humbly said..
I want to share this because it’s presenting an exciting opportunity.
To those who were at Earl’s on Sunday…
Not only am I thankful but I’d guess that Philip was thankful as well for the welcoming attitude you all had.
Before I go on, I’ll explain to those who weren’t there and are curious. I met this guy from Ethiopia on Sunday at church as he wandered around kind of lost on his first Sunday at Beulah. I showed him around a bit and talked with him and he helped me out with putting away some Christmas boxes. He was looking for a church for his family. He came to Canada about a year ago with his family of 4 children after waiting for over 3 years to come. He’s 26. After arriving in Edmonton, he went to Moose Jaw and then came back to Edmonton last month. Anyway, he came out with some us for lunch after church and I drove him home after.
I tell you all this because though I’ve heard stories about the life of immigrants in Canada, I’ve never really met anyone. Yesterday I got to and it opened my eyes. I dropped Philip off at one of the smallest houses I’ve seen in Edmonton. Here was a guy trying to support a large family in a foreign country while working at a convenience store and electronic retail job. How is this possible? It is experiences like these that help me realize a little more at just how blessed we are here in Canada and also prompt me into action with questions like “What can I do?”
This is one of the first times I’ve actually met a first time visitor to the church. It got me thinking…
If I had simply nodded hello back, looked away and kept on my way with the work I was doing, would someone else have welcomed Philip or took time to meet him? As pastors often say, how many other visitors walk in and out of the church without being noticed or welcomed? Especially people of a noticeably different race or color? If this happens often, is it because we are too preoccupied with ourselves and our friends on Sundays? Or why is it? Or is that just the result of a large church?
- originally posted by Paps
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it was awesome to meet philip for those few moments on sunday. it is terrible, as you said, nathaniel, that that sort of opportunity often goes unnoticed because we are too preoccupied, or simply because we don't recognize new people. I'm glad that it didn't pass you by, and i hope that we were able to bring a small blessing to him. Though, i think, it's important that our welcoming attitude doesn't end at lunch at earls, or we will have meerly skimmed the surface of what a church community can and should be. I cannot agree with you more in showing a concern for the immigrant population in Canada. There are so many needs there that we wouldn't even imagine. They face everything from racism, to underemployment (hence the convenience store AND the electronics shop), to isolation (due to the immigrant population being largely centered in the inner city where there are so many differing cultures and languages that it's nearly impossible to build a strong community), to simply not knowing how to shop and eat properly in a Canadian culture. It is important that we are aware of the needs that surround us in not-so-obvious places so that when someone like Philip comes around we don't assume that his life is as easy as ours and pass him by. As i write this i feel like a complete hypocrite. I know these things and i do little to change anything, and i, either out of ignorance or fear, would no doubt have walked past Philip without a word. This is not to be self-effacing, just honest.
I find it funny you put something up about Phillip. That was one of the best experiences I have had in a while. At Earl's we got there and he was looking at the menu for about five minutes before commenting to pap's and I that he had no idea what he was looking at or for. It was so humbling for me. Not for him, but for me. It's weird. Sometimes out of duty we (I) will talk to someone I don't know and try to spend a sufficient amount of time to feel as though a certain goal of being 'welcoming' has been accomplished. With Phillip, I think it was exactly the opposite. In him I could see so much history to his life that I didn't want to let him put food in his mouth because then he would shut up. Crazy thing is, that is the way it is with all people. In my hurry each day, I think I may be missing so much of life's experience because I don't stop long enough to get past the formality. Maybe it's possible to see that a bit more in people and let them share that.
i just think its so great that you asked "what can i do?" cuz thats what its all about. its funny how the preoccupations of regular church attendance usually blind us to what is our primary preoccupation – what can we do? that problem happens in every church of every size i think, when church becomes a safe place, a social group, more than ground zero for loving the world around us. Particularly with big churches though, you find so many people who go for one of two reasons: first, to disappear in the crowd. the most hurting, the most lonely at times, often need the anonymity as they grow comfortable with the place. second, the odds are best for finding something in a big church; a program, a person of similarity, etc. the only way to make big church small is to look around you and do what you did paps. good on you.