Purpose at Work

Written by: Tripp Purks Perhaps the most constant and stable thing in the life of a Fellow (other than certain exhaustion and deep conversation) is that fact that every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we will be at our jobs along with the rest of the working world. The job-experience element of the program is indeed one of the cornerstones in the Fellow's foundation. The opportunity to be immersed in and contributing to the daily movement of an organization is extremely valuable to formation, and the part-time work hours certainly are a welcome relief to juggling the other aspects of the program. Though Fellows often work at entry level positions their presence is (hopefully) associated with hard work, pleasant dispositions, and a servant's attitude, thus bringing an invaluable contribution to their respective companies.

As for me, I've found that my time at work has been quite an experience. Though it is certainly not always exciting, or incredibly inspiring, I usually am able to see the value of the work that I do. The role of an intern is a funny thing, I often feel that I am held in this tension of doing things that are seemingly imperative to the company, but but are things that no one else would ever do. So I'm necessary and invisible simultaneously? Possibly. But the beautiful thing about the humbleness of my role (and often the role of other Fellows in their job-sites) is that it pushes me to labor outside of my own gain. Thus, the job experience becomes less about the work that I must do, but rather how I complete it. The beauty of this situation is that God works amazing things with a servants heart, and his movement in my heart while at work has certainly begun to bridge the gap between the tasks that I have to complete and the ways in which I am called to exist and behave at work. The cool thing is that when God helps me understand that work is serving well where I am called to be in that moment, stuffing 85 mailboxes seems more redemptive than I once thought.

For more updates on my life as a Fellow at the Federal Executive Institute. Start here and follow along in my blog

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Pictures from NYC Trip

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During the last week of February the Fellows and Dottie went up to New York City for a three day conference hosted by the International Arts Movement A few snapshots of our time...

Click the pictures to see full size.

Our fearless leaders

Guys' room at the hostel

Mariko, Jamie, Rose, and Austin waiting for the subway

Musical performance during the conference

Times Square at night
Mike and Sean. No explanation needed.

Jamie and Mike in Times Square

Tripp and Lora. Hungry? Excited? Both?
Group shot

Headed home

A Challenge from the Crescent City

By: Reynolds Chapman Two and a half years ago, Hurricane Katrina submerged the city of New Orleans beneath 12 feet of water. Most of us remember the horror of the media reports, hearing accounts from shocked survivors and watching the number of deaths climb steadily by the hour. Katrina was one of the most destructive and deadliest natural disaster in the history of the United States, leaving a debt of over $81 billion and an estimated death toll of 1,836. After the waters cleared, tens of thousands of residents were displaced. When the storm hit, it stole the attention of America as it stole the homes of those who lived in the city.

Last month, about a dozen Trinity Fellows and about a dozen Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) students from the University of Virginia had the opportunity to represent Trinity in serving New Orleans by working on building a house in the St. Bernard district. Many of us had seen the city since the storm hit—some multiple times—and some of us, such as myself, were visiting the city for the first time. As I was preparing for the trip and during the 18-hour drive from Charlottesville, I wondered what kind of significance such a trip, almost three years after the storm, might have for each of us, for New Orleans and for the people of Trinity and Charlottesville to whom we would tell stories upon our return.

The impression New Orleans left on us can be summed up in an insight we heard from Ray Cannata, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church of New Orleans, where we worshiped during our stay. Pastor Cannata said, "In New Orleans, on the one hand you see a vivid picture of the Fall, and on the other hand you see a clear picture of Redemption." One can see the brokenness in a variety of forms, such as with the memory of when Katrina hit, a time filled with fear, desperation and loss. Although it has receded in our memories for the most part, it is not as easy to forget for those from the city—those who lost their homes or loved ones, or who drive every day through the wreckage that remains to be rebuilt. Most residents know someone who was killed in the storm, and many are waiting for their friends and family to return to the city.

We also see a picture of the Fall in the apathy that has left much of the city and people still abandoned, particularly the poor. Driving through the lower Ninth Ward, seeing uninhabited houses with yards overgrown and boards on the doors and windows, was unnerving and elicited feelings of anger and disappointment as we imagined the families that once lived there. For us, just one week in a place where the memories and aftermath of the storm are experienced on a daily basis was eye opening—it took us out of our world and put us in theirs. I realized the people who looked Katrina in the eye have a greater understanding than I do of the reality that, as theologian Cornelius Plantinga puts it, "The world is not the way it's supposed to be."

