Antioch has been able to play a small part in the Habitat build for our friend Robyn Cooper.  She is a great lady, a good mom and a faithful employee for Habitat for Humanity.

On August 20 her house will be officially complete and ready for dedication.  I really encourage you to come out and be a part.  If you didn’t get a chance to help on the build, you can still help with the move. If you have a truck or a trailer or two arms you are qualified to help!  Check it out!

This project begins this Friday, July 30th to next Friday, August 6th.

The next project begins on August 7th. American Clay has donated all of the clay texturing for the house! Mark your calendars to join in on this project and help complete a beautiful new home for Robin and Carley.

Today, I have found out that my outfit is almost entirely made in China. It is bizarre to think that everything that I currently have on comes from a country that I have never visited and that I don’t think about on a regular basis. We are accidentally global. We know our clothes are made in different countries and that our food is imported, but we don’t have the time to think about it. Let’s face it, if I wasn’t doing this project I wouldn’t have time to research the companies and countries my clothing and food come from.

It has been 3 days so far and I have found myself neck-high in trade policy documents, phone calls to Urban Outfitters’ headquarters, sifting through websites, and inquiring local businesses about where their products come from. You would think this question wouldn’t be so hard to answer: Where does this come from? Many people are skeptical of my motives and I get the feeling that they think I am trying to dig up dirt on their company, which I am not. Right now I just want to know how connected I am to the world via the things I consume.

So far my ties reach to greater Oregon, Ecuador, California, Texas, Washington, China, India, Jordan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and to the unknown.

The unknown is what I am getting at. The unknown is what keeps tapping on my shoulder and asking me how my daily choices affect the world in which I am accidentally connected. The unknown makes me wonder about the people in China who made my clothing today. Most of all, the unknown makes me want to know. That is where I will start.

To do justice or evangelism…that is the question.  As a seasoned Bible school student, I have set alarms in my mind when the words “social justice” enter a conversation about missions.  I have learned that preaching the gospel is the most important task of any Christian.  I have been taught that social justice is a cheapened attempt at true spiritual transformation. There are even terms coined for the various camps that form around  this issue.  Since coming to Antioch my alarms have been ringing and I have been forced to define my philosophy of missions and what that has to do with preaching the gospel and justice.

So here I am, with a growing passion for justice in one hand, and a love for the gospel in the other.  I wonder if they can merge, marry, fuse, join forces.  I wonder if it is wrong to desire redemption for the physical and spiritual realms.  I am afraid of undercutting the power of the gospel in my attempts at bringing about justice here and now in the small ways that I can.  All I know to do is look at Jesus; he preached the gospel, and he healed sickness.  Why then do I feel so wary when Jesus himself saw value in redeeming the spiritual and physical?  I believe it comes down to the fact that I do not want to be accused of doing one and not the other, or doing one more than the other.  I do not want to give opportunity for  people to put me in a camp–a propagator of the watery “social gospel”, or a Bible-thumper who walks by a brother in need.

The problem with polarizing on this issue is that humans are physical and spiritual.  We are people who have daily needs: to eat, sleep, breathe, and find shelter.  Underneath these basic needs are the spiritual needs: a sense of purpose, a need to worship, a need for fulfillment.  Jesus came to usher in the kingdom of God and beckon his people to worship him–to redeem the roots of humanity that have been ripped out by sin, to replant them in the soil as they were meant to be.  The other truth in this redemption is that it is a total renovation.  People are made in the image of God, and thus of utmost importance to him, but we cannot forget the earth that is aching for renewal.

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.  And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:22-25)

So we hope, and we wait.  In this time I have been forced to reset my alarms and  recognize that estranging one another and polarizing abandons unity in missions.  I believe that if we find Christians who are bringing justice and failing to preach the gospel in love, we should come alongside.  If we see brothers and sisters preaching the gospel and abandoning physical needs, come alongside.  I propose that we hold these two sides in tension–that we pray to be people of word and action.  That we be people with the gospel on our minds, and compassion in our hands.  This sounds like the church to me.  This sounds like missions to me.

Last month we were blessed to hear some great ideas about adoption ministries from Glen Litwiller. His daughter, Stephanie, joined us to share her heart about adoption and why adoption is important for Christians to care about. Check out this video from our discussion!

adoption. from Marianne Bach on Vimeo.

