The Neighborhood and the Nations

“It went from a whisper to being in stereo that you have a responsibility to these people,” he says. “While there is poverty in America, there are homeless shelters. There are programs. In countries like Ethiopia and Rwanda, not only is there extreme poverty, but there isn’t even any infrastructure. For the homeless in America, you can sit outside a McDonald’s and panhandle, stand at a stoplight. There are many people who find means in that way. So I think, from that perspective, God calls us to marry the mission of both/and, not either/or.”

Jenkins quickly points out that not everyone is capable of jumping into the global mission at the same level, but it’s important to start somewhere. Jenkins believes we shouldn’t necessarily forego paying our electric bill to pay someone else’s—we have responsibilities that need to be met—but we shouldn’t turn away from the needs of the world just because we have fewer resources, either.

“You can only give out of what you have,” Jenkins says. “So I would say to a pastor who has a congregation who’s not there, you have to start where you are and maybe consider partnering with somebody who does have the capacity and, in some respects, do what you can. Maybe it’s a prayer campaign. Maybe it’s sending clothing, as we’ve done. Maybe it’s collecting Tylenol. There are more things you can do than send money, and I think that sometimes the need can vary in different communities, from Rwanda to Chicago. Figure out a way to do what you can.”

Steve Tomlinson, senior pastor of Shelter Rock Church in Manhasset and Syosset, N.Y., on Long Island, has a unique take on the issue of global activism, one that tips global-heavy even in the context of local tragedies.

“The American church has vast wealth compared to most of the church in the world, and with wealth comes great responsibility. I think Americans, by and large, are a generous people, but they tend to be more generous with what they see in front of them,” Tomlinson says. “For example, in New York we recently suffered through Hurricane Sandy, and when we first had our World Vision promotion, we had push back, people saying, ‘There are people who are not in their homes because of the hurricane … why would we send any money overseas?’ But I heard an interesting quote from somebody from the Global South who was visiting during Hurricane Sandy, and he said, ‘It is my prayer that the people of New York will see how we live 24/7/365 and reach a conclusion that some of their resources should come to help the Global South.’ I thought he was right on. It is true that we need to care for those in our backyard, but the needs of the underresourced countries are so vast, and no one in New York in Hurricane Sandy suffered remotely what people live like on a regular basis in certain places, like parts of Rwanda.”

Tomlinson says if you read the Prophets, the injunction for caring for the widow, the orphan and those in need seems pretty clear, and it is not a stretch to realize that in a world in which our resources can globally extend, the responsibility extends with them.

The global outreach focus of Shelter Rock has done something interesting and surprising: It’s increased the church’s local outreach. Tomlinson says that his church is surrounded by a post-Christian culture. In fact, a recent USA Today survey rated Shelter Rock’s region, the Northeast, the most secular area of the country. It even beat out the Northwest. However, even in a post-Christian society, compassion is a wide-open apologetics door. In the liberal mindset of the New York City area, Tomlinson says everyone thinks it’s good and right to help the poor. So they may be leery of evangelicals, but every time they watch the church do something in a humanitarian way, they see the power Christ in action.         

“I think, as an evangelical pastor, it advances the cause of the gospel on a local level by advancing the cause of compassion on an international level,” says Tomlinson.

Brian Orme
Brian Ormewww.brianorme.com

Brian is the editor of Outreach magazine, ChurchLeaders.com, and SermonCentral.com. He works with creative and innovative people to discover the best resources, trends and practices to equip the church to lead better every day. He lives in Ohio with his wife, Jenna, and their four boys.

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