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Caring for the Most Vulnerable

by KATIE HARMON-McLAUGHLIN

How do we measure our depth of responsiveness to the cause of Zion, the peaceable kingdom? The scriptures tell us that we need to be especially aware of the condition of the most vulnerable in our midst: the aged, the young, the sick, the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. How are they doing? Are they experiencing well-being? Do they have full opportunity to become who God created them to be, which is the heart of justice? Are they unfairly hindered by the attitudes and actions of others who have a more secure or powerful place in society? Do they live in conditions of poverty and disease that cause them fear and suffering?
—Stephen M. Veazey, “Share the Peace of Jesus Christ,” 2005 World Conference Address

When caring for the most vulnerable, congregations enter the sacred reality of others. Caring for the vulnerable can be intimidating and may produce feelings of awkwardness and inadequacy. No amount of training can adequately prepare a congregation for the real and raw ministry of caring for the most vulnerable. Yet, it is this important ministry that is at the heart of our Christian faith.

Stating doctrines inside the Church will not liberate unless the Church gets out into the streets, heals the sick and confronts the unjust. The Church is in the world that God loved…for the well-being of the world. The Church does well to see where God is at work and to promote those salvific acts. —Mercy Amba Oduyoye,Introducing African Women’s Theology, (Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim Press, 2001) 89.

Four Steps for Congregational Leaders
in Caring for the Most Vulnerable

Step One: Awareness—Who are the vulnerable?

The vulnerable are the aged, the young, the sick, the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. The vulnerable are families who are wondering how they will afford groceries and other daily necessities. The vulnerable are people encountered every day; a checker in the grocery store or a server at a restaurant. To care for the most vulnerable is to pay attention in the details of daily life and to begin asking questions. Are people getting paid fair wages and affordable health benefits for their work? Are people treated with dignity and respect in the workplace? Are the children safe? Do people have full opportunity to become who God created them to be?

The only way to truly find the answers to these questions is by engaging in relationships with the people in our shared communities. Surveys and statistics highlight some of the need, but congregations can only learn about who the vulnerable are by talking with them.

(See “Walking the Neighborhood” in the practices section following this article.)

Caring for the vulnerable often requires the congregation to address difficult issues not only in society, but within themselves. There is a common tendency in congregational life of overgeneralizing justice issues to avoid complexity and discomfort. Congregational leaders can help congregations peel back the multiple layers of bias within themselves to get to the heart of the matter where God calls them to be.

Creating awareness is the first step toward moving beyond complacency to intentional acts of compassion. Congregational leaders are called to lead the way in revealing the faces and stories of those who are often forgotten in congregations and neighborhoods.

Questions for Pastors and Leaders:

• Who are the people in our own congregation and community who are suffering? Does everyone have enough to experience well-being?
• Are the aged in the congregation and community receiving proper care, surviving financially in retirement, and being supported emotionally?
• Is anyone visiting the sick, preparing them meals, or supporting their families?
• How are our children doing? Do they feel like valued, loved, significant members of the congregation?

(See “Holding in the Light” and “Justice in the Bible” in the practices section following this article.)

Step Two: Discipleship—How do our daily choices affect the most vulnerable?

One of the greatest myths of our time is that religion, society, and politics need to remain totally separate. One cannot read far in the Bible without the profound realization that God has called people throughout history to be engaged in their societies (socially and politically) for the sake of God’s kingdom in this world.

When Moses saw the glory of God in the flaming bush and learned the ineffable name of the Eternal, it was not the salvation of Moses which was in question but the salvation of his people from the bondage of Egypt. —Benjamin E Mays (ed.), A Gospel for the Social Awakening: Selections from the Writings of Walter Rauschenbusch
(New York: Association Press, 1950) 109.

How do we go about freeing the vulnerable here and now from bondage? The “Egypts” of our time are not always as clear. In April 2011, President Veazey shared with us that to care for the vulnerable is not enough, we must also work to free people from “unfair or crushing conditions” by addressing “the root causes of poverty, hunger, discrimination, and conflict.”

Discipleship is a daily lifestyle choice. Although the mission initiative to Abolish Poverty, End Suffering can seem overwhelming, the work begins in the details of our lives. Leaders of congregations are called to model lives of faith and integrity. This is the most powerful witness and effective tool for leading others in mission. Many in congregations will not immediately connect caring for the vulnerable and living their discipleship. Raising awareness provides critical educational opportunities for the congregation to learn about how their choices affect others, and why this is a matter of faith. This is not about evoking guilt, but practicing Christian confession in a way that leads to awareness, restoration, and healing for the brokenness between one another and God.

Questions for Pastors and Leaders:

• In what ways are we benefiting from and contributing to current systems that oppress and marginalize?
• Have we taken the time to know how and where our clothes, food, and other necessities were made? Do we consider the impact of the products we use daily on the environment and the poor?
• Do we vote on public policy in line with our Christian values and ethics, with the most vulnerable in mind?
• Do we give generously out of our true capacity or live more in tune with the lure of consumerism?

Step Three: Listen and Act

Congregational leaders must listen thoroughly to the issues in their community to discern how to confront the unjust systems and structures in which those communities may be rooted. Listening thoroughly means being open to all sides of difficult issues with a constant bias for the most vulnerable. To care for the most vulnerable, congregations must listen thoroughly, and then actively participate in God’s movement toward justice and reconciliation.

Christians must avoid the tendency to demonize those who uphold unjust laws and systems. Appealing to a person’s goodness out of love and genuine concern opens the potential for authentic healing to occur. Yet, Christians are also called to stand and speak for and with the most vulnerable in ways that may be uncomfortable and controversial.