Justice Confrence Promo from The Justice Conference on Vimeo.

No Newness Yet

You are the God who makes all things new.
We gladly raise our voices and move our lips
to acknowledge, celebrate, and proclaim
your staggering newness.
As we do so, we hold in our hearts
deep awareness of all the places where your newness
is not visible, and
has not come.
Our hearts link to many places of wretchedness
short of your newness.
We picture our folks at home,
sick, in pain, disabled, paralyzed
and no newness yet.
We know up close the deep wretchedness
of poverty, of homelessness, of hunger
and no newness yet.
Move our hearts closer to the passion of our lips.
Move our lips closer to your own newness.
Work your newness in hidden, cunning ways among us.
Move us closer to your bodied newness in Jesus,
newness of strength come in weakness,
newness of wisdom come in foolishness.
Draw us from the wretchedness we know
to his scarred, bloody wretchedness
that is your odd entry of newness into our life.
We pray in the name of his suffering newness. Amen.

-Walter Brueggemann

Truth can’t be found, unless sought after. As Antioch seeks to live missionally and to encourage others to do the same, we seek truth in the way we do missions. One way in which Antioch supports missional living is through impactful short-term missions. To ensure the greatest impact we seek truth within David A. Livermore’s book; “Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence.” Over the next couple weeks we will be taking a look at what it takes to live in this missional approach.

Livermore believes, “Widening our perspective on the world in which we live should be an ongoing process for all of us.” What’s going on in this world we are all a part of, and where do we fit in? The truth of this world is devastating and eye opening, but necessary in venturing into short-tem missions.

Here’s the truth: Every second four babies are born adding to the worlds 6.5 billion people. Many Americans find it difficult to survive financially, living pay check to pay check; while 20% of the world lives on less than a dollar a day. 40% of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars. In perspective Americans make up 5% of the world’s population yet we consume 50% of the world’s resources. In the mean time, due to lack of resources 30,000 people will die today from preventable diseases on top of that every 16 seconds a child will die from hunger.

These facts presented are overwhelming and are difficult for us to swallow. In our society, our nightly news doesn’t give a glimpse of the reality of the global issues which grasps the world. This is why it requires extra effort on our part, to open our eyes and broaden our horizons. Every second four children are born; adding to the population where the majority is poor, young, sick, displaced, and taken advantage of. This is the world that we not only live in, but we are a part of.

In a world of unequally distributed resources this hopefully will give some food for thought.

______________________

My name is Janna and I am currently with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Salem, Oregon.  I have been in schooling for three months. I have been prepping for the mission field, and getting closer in my relationship with God. The days are getting closer and half of my team is leaving for Asia (Thailand and India) on Thursday, June 17, and my team is going to Africa (Uganda and Kenya) on Wednesday, June 16. There are sixteen of us in this school which is called Engage DTS (Discipleship Training School).

Our focus is Injustice. As for my team that is going to Africa, our first two weeks in Kampala, Uganda, we will be working in a pregnant team home. We are the first team to come and help them, so they are very excited to see us! We will be building tables, chairs and benches, and also giving some of the girls spiritual guidance! The next place we are helping is the Sanyu babies home. This is an orphanage that takes care of newborn infants to about two years old who have been left on the streets of Kampala. Our joy to being there is changing diapers!

The last place we will be visiting in Uganda is Jesus Village. This is an ex-child soldier home; mostly boys as young as eight years old who have been soldiers. We are there to give them love, support and encouragement. We plan to take them to the pool and play lots of soccer! (Futbol as they say it! haha!) As we will be living in both Uganda and Kenya, we will be doing sermons in their churches and giving our own testimonies! We will be spending most of our time in Uganda, but in the beginning of August we will be headed to Kenya (by bus). There, we don’t have too many ministries so that is kind of open to anything we can find when we get there! We know God will open many doors, but most of all in churches!

So as of right now, I am packing up my dorm and packing to live out of a backpack for two and a half months! We can’t wait to head out on Wednesday! I am SO excited to be doing God’s work! I cannot wait to take pictures of this beautiful and amazing country and to get to know many people! I will update as much as possible!

- Janna Caba

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Keep checking back for updates on Janna!