After spending a week in New Orleans, I realized that when Pastor Ray Cannata said New Orleans presents a lucid portrait of redemption, it wasn't a sentimental "looking on the bright side." We were able to truly experience the vibe of hope in the city. When we arrived, both the church and the Habitat for Humanity camp where we stayed received us as though we were their first visitors, thanking us incessantly and taking a sincere interest in our own stories. If "The Big Easy" had arms, they would be wide open. It seemed that feasting and socializing were the two main activities for the people there. From potlucks at people's houses, to restaurants in the French Quarter, to music and dancing on Frenchman Street, many of us found New Orleans to be one of the most people-oriented, vibrant, culturally rich communities we've ever visited. Ray Cannata told us the hurricane did not take away from the sense of community in the city, but rather heightened everyone's appreciation for one another and brought people together.

The rebuilding efforts have also been a sign of hope in the city. There has been a consistent flow of volunteers since the hurricane hit, and it was exciting for us to be able to lend a hand by working with Habitat for Humanity on a house-building project. It took some of us a few crooked nails and bruised thumbs to get our hammer skills down, but we had fun getting our hands dirty. We stayed at Camp Hope, where we ate meals and shared conversations with people from many walks of life, all coming to help out. It was a great opportunity to testify that Christ was our reason for being there. And perhaps one of the most encouraging statistics I heard was that 80-90 percent of the rebuilding efforts were done by churches. The kingdom of God is indeed at work.

Pastor Ray Cannata mentioned that the good and the bad of New Orleans were certainly present three years ago—the storm just exposed them. This reminded me that the effects of the Fall and the Redemption of Christ are present in every city. If there's anything to take home from New Orleans to Charlottesville, it is this clear picture of Christ entering into a broken world to redeem it. So we thank God that while we were able to contribute to the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans, we also left with a challenge to be the Church who enters in, and brings redemption through Christ, to the broken areas in our home, the city of Charlottesville. We thank God that Trinity Presbyterian Church cares enough to enter into the brokenness of the world, New Orleans and our own backyards, and we pray that He would continue challenging us to meet this call.

Should you wish to hear more about the New Orleans trip or other service opportunities the Fellows are involved in please email me at reynoldschapman@gmail.com

Your Life is Not Your Own

by Andrew Kean

Jesus Himself said it: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it” (Mat-thew 16:25). It is to us all that Jesus speaks these very words, without exception. It is with His words in mind that I write to you, Fellows. And it is with His words in mind that I hope you, Trinity Church, will eavesdrop on this farewell address.

Dear Fellows,

 

Just nine months ago, the 13 of you were anonymous to the majority of Trinity Church. You were simply another group of “young adults” who might be considered a hard generation of folks to understand. But between then and now, you have become members of our Family, examples to our children, servants of others, studiers of God’s Word, prayers for God’s will, thoughtful searchers, wise answerers, marketplace-faithful, community builders, eager anticipators of the King’s return. In sum, you have tasted the beautiful fruit of the Truest Paradox: through giving your lives to Jesus, you are beginning to find them. It has been at once painful and joyful, confusing and clear. Yet, through it all, with the Spirit strengthening you, you have proved faithful. Let me, on behalf of Trinity Church and Charlottesville say, “Thank you.”

Soon you will be sent out by Trinity Presbyterian Church. Out into the world, into new vocations, into new relationships, into new needs, into new dreams. Don’t look back in a wistful way; look forward, applying all that you have learned. Motivated by our King’s love for us, seek the hard places, seek the places of discomfort in others’ lives (and your own), love boldly, aim to be men and women of prayer, and above all, worship the King.

Fare well, Fellows. And remember, your life is not your own.

Grace and Peace, Andrew Kean

Testimony: What Tutoring Has Meant to Trinity Fellow Ebony Walden

by Ebony Walden

I returned to my car after my first Abundant Life Ministries tutoring session utterly defeated. The frustration of feeling ineffective had overcome me and I remember thinking, “How will I do this for another nine months?”

