Hospitality in the Churches of East Tennessee

The simple act of visiting a church of another denomination can be a wonderful thing to do. The Glenmary Home Missioners, the group I work with, has a long tradition of doing this very thing. As missionaries, they approach church worship services themselves as a mission field--not a place to convert others, but a place to reach out to one another, be open to what the other is saying, and build the kind of unity that Jesus himself prayed for. That all who believe may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you (John 17:21).  

Anyone can be an ambassador of the faith in this way. My colleagues usually recommend going to another church on the invitation of a member or the pastor. It is usually easy to get an invitation in a conversation around town, perhaps at the grocery store or restaurant. An invitation is not always necessary, but it helps to break the ice.

When I go, all I say is, "I'm Frank Lesko, I'm visiting my friends at the local Catholic Church for the weekend, and I would like to worship here this morning." It is that simple. You do not need a theology degree to be kind and open in this way. Folks are often extremely warm and quite pleased that someone from outside their congregation would take the time and effort to spend a Sunday morning in their space and hear what they have to say. Their hospitality is a gift that I do not take for granted--I appreciate it greatly as itself an act of Christian love.

Sometimes the journey toward greater harmony between churches only takes someone proverbially knocking on the door and asking to come in and sit for a spell. Your actions will speak much louder than words, and say, "I want to be in your world for a while. Let's listen to each other."

I visit churches regularly in my work. It only makes sense to share more of these adventures in more detail online!  So here goes . . .

Union and Grainger Counties are circled in red above.

I spent this weekend in and near the Catholic mission parishes in Union and Grainger Counties in east Tennessee. Visiting other churches is easy here, as there are few churches in Union and Grainger counties in which Br. Craig Digmann has not visited at least once. He is a regular face at many places. His current total is well over a hundred churches that he has visited at least once in his few short years in the area, and that number is steadily growing.

On Saturday evening, I attended Catholic Mass at St. John Paul II Catholic Mission parish in Rutledge, TN. I have featured this congregation in posts before, most recently here. What is noteworthy about this little storefront church is that right now it has been almost entirely converted into a distribution area for food commodities for folks in need. All the chairs, altar and podiums have been temporarily moved against the wall to make way for God's hungry people. Did they move Jesus out of the way to do this? No, this is how they make space for Him! Make straight the way of the Lord! (Isaiah 40:3, John 1:23).

I had the privilege of attending Beeler's Chapel United Methodist Church early on Sunday morning. I appreciated greatly Pastor Denver Davidson's deep faith and well considered thoughts. I like that they make Ash Wednesday ashes not just from bunt palms but also from notecards of prayer requests of members of the congregation. I repent in dust and ashes (Job 42:6).

I felt right at home in this congregation, which is located on a picturesque mountain road outside of Washburn, TN. While there, I got to connect to a number of people who live at the nearby Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center. They live off the grid and have a profound witness of environmental sustainability. I have been especially impressed with their natural burial cemetery which is part of their environmental witness and commitment. God saw all that He had made, and it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

Not too far down the road and just a few short minutes later, I found myself attending Mt. Eager Missionary Baptist Church. Br. Craig may have been the first Catholic ever to step foot in this and other churches in the area, but now it is somewhat easy for me to come along afterwards. I was impressed by the hospitality and vitality of the congregation, as well as the good natured presence of Pastor Gary Donehew. Be hospitable to one another without complaint (1 Peter 4:9).

My only regret is not getting a picture of the view from the entrance of the church looking out. The mountain panorama is something that can strike awe into the heart of any person and never grows old. I may be back to snap that picture, but I am not going back today. After an inch of snow and ice fell last night on those steep mountain dirt roads, I am sticking to the highways today! If you want a taste, check out the cover picture for this blog, because it was taken from this very same part of the country.

I headed back to Maynardville for Sunday evening service at Hines Creek Missionary Baptist Church. They operate a critical food pantry for Union County, which is itself an ecumenical effort. For I was hungry and you gave me food (Matthew 25:35-40).

This is also one of the most musically talented congregations I have ever visited. Members make up at least two different music groups. I especially enjoyed the country Gospel of the Beason family and look forward to hearing them play again in the future. Good food and good music, this is what makes this church a pillar in the community by all reckoning! Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1).

The one word that comes to my mind after this weekend in east Tennessee is this: Hospitality. Each of these churches was so welcoming and gracious to this shy outsider who speaks in a very obvious northern accent. I would like to see these kind spirited people again. We do worship the same God. We may have different ideas about how to do that and sometimes even what that means, but we are all doing the best we can to make our way through the fog. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Cor 13:12). 

