape in America.  And the Millennial generation is the most likely segment of our population to list their religious preference as “nothing in particular.”

Millennials are those who were born between 1980 and 2000.  They are three times more likely to identify themselves as “nones” than to identify themselves as mainline Protestants.  While the Church in North American has done a pretty good job of reaching the Silent generation; those born between 1928 and 1945, most churches are clueless about how to reach Millennials.

Reaching Out to Emerging Generations

Frank Powell offers some interesting insights about Millennials and their aversion to organized religion in a blog post entitled, 10 Reasons Churches Are Not Reaching Millennials.  Frank has written for Relevant Magazine, Catalyst , ChurchLeaders, and posts on a blog entitled Restoring Culture through Christ. Here is Powell’s list of reasons why the church may not be reaching Millennials:

1. There is a strong resistance to change
2. A compelling vision is lacking or non-existent
3. Mediocrity is the expectation
4. There is a paternalistic approach to leading millennial
5. There is a pervasive insider-focused mentality
6. Transparency and authenticity are not high value.
7. Mentoring is not important
8. Culture is viewed as the enemy
9. Community is not valued
10. The church is a source of division, and not unity

Getting to Know the Millennials

Before you dismiss the importance of understanding Millennials, consider this: when I Google searched “Millennials,” the first site that appeared at the top of the search page was a Goldman Sachs website!  MILLENNIALS appears at the top of the home page in all caps followed by this explanation: 

One of the largest generations in history is about to move into its prime spending years. Millennials are poised to reshape the economy; their unique experiences will change the ways we buy and sell, forcing companies to examine how they do business for decades to come.

There is little evidence that mainline churches are doing much to understand and reach out to this generation.  But Goldman Sachs and many other corporations and financial institutions have invested millions trying to know how to reach 92 million young adults who are about to move into their prime spending years.

So who are the Millennials?  Here are a few traits that have been gleaned from the writings of several contemporary American thinkers and sociologists:

• Millennials tend to be pragmatic idealists
• They tend to have a deep desire to make the world a better place
• They tend to be optimistic, engaged, team players
• They would rather network with friends than work through institutions
• They embrace the idea of community, both locally and globallyThe Church needs Millennials!  

We need to reach out to this generation, not simply to sit in our pews and fill our offering plates.  Without their idealism, optimism, and desire to make the world a better place, the Church will be unable to continue the work of Jesus.