Earlier that same afternoon, I had felt more than equipped to begin tutoring. I had gone through the tutor training and I had years of tutoring experience under my belt. I thought, “This is going to be a breeze.” However, on the very first day I was challenged by the wit and energy of my tutee. I had too easily forgotten what it is like to interact with highly vocal and energetic 2nd graders. Since I have been used to talking with adults, it was hard to even communicate in language that a 7-year-old would understand. I knew the answer to the math problems and how to sound out difficult words perfectly; I had been doing that for years. What I had forgotten was the challenge and technique involved in conveying these unfamiliar details to my tutee. After a couple of weeks, this became easier. I was able to come down to the level of a second grader in order to use my knowledge and wit to challenge her and further her skill levels.

[My tutee] has grown in her confidence and skill in a matter of weeks. These have been great rewards.

What’s helped me the most for my service at Abundant Life has been the structured order of the afternoon--and the notebooks that are used to record and track the progress of tutees. Though we only have an hour and a half, we are able to do homework, read, complete an enrichment activity, and work on the computers. This provides the kids with variety and prevents them from getting bored and restless. In addition, we are able to communicate with the staff about the progress of the kids by keeping a log of work and activities in their notebook. This is a good way to look back and see how the participants have grown over time, which may be less apparent in the day-to-day interactions.

Over the course of my seven months as an Abundant Life tutor, I have witnessed growth in myself, seen the skills of my tutees’ improve, and built great relationships with the participants. I have been able to work on my own skills and teaching techniques as I tutored two little girls who are very different. The first was so bright that she did not need to attend tutoring twice a week anymore, which was great. The latter, though she has more academic challenges, has grown in her confidence and skill in a matter of weeks. These have been great rewards. The best part about tutoring, though, is building relationships with the participants who are full of energy and spirit. When I look back on my time at Abundant Life, it has been hard. But the experience of having all the kids run up to my car upon arrival, full of joy and laughter--and the look on my tutee’s face when she has figured out a hard problem--is reward enough.

Sesame Street, Study, and Sanctification

By Dr. Bill Wilder

Do you remember watching Sesame Street as a child? I’m thinking of those times in the show when, say, a peach, an apple, an orange, and a potato would be pictured side-by-side as someone sang, “One of these is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong. Can you tell me which thing is not like the others, by the time I finish my song?”

That illustration comes to mind, because I’m aware that a rigorous, academic study of the Bible can seem to be as out of place in the spiritual formation of Christians as a potato in a bowl of fruit. This came home to me one day in Nigeria when it came my turn to answer some questions from a man sent out by my missions agency. “What is the nature of your ministry at the seminary?” he asked. “I mainly teach Greek and Hebrew” was my reply. The man was incredulous. “You teach Greek and Hebrew to students planning to be pastors in the bush?” It was clear that he considered such education an immense waste of time. Alongside practical courses like preaching and evangelism and counseling, Greek and Hebrew were a set of courses that just didn’t belong.

I can well imagine a similar response to the requirement in the Trinity Fellows Program to take and pass challenging academic courses in the Bible. Compared with one-on-one mentoring, working through relational issues, direct involvement in ministry or missions, studying theology may simply represent an unwelcome intrusion into the wounding and wonderful labor of building relationships. “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things just doesn’t belong.” Or so it certainly seems.

The first thing to be said, of course, is that such detractors may be right. It is perfectly possible for the study of Scripture to be “out of place”—for such study to lead to the neglect of other obligations in the Christian life. But then again, such disordering is possible for any good gift of God. We may indeed honor study (of theology or anything else) more than we should; I am guilty of it myself. Yet we may also love our friends or our children or our spouses or even our ministry more than we should. Because we are fallen, we tend to love things both more and less than we should. Study of Scripture and theology is not exempt.

So the question isn’t whether it is possible for the rigorous study of Scripture or theology to be misused. Of course, it is. It is no less exempt from our fallenness than, say, our relationships. The question is whether such study, properly used, is necessary for spiritual growth and transformation of God’s people. It seems to me that the answer to that question is yes, for at least two reasons. The first has to do with our growth in understanding of the truth. The second has to do with the role of that understanding in our sanctification. Let’s take these in turn.

