March 2007

The best view of CSM's ministry is definitely at street level.

I was reminded of this over the last couple of weeks as I helped to host two CSM groups serving in New York City. We can get pretty busy in the spring, so Kyle, Greg Pennington (our Houston-based VP) and I will sometimes fill the gaps to ensure that every group has at least one CSM City Host with them throughout their trip. (The fact that these two groups got a middle-aged fud for their host is another story.)

Age and infirmities aside (the sleeping-on-the-floor thing is murder on my back), it was an energizing experience. Cindy Menz-Erb, our NY City Director, has done a great job developing a network of relationships with ministries and serving organizations all over town. My groups and I subway-ed and hiked all over Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn--serving meals at Trinity Lutheran Church, sorting clothes and other household items at the World Vision Storehouse, helping at Operation Exodus' weekend youth ministry, sorting and packing donated food at the Hunts Point Food Bank (largest food distribution center in the world), serving food and spending time with kids and their parents at Kids' Heart Ministries...and on and on and on. We worked hard, helped as much as we could, and learned a lot. But the best part was the people we met-- and that's where the "street level" perspective comes in.

In any community of size, it is easy to miss what is going on around us as we lead our daily lives. Sad to say, it can also be easy to tune out the poor and needy around us as we go about our business. So when our CSM groups (and me, in this case) get out of the daily routine and step into the world of men and women who have committed themselves to serving the forgotten among us, we get a whole new street-level view of the world--and how God is working in that world.

The men and women I'm talking about are unsung heroes, really. I know that the term gets tossed around rather easily these days, but it's accurate. People like Carol and Gloria at Trinity, Craig at World Vision, Matt at Operation Exodus, Perry at the Food Bank, and Pastor Marian at Kids' Heart Ministries are the street-level heroes who care for those the rest of us too often ignore. And they do it day in and day out... week in and week out...month in and month out...year in and year out. "How long have you been doing this ministry?" I asked Pastor Marian (who looks like a million bucks and has the energy of at least three of me). "Twenty-five years," was her reply as she raced off to hug another group of kids arriving for a hot meal, help with homework, and a big dose of God's love.

So while it cost me a little sleep and a sore back, it was more than worth it to get a fresh dose of the street-level view of the city, and how God is working in the city, that my time in New York provided. I honestly wish, and sincerely hope, that you will have the opportunity to get that street-level view for yourself--some time, some way. It will give you a whole new perspective on who God is, how He works, and how fulfilling it can be to be part of His church.

THANK YOU for your partnership with CSM! I really appreciate it--and hope you'll be able to get a "street level" viewing opportunity soon. Don't forget your air mattress!

Blessings,

Noel Becchetti, President

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