Wednesday, 06 August 2008
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Minister Dresses Up as a Homeless Man...Churchgoers Ignore Him
from pass_the_aura
There are teachable moments.... and then there are Teachable Moments. This utter gem of a story appeared in The Telegraph a few weeks ago (link here).
Church minister shames congregation by dressing as tramp
Churchgoers were left shamed after they ignored a tramp who turned out to be their minister in disguise
By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent
The Rev Derek Rigby sat in the porch to his church as the congregation arrived for a Sunday service, hidden beneath a wig and scruffy clothes.
He then settled on a pew in the church surrounded by syringes and began drinking from a can of beer.
But none of the worshippers at the Trinity Methodist Church in Prestatyn, North Wales, spoke to him or offered him any help.
The 51-year-old then took off his wig to reveal his true identity, before delivering a sermon based on the failure of the disciples to recognise Jesus Christ on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection.
Rev Rigby said: "It was interesting to see the reaction from people - I was totally ignored.
"It showed that we don't recognise God at work and in each other."Rev Rigby, who was a police officer for 15 years before being ordained 20 years ago, has tricked congregations in the same way at his previous parishes in London and Newport, South Wales.
He said: "In other places I was given as much as £4.50, a packet of biscuits and a blanket - but in Prestatyn I got nothing.
"I told the congregation they are a stingy lot.
"Everyone was amazed and later complimented me on my acting skill, though some said I had made them feel terrible."
Describing how he avoided detection, he said: "I didn't shave for three days, made my hands and face dirty and drew on tattoos.
"I bought some scruffy clothes at a charity shop, ripped the trousers, and put on a straggly wig and thick, broken glasses.
"I then splashed lager over my clothes so I was stinking.
"I looked in the mirror before the service and I didn't recognise myself."
Chuchgoer John Sproston was one of the first to arrive at the service to see the "tramp" on the doorstep.
He said: "We were all aghast when he took off his wig because he was very convincing."
* * *
For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
--James 2:2-4How would you react if this happened at YOUR church?
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Comments (93)
@bittersunday@xanga - I have seen this lesson used in several settings with the same result in affluent churches across the board.
I quit wearing suits two years ago and wear jeans or casual slacks and open collar shirts so that Iwould be approachable and you know it has made worship different, a very good different.
If I cant identify with the man on the street, what good am I in the Kingdom?
The needles strewn about were a bit much, though.
@Sir_Bissel@xanga - that would have pulled the covers for me. Most wouldnt have been drinking a beer in church out of a can either, a flask maybe, but the point is the same.
It would open my eyes to where are hearts really are. I think the result would be sad. I myself would find it kinda strange because the location of my church (it's outside of city limits) and it's not on one of those roads that you'd find homeless people. But like I said earlier I think the result would be sad. I think many...even the pastor's wife would walk past like she didn't see him. It's the honest sad truth. I think even I would just walk past. I'd probably smile and say a prayer like "Lord have mercy on him" and leave it at that. It's not right but I'm just being honest.
@Nikolais_apprentice@xanga - My church, we actually actively seek the homeless. We have a ministry that goes to the parks and picks people up to bring to worship with us. And for those who don't want to come worship with us on Sunday, we take volunteers to the parks to hold worship service there on other days.
I believe this is what the church should do -- be MISSIONAL. Go forth, be missio, apostolos.
Our church service is dialogical in nature also, so during dialogue discussing the sermon, our homeless brothers and sisters offer a very unique view on the Word in context of their lives. There are things you would never see in the Bible if you didn't see it through the eyes of someone who is homeless and otherwise abandoned by the world.
@the_last_kiss@datingish -
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga - I'm just saying, even though that pastor did the right thing, notice that the vast majority of the congregation WALKED by the man without stopping.
If 99+% of Christians act like this, and 1% act like the pastor, then of course people are going to have a poor view of Christianity in general. And when they meet that 1%, even if these people claim that Jesus is what made them so happy/good/whatever, non-Christians are just going to think they are the anomaly (or the statistically probable nice guys who happened to be Christian).
If you truly want people to believe that Christianity makes life here on Earth better, and if you truly want "Christian" to be viewed as a positive thing, then the first place you can start is by turning around the behaviour of the vast majority of Christians who at best fail to act kindly, and at worst do horrible things. Your sarcastic comment, while not at all bothering to me, wasn't exactly a good place to set off from.
i think i would have not approached him either if he had used syringes.
@la_faerie_joyeuse@xanga - Actually, I completely agree. And I apologize if my sarcasm caused offense. (One point of the Christian message is that we're all sinful, and I can be a great example of that!
)
Of course, if one's point of reference is the life of Jesus, rather than the behavior of his followers, then the 1% is the norm and the 99% is the anomaly. Like in music--it's easier to find fifty self-styled pianists who can sloppily plunk out "Heart and Soul" than one who can flawlessly play a Chopin etude, but only the one qualifies as a real pianist. The others are trying, and may eventually get there with enough practice.
@NightlyDreams@xanga - As a former EMT I can tell you that needle exposure is practically harmless. Transmission can occur, but is unlikely unless there is repeated exposure to an infected individual.
Used hypodermic needles are conceptually a modern form of leprosy (which, when you think about it, might be exactly why the pastor in question chose to use them).
@Pass_the_Aura@xanga - Fair enough. Thanks for clarifying.
personally, i feel that i would ignore someone like that more so because i am paranoid about dangerous people in society today. with random acts of violence these days, i sometimes ask God whether or not we should really help a total stranger or try to be safe and avoid getting killed. i'm not sure what the right thing to do in this case would be.