First, study of Scripture is necessary because of our distance from the times and places in which God’s Word was first revealed. Put provocatively, we have to study (which may include taking courses) to even begin to approach the level of an ancient Near Eastern or first-century Palestinian peasant. Those things they took for granted—language, cultural conventions, genres, customs peculiar to their cultures—are foreign to us and so must be studied and learned with some effort on our parts.

Indeed, I am quite certain that the missions representative would have affirmed the need for diligent study with respect to understanding the particular people group (the Yoruba) to which we were called. It is commonplace in missions these days to claim that one cannot hope to understand a given people group without a knowledge of their heart language and an appreciation for their cultures, their customs, their stories, their history.

And yet, if this is true (as I think it is), then is it not also true that a deep understanding of Scripture cannot come without the same commitment to the particular times and places (languages, cultures, customs) in which it was revealed? True understanding of anything (people groups, friends, husbands, wives, children, and, yes, the Word of God itself) requires careful attention, even study. Since God has chosen to reveal himself in particular times, places, cultures, and languages, we must attend to the particularities of that revelation in order to understand and know him better.

This leads me to my second point. Study of the Bible is also necessary because of our distance from God’s truth in our fallen minds and hearts. Or, put more positively, study is necessary because the transformation God intends for us is comprehensive: it includes our minds as well as our hearts and actions. If every part of us has been affected by the Fall, every part of us (mind, hearts, bodies) is included within God’s redemptive purposes for creation in the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

This total transformation is ultimately a work of the Spirit, of course, but it is not without its struggle on our parts. We are tempted to do the wrong things (actions), to succumb to our feelings and inclinations of the moment (affections and will), to accept a version of reality that denies God’s truth in some way (minds). Sanctification thus involves a transformation of all these aspects of our being (mind included).

Indeed, there’s very little hope of transformation in these other areas apart from a transformed understanding of the world through sustained study of God’s truth. If the substance of Christian obedience comes down to love—of God, fellow human beings, and his world—in both our affections and actions, it is also true that Christian love cannot be divorced from the truth: love is, among other things, “rejoicing in the truth” (1 Cor 13).

Why study then? Because we are created, time-and-space-bound beings who must be alert to the very particular times and places, languages and cultural forms in which God has revealed himself and his truth. Because we’re fallen beings who are being redeemed—not without struggle—in our minds as well as our wills, affections, bodies, world. Because such study is therefore not out of place in a faithful Christian community. It is rather one more appointed means of grace which God deigns to use in his gracious work of transformation in our lives. Diligent study belongs to our vocation as Christians as surely as all that we are belongs to Him. Now that’s worth singing about.

Dr. Bill Wilder is current Director of Educational Ministries at the Center for Christian Study in Charlottesville, Virginia. Besides regularly teaching on a host of Biblically centered and theologically driven classes throughout the year, he is also intimately involved with the education of the Trinity Fellows. Among several things, Dr. Wilder yearns to see a resurgence of "worshipping God with your mind" within the Millenial Generation. You can read more about his work and life here.

Dream Big...Life is Not a Dress Rehearsal

By Peter Moore, D.D.

The Fellows Initiative has been diligently working to spread the idea of the fellows program to other churches. In the next year, our programs will double and hopefully the development of leaders who think deeply about their vocation, faith, and culture will follow. Trinity Fellows, and other friends of the program the one thing I want to say to you -- and I actually know a couple of you reasonably well -- is that you should dream great dreams. That's one of the results of Pentecost, that "their young men will see visions, and your sons and daughters will prophesy." (Acts. 2:17,18)

To me this has always been a challenge to think about what I could do in life that others couldn't. What unique contribution might I make to the world that would leave it better, and more ready for the Kingdom that is here and coming? It's led me in many strange directions, and I've started more organizations and movements than I probably should. But, the adventure of seeking where the Spirit is leading next has been exciting, and has caused me to have a better understanding of what I could do (and what I shouldn't do, too) than any other single thought. So, go ahead, and dream. Where would you like to be in 10 years? What would you like to accomplish with your life? These things ought to keep you awake at night -- at least for a while.

Peter Moore is the founder and current executive director of FOCUS, an organization devoted to seeing private school students and families come to know the grace of Christ. Peter desires for young people to think about the really big questions: God, life, death, suffering, hope, and relationships. Dr. Moore also serves on the board of the Fellows Initiative and is the former President of the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Pennsylvania.