I am glad to have met these Christian brothers and sisters of mine in east Tennessee! Br. Craig has estimated that there are over 210 churches in these two counties, so these four are just a small sampling, but if each of us took a step to get to know just one other church, we would build quite a relationship.

If you would like this Catholic to attend your church, and you live in the rural US Southeast, drop me a line!  I would love to visit your church and celebrate our mutual relationship with Christ together!

Reaching Across Brokenness

Br. Curt Kedley outside of a Missionary Baptist church
in Bertie County, North Carolina.

“Broken.” 

That is the first word that Brother Curt Kedley uses to describe the areas where he has served as a consecrated Catholic religious brother with the Glenmary Home Missioners. This includes his many years in rural Georgia and several years in eastern North Carolina where he is currently serving.

He has seen brokenness in the festering, multi-generational poverty. He has seen it in the lack of opportunities to grow, nourish and support human persons to reach their full potential. He has found it in the significant racial divide between black and white that persists strongly to this day, especially in rural areas.

It is daunting to stand in the face of all that brokenness and discern what one person could possibly do in response.

In the early 80s, he was part of a group of Glenmary priests and brothers that set out to meet the community on its own terms through simple living, service and Christian witness. He assisted in Glenmary's mission parishes and was a presence in the community through social work and a bustling home repair ministry. Still, he was looking for something more.

Beginnings

The answer came to him at the Hancock County Fair in Georgia in 1982. He was one of the very few white people attending the fair among thousands of African-Americans. He did not know anyone--he was just mingling, meandering and getting to know the area. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was also discerning a direction for his ministry.

A woman came up to him and seemed to want to to know who he was, so they started talking. The conversation ended with an invitation: "You have got to come to our church," she told him.

"I'll be there tomorrow!" replied Curt.

He describes this as a "very spiritual encounter" and says he has never looked back from that moment. He found his direction: One significant way that he has felt compelled to reach out across all the brokenness he saw was through solidarity in worship.

A Ministry Quickly Evolves

That first church was Jones Chapel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. He started visiting other churches, mostly African-American ones. This quickly evolved into a regular ministry.

Br. Curt felt that the best way to serve this ministry was to have a regular presence worshipping at these churches. Trust takes time, and there were so many barriers to overcome--He is Catholic; they are Evangelical Protestants. He is white; they are mostly black. He is from the North (originally Iowa); and this is the South. His own roots growing up in a small, rural town was one point of connection among many differences.

He would select a group of around a half-dozen, mostly African-American churches where he would worship. The small number of churches meant that he could be reasonably certain to make an appearance at least every 2-3 months, if not more often. He could become a part of the community.

The majority of the churches have been African Methodist Episcopal (AME), Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) and Missionary Baptist. This has been mostly a personal preference--he experimented with Pentecostal and other larger mega churches, but they just did not appeal to him as much as the smaller, more traditional country churches.

The rhythm of church life in rural black churches of the South can be vastly different from Catholic Churches up north. There is often no resident preacher. Services may be held only two Sundays each month with a preacher driving great distances to preside. One preacher Curt remembers fondly would drive 75-100 miles one-way in an old beat up car, and "he did not look like he had two nickels to rub together, but he came faithfully." A deacon or associate usually leads the congregation through the service with the preacher only speaking during the sermon.

Over the years, Curt has phased over 50 churches in and out of his rotation. Changes in church leadership, the closing down of a church or other factors would prompt a natural time to part ways. He also felt he had spread himself too thin in the early days of this ministry and had to scale back. Sometimes he fears the impact wears off when he becomes just a regular face in the congregation, and he feels it could be more beneficial to break new ground elsewhere. The difficulty is stopping--people ask why and are disappointed when he stops going. "'Why isn't he coming anymore?' I hear that question all the time," he says.

A Lesson Learned

Br. Curt Kedley is a man who knows his vocation well. He has the soul of a consecrated religious brother and knows this deep down in his marrow. He has never wanted to be a priest or lead a worship service but rather prefers to be among the people.

When he first visited these non-Catholic churches in Georgia, he naturally let people know that he was a Catholic, and when they would ask what he did for a living, he would tell them that he had a formal ministry with the Catholic Church. He avoided the term "brother," because that has different connotations in the black Protestant community, and instead he would say he is a "Catholic Church worker" or a "missionary laborer."

What he did not expect was that he would almost invariably be asked to co-lead the worship service, even though he was clear to avoid calling himself a "minister." Nevertheless, he was still seen as a person of the cloth and invited to participate in leading worship. "I was always given a role," he explains, and he would feel obliged to accept. It could be reading Scripture, praying over the people during the offering or at the end of the service or even preaching.  He would sit up front with the other worship leaders. "I always felt real distant from the people. It was hard to connect with them," he says.

