Unchurched Friend Interview #1

This friend, Tracy(not really, but we're calling her that), said that she feels dirty here. She feels we need to clean up, and realize that cleanliness is important. Also, trying to come up with stuff to say, I believe, she said that we need stricter driving enforcement, because she's seen to many careless drivers. Although that isn't too specific, she tried. I don't think Tracy knew what to say on that one. She did start to get a little more talkative when I asked her about attending church. She said she hasn't since maybe 6th grade, although her mom still goes. Tracy is a very decidedly spoken person, and one thing she's decided is that church is boring. She says animal rights and such things are her most interested fields. She acts as a bit of a tree hugger, with her music and interests, but she's not yelling at anyone trying to change a food chain, yet (that was a joke). Tracy thinks that people don't usually go to church because they don't like it when they go, don't enjoy it, that and the thought of church being a hassle. Most people think that church is a waste of their time, to her. She says she might go to church if she found a laid back, soft-drink allowing church. She says she's gotten in trouble for having drinks in the sanctuary before, and that seemed really pretentious to her, that you couldn't have anything like a soda in service. If she was to give advice to pastors who really want to be helpful to people, she would say to stay "chill" and be a little more calm about church. Tracy wants her pastor to know that she won't always be there, and that shouldn't be reprimanded, but it should be praised when she is there, I believe she feels like churches is one big put-down machine that makes you feel bad about your life, just like many others. The pastor she would want can't attack you if you're late, or anything of that sort, either. Tracy wants a calm, collect, and pleasant church to attend, but I'm not sure that she believes that's even possible. Tracy is a fantastic person that I love to be around, but I think he ideas of church are a bit stereotypical, just like everyone's who hasn't been a part of what their talking about.

Chaplain Will Olsen

http://lukesmcb.blogspot.com/

(Luke's ministry class blog)

Chaplain Will Olsen was in our class on Thursday telling us about his ministry. He has worked 5 years in the Adams County Adult Correctional Complex, but he is paid by Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. I think that he is a prime example of what is possible if you want it. He decided he would minister in prisons, and that's what he did. He went and got the sponsorships and got to work. He had some amazing stories about what his work has done. One person, who he called Adam, had long hair, tattoos, piercings, and he used to worship Satan. This man would've committed that day if he hadn't met with Chaplain Will. Another prisoner, a woman, had Demons in her cell, he prayed and anointed her cell, prayed some more, and then God gave him an answer, ask her for repentance and renouncement of her sins. She did this, he said it took a while for her to go through them all, but she did it. He later got a report that said she was talking to her inmates about Jesus.

Will also passes out literature for the inmates to read, such as bibles, religious books, writings, etc. Sadly, he also has to pass out Korans if an inmate asks for it. Will says it's better than them not asking for anything, because he now has a relationship with that person he had to give the book to. I think that shows great maturity and strength to be able to look at that positively, and it's something I really would want to have in my future ministries. That and his courage to talk to these men who have done terrible things, and then his ability to let God turn the prisoners lives around.

I think his main challenge is budget working, just like many of today's leaders. I believe he works pretty well at it, though. He does banquets and things, and the rest comes from churches willing to fund the great things he's doing. Another challenge, not surprisingly, is that some inmates try to "do the christian show" to act like their doing well, and possibly get out early. He, like me especially, and all of us, needs to pray and get clarity from God, which is my biggest concern. To know who is real around us is a big deal, and I think Chaplain Will does a pretty good job, and I hope he keeps doing it.

First class response.

This class, we had a very exited, interesting, and very "Honest Abe" seeming and looking man come in for our discussion/interview time. His name is John Wega, and he is the re-founder of the United States Christian Commission (USCC). John is hosting a variety of amazing outreaches in the Gettysburg area, and doing this with his own money, family, and time.

He rents a small outdoors place in Gettysburg, which has a wooden frame with a realistic feel for the civil war. They built the frame with accounts of civil war soldiers describing the chapels that they helped build. The chapel is used for services every week, often with 50 - 80 people; however, they only have a dozen or less regulars. People will often come and sit down off the sidewalk, attracted to the history, and get a service while sitting there!

John (his family, and a few backers) also has use of the house in which the famous Jennie Wade grew up. This attracts those who are interested in the civil war to become interested in what God did in that time. John shows what the USCC did when the civil war was in Gettysburg, as well as other parts of the country. The USCC was a huge force of God, being used to witness to dying soldiers on the battlefield and in hospitals. Men would be saved the week, night, and even minutes before they died.

The group also does living histories. They recently made an entire village that would be very accurate to civil war times. The park service now asks John to do services in the park, because he has proven to them that the USCC was so forcefully present in this time. This gives him the freedom to pass out whatever he wants, such as bibles, texts, etc., and for people to take them and accept them as history.

He pays for his outreaches with money from his own job selling supplies to pharmaceutical companies. While there are churches backing him, it is with the greatest limit - usually 25-100 dollars a month, and the bulk of the cost (thousands of dollars), comes from his own pocket.

As you can tell, this ministry has tons of outreaches, and many were not listed here that were given. The "win" for him, it seems, would be to get people thinking about Christ, and how much Christians, with God's help, have done and how much God loves his kids.