Questions for Pastors and Leaders:

• What issues in our community are calling for our prayerful response?
• How well is the congregation listening, individually and collectively, to the issues affecting the most vulnerable in our community?

(See “Praying the News” in the practices section following this article.)

We must give ourselves to the task of bringing about God’s peaceable kingdom, wherever we are, in whatever we do. There is no one in need within earshot of our hearts whom we may ignore—because in each of them is the living plea that we do the will of God. —Joan Chittister, The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life, (Katonah, NY: BlueBridge, 2011)

Step Four: Aligning Congregational Gifts with Community Needs

Congregational leaders can help congregations discover how their gifts best align with the needs in their community. Remember, needs are only truly realized through growing in relationship with the people in the community. There is no specific model to follow. Think creatively and experimentally!

Pastors and leaders may need to help the congregation realize that congregational gifts may be quite simple, though profound. For instance, my congregation shares a parking lot with a children’s hospital. We have discovered that there was need for a place where families visiting the hospital could simply come, relax, and pray. They needed hospitality.

The congregation responded quickly by scheduling volunteers who would sit at the church during the week with the door wide open. We set up stations in the sanctuary for people to engage in spiritual practice and prayer. It was simple and easy. It gave our retired congregation members something to do during the week that utilized their gifts and met their desire to serve. People from our community, whether they wanted to pray or not, began wandering in through the open door.

Through this experience, we learned that as we care for the most vulnerable, our practice of hospitality is key. Even simple decisions, such as leaving the church doors open, can change a community’s perception of a congregation’s desire to serve.

Pastors and leaders may want to also read the article “Orienting Mission around the Gifts of All Ages” in this field guide.

Questions for Pastors and Leaders:

• What does our physical presence say about our desire to care for the most vulnerable? Is our building an inviting, inclusive space?
• How do the gifts of the congregation align with the needs of the community?

Truly caring for the most vulnerable will require us to ask significant questions about ourselves and our communities. Wise pastors and leaders are willing to engage such questions.

Please take a moment and review the questions under each step in this article. You may choose to ponder them by yourself, but they may be most powerful when discussed as a leadership team or congregation.

The practices following this article will also be helpful.

		Walking the Neighborhood
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OBJECTIVE
To learn to listen and pay attention to what is happening in the lives of people in your community in a familiar setting. Additionally, it is an opportunity to discern ways you and your congregation can respond to the needs and opportunities where God is moving in your neighborhood.

Many times people in the neighborhood watch us come and go to our church facility. Often there is very little conversation with those in the neighborhood but God is moving in their lives and we are being invited to connect with where God is moving.

The foundation for this practice is one of our enduring principles—the Worth of All Persons. We engage with people because we are called to be in relationship with others and discover the blessings of relationships and community. This is not about engaging in relationships with a motive other than connecting with other people and being open to what God is up to in the midst of these relationships.

PROCESS
Take a family member or go with a friend and begin walking in your home neighborhood or in the neighborhood around your church facility. As you walk, pray about each home and the blessing of God in the lives of the people who live there. Also, if people are out in their yards or on their porches, greet them and wish them a good day.

As you become a regular presence in the neighborhood, begin to have conversations with the neighbors. As you walk through your chosen neighborhood, ask God to lead you to the people with whom God wants you to share in conversation. Listen for where God is moving in their lives. Consider offering the following prayer as you walk in the neighborhood: “God, who’s out there that you want me to trade stories with? I need to listen to their stories and they need to hear mine. God, bring me together with the people you would like for me to be in a witnessing relationship with. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Be creative by taking some cookies to offer to people on your walk, or some freshly picked vegetables—anything you can offer them as a way of sharing God’s love in a practical way. Listen for what God is doing in their lives or what their experiences have been in their individual walks of faith. In between walks share with your partner in prayer and conversation about the people you meet and where God may be leading you in mission.

Now… “step out” in faith!

Process Tip: Read Doctrine and Covenants 161:3, 4.

		Holding in the Light
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OBJECTIVE
To help raise awareness of individuals, their needs, and their desires.

PROCESS
This practice originates in the Quaker tradition and can be done individually or in a group setting. It has been adapted here for use in local congregations.

Write or type everyone’s names in the congregation on a sheet of paper. You could also use a congregational directory. Read each name aloud and spend a few moments in awareness of that person, their needs and desires. Hold them in God’s love and light. In a group setting, you can divide up the names so that each person has a section of the congregation that they are specifically praying for.

Use this as an intentional opportunity to grow in awareness of each member of the congregation.

		Justice in the Bible
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OBJECTIVE
To raise awareness of justice and peace in our scriptural tradition.

PROCESS
Each week, select a different scripture from the Poverty and Justice Bible (CEV) published by the American Bible Society to share with your congregation. As a community, decide how that scripture calls you to respond to current needs in your own community. People can do this in a worship setting or individually throughout the week. Create a space to share together in thoughts about the chosen scripture.   

This practice will help raise awareness of the importance of justice and peace in our scriptural tradition and why it needs to be an active, living part of our Christian faith.

		Praying the News
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OBJECTIVE
To help make community conditions and happenings an integral part of congregational spiritual practice.

PROCESS
For this practice, make sure that you are getting your news from a number of different sources so that you can try to get the whole story. Search through your local newspaper, websites, or television stations to hear what things are happening in your community. As you take in what is happening in your local community, pray over the people and situations. Ask God to help you discern where and how God may be calling you and your congregation to get involved.