Despite his discomfort, he experienced some of the most touching moments "behind the scenes" at these churches. Usually about 20 minutes before a service, all the worship leaders would meet in the pastor's study to "chew the fat, talk about Scripture and pray. Sometimes there would be an anointing--I was always impressed by that," he recalls.

When his assignment with Glenmary had him relocate to North Carolina, he started up with a new group of churches, and he has been careful to omit mention of any formal ministry relationship. He is clear to tell them that he is Catholic, but now describes his role more like a lay person. This allows him to be a part of the general congregation, where he feels right at home.

Ministry of Presence: Incarnation

At first glance, the ministry appears relatively simple and straightforward—Br. Curt attends churches as a form of ecumenical outreach. However, that deceptive simplicity hides a deep spirituality of presence and solidarity.

Presence can mistakenly seem like a passive ministry. However, in order to be truly present, Curt has to be fully engaged and active with the individuals and community he serves—to know them, to walk with them and to suffer with them as they suffer. It is "full, conscious and active participation," to borrow a phrase from Vatican II. This phrase was originally coined to describe the role of the faithful in Catholic liturgy, but it also transcends that definition as good worship should naturally flow into a Christian's life

Jesus himself modeled solidarity by choosing to enter into the human condition through the Incarnation. He choose to share in our situation, including all of the suffering that can accompany earthly life.

The simple act of going to someone else's church is a way to imitate Christ. Presence says so much while saying so little. It is a way of saying—I want to enter your world and share in that with you. I want to be a part of your lives--the good and the bad.

 

The goal is not to fix it or change it but just to be there. It is a way of acknowledging that all people are children of the same God and all Christians are followers of the same Christ.

Glenmary priest Fr. Steve Pawelk shares this reflective litmus test which speaks to the real meaning of presence: "Am I doing too much and not being enough?"

Being present is a powerful witness--perhaps even more powerful than sending in a check of hard-earned money to support a charitable effort. It is a way of offering our very self and demonstrating--by example--that someone else is worthy of our time and attention.

Impact?

This has been more than just an outreach ministry for Curt. He freely admits he goes to African-American Protestant churches to be nourished, as well--"no doubt about it," he says.

"It is always an honor to be there," he describes, "and I consider them to be kindred spirits. The black churches have an incredible sense of hospitality, and I have always felt welcome there. I can not say the same thing about white churches, including Catholic ones."

He asserts that breaking down the racial barrier is his primary motive, but the ecumenical connection is also important. Curt attributes a number of factors to misunderstandings between the Catholic and African-American communities.  "It is a big stumbling block that Catholics do not have female deacons," he says. In addition, he cites that the hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church and the "quieter" worship style are not well understood by the black community, in general.

 

Curt describes the overall lack of Catholic outreach to the African-American community as "sinful."  Historically, Catholics have largely kept to themselves in their own Italian, Irish and Polish ethic communities, for example, and this has not helped the perception of Catholics by black Protestants.  This has been especially true in rural areas where there is very little integration.

True to his humble nature, Curt is modest about the impact of this ministry. "I have never been able to measure it," he admits.

 

However, reports from folks who have worked, worshipped and lived with him tell an altogether different story. "I take him as a holy person . . . a Christian person who did a lot of good," said a resident of Hancock County, GA.  Others have shared similar regards. 

 

Still, the impact of a ministry of presence like this can be very difficult to calculate--it is truly an effort of faith.  The ripples of goodwill and healing may be difficult to measure, but it is important to hope that they leave a lasting impression.

 

Bread For Your Journey

Glenmary has a long promoted a ministry of visiting other churches. Glenmary priest Fr. Frank Ruff attests that it is one of the most effective ways of overcoming misunderstandings and building ecumenical bridges. "It is an act of humility and vulnerability to go to another church for no other reason than to join them in praise of God," he says. He believes that visiting other churches is the best way to witness to our common brother and sisterhood as Christians, and it also initiates dialogue, fosters understanding and overcomes prejudice.

Br. Curt Kedley is a shining example of this kind of ministry. He certainly has made the ministry his own and has crafted it according to his unique temperament and vocation. Hopefully, there is something in his story that can inspire all of us. While his many years of regular outreach to dozens of churches may seem daunting to the average person, is there perhaps a small piece that we can each glean from his story and apply to our own ministry?

 

Perhaps we can cultivate a relationship with a single church that is different from our own and visit it from time to time?  It is the kind of ministry that is both simple and profound and is truly accessible to each person. 

 

What other ideas do the experiences of Br. Curt Kedley inspire in you?