At the rescue mission, we do not reason with a person who is intoxicated and ask them to leave. This is important: we need to protect those around who are striving to maintain sobriety. If the person is intoxicated, they are not under control of them self. Talking to them in a loving way and have them leave and come back sober works very often.
However, if the person is only dirty, the Church is required to help. And does.
If the organization does not help the hurting and the homeless, it is NOT the Church.
A brave man, indeed, especially to call his congregation "stingy". I heard about this story some time ago, and it is somewhat sad that he was totally ignored. LORD help us all to have open eyes and ears...
@Pickwick12@xanga - No not all non-Christians will automatically have a poor view of Christians. We tend to have a poor view of Christians who so blatantly follow their negative stereotypes.
THAT PREACHER ROCKS!!! END OF STORY! I was at a church like that once where we had two homeless people come in the door at different occasions. I helped them out by cooking them a meal and giving them cash and then was chastised by members of the church for helping out probable crackheads. Was the biggest load of crap I had ever heard!
I wish my pastor did that! That really shows what kind of person someone truly is in their reaction to something like that.
Gem of a story, indeed!!
Kudos. That's how you recognize real Christians. They GENUINELY care about those others deem as less than or worse than they are.
So many Christians today seem to think deep dowm that it is their own righteousness and works that makes them pleasing to God, rather than Christ's shed blood and very life given for our sins.
"'The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
"'He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'" - Matthew 25:40 & 45.
"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism." -James 2:1.
"Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." - James 2: 5-9.
"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." - James 2:15-17.
Eh, there's a story like this all the time, hardly a new concept. Someone shows up as a homeless, punk, dirty, smelly, whatever, and they try to prove a point to Christians. Either Christians never learn, or this is just a lame example. There are stories, anecdotes, songs and so on, all about being more accepting of people. The truth is, Christianity precludes tolerance and acceptance of people. The church yells, What would Jesus do? and tries go back to the good ol' days and back to the basics and all that, but honestly, being a part of a religion that believes everyone else is wrong (even members of the same religion and other denominations) gives one a sense of being better than others. It's the typical "clique" mentality.
thats the human condition. i am not surprised. being a christian myself. i have seen that first hand. its sad and predictable.
not everyone that claims to be christian will be a true christian.
@SwordAndSacrifice@xanga -
Simply, you stand condemned. Lose your pride and repent.
@la_faerie_joyeuse@xanga -
(i would have posted this in one comment, but i don't know how to reply to two people at once yet. sorry! lol)
As an observer and occasional blogger here, I'm really glad to read comments like yours. They make me smile. lol. we christians should really set the higher standards for ourselves, unlike this Mister SwordandSacrifice. personally, i don't have tolerance for hypocrisy - Christians at my university know it, and it got me removed from the president post at the only christian group on campus. another example of something like what this reverend experienced here.
i've thought seriously about doing something like the reverend in this post. the truth is i know the difference the indwelling person of Jesus Christ makes in lives. .. i've been out of church for basically 3 years now because of schoolwork, and my faithfulness to Jesus Christ has only gotten better because of what he does in and through me when i just let him take the reigns of my life. ... it's beautiful, a touch symbiotic, and really quite lovely. so something like this really makes me sick, especially outright, unapologetic rudeness from somebody who claims to be a believer (again, that's at you SwordandSacrifice, just in case the subtext here isn't clear enough).
I would call the vast majority of Christianity today something different entirely.. call it "christianism," or a lifestyle based loosely around the original lifestyle: Christianity (practically and grammatically, "christ-likeness.")
the original thing, as i find it, has survived somehow (through the 3rd century reforms, catholic/orthodox split, and the protestant reformation) unto today... i count that as a miracle. XD ... and that only from God. there are more Christians who adore and imitate Christ, believing that God sent him and raised him from the dead, than meets the eye, and we're sometimes pretty quirky, especially in this current generation of late teens and 20-somethings. :D
anyway, just thought i'd tell you how much i enjoy your comments. they're a breath of fresh air when i come across them. :)
have a great day! :)
@joshuadmeans - To reply to two different users/comments, simply hit "reply" for the first person you want to address, type in your reply as you usually would, then go up to the other comment and hit "reply" again. If you need to move around the "@xangauser" thing, just copy and paste. Hope that helps.
And thank you, for the well-wishes and the compliments. I do wish you'd be a little easier on SwordandSacrifice - he may be wrong, but he's still a human who honestly holds his beliefs (even the rude and biased ones!). Love and guidance are the way to show him the truth. If you're upset that he's giving Christians a bad name, then gently remind him that Christ wouldn't have spoken those words, and ask him for an apology, to me, to you, or to the other Christians on this board. He's missing out on some of the love, but I think you can show him that through some kind words.
@la_faerie_joyeuse@xanga - hm. :) you're definitely right there. .. yet, though it sounds "churchy", there's a reference that i think he'll get in galatians. long story short, peter was causing division in the church by sitting with the greeks when the jews weren't around, and then sitting with the jews when they got back. albeit perhaps unintentionally, he really hurt some people. ... and i really need to be careful with how i word things. with my voice, i'm a little serious and always very gentle, so i guess i sometimes assume that my voice gets transposed into text. :) so yeah.. meant in gentleness and quietness, but seems loud in text. :). always loving. it's basic to how i speak. my words don't change, just the format. that being said, thanks. i owe him an apology, but he definitely owes you an apology for how he spoke to you. just calling it what it is. so do you have any history with churches? also, i'm assuming you live in the US, too. I haven't looked at your page quite yet.