A Ministry Challenge

Over the past year and a half, since I started Urban Bicycle Food Ministry, I have wondered about its future. I have had good feelings about it all along but I have been blind in regard to its forthcoming. Since I started I have been thinking and praying about things, trying to discern something bigger than simply passing out food and supplies to people on the streets once a week. Naturally, I have some huge ideas. It seems that everybody does. The ideas are, more or less, fun thoughts than anything else. A year ago I had an idea to start shopping around for a bigger location, something that would allow us to reach more people and potentially provide more services. I let that idea slip out of my hands. I have to admit, I was a bit scared. There was a fear of getting away from its original location, my home. At that time I knew the work we were doing was good and I was content with leaving it at that. However, as we ease into this year, I am finding out that was not God’s plan. It may have been my plan: staying comfortable, meeting my friends once a week, and going for a bike ride. But that was not the big picture. God had something else in mind.

I preach a lot about the challenges of being a Christian. There is a challenge always waiting for the Christ follower. Whether we choose to accept the challenge or not, we are loved unconditionally. If we don’t accept, one of two things will happen. One: another challenge will appear. Two: we will become restless. We won’t be able to sleep, nothing will feel right, and it will seem like something is always missing. Have you ever experienced cabin fever? I’m not talking about the 2002 film by Eli Roth. I’m referring to the feeling when you want to get out of the house and do something so bad but you feel trapped? It will feel a lot like that. Not really, but almost. Now, if we do accept the challenge one of two totally different things will happen. One: you will feel a sort of spiritual director, especially when you start to lose confidence. Two: you will face weaknesses. A challenge is an obstacle. Any athlete will tell you that once you overcome an obstacle you become stronger. Accepting these challenges and overcoming these obstacles allows the Christian to become stronger in spirit and ultimately closer to God. 

So, I became restless. I lost sleep. I became irritable, yes I became irritable and yes God made me that way. But we all know that if you irritate someone long enough they will move. I had no choice; I had to move. I started to get so many donations I couldn’t walk around my house. I cut a maze through the boxes of non-perishable food, cases of water, boxes of clothes, and bicycles just so I could walk out the door. Something had to happen and I was ready for it. After much prayer and meditation I received an answer. An email came to me from a large church downtown. They were familiar with UBFM and they offered for us to use the church kitchen and a supply room. We would be able to meet there every Wednesday night. I couldn’t believe it. What was the catch, I wondered. This was way too uncomplicated. As we found out later on the first night of the meeting, there was a catch: don’t harm the poinsettias in the main lobby. That’s it. Just because I like to rise above expectations, I sometimes sit and talk to those plants when the church is empty.

The church is huge. Growing up in a rural small town church, it is bigger than anything I have worshiped in. It even has an elevator we can load up to move donations to our supply room. The kitchen is full of stainless steel equipment. When I went to look at the place, I was in awe. The pastor and associate showed me around the area we would be working in. I couldn’t believe it. Next to the church was an old vacant, two-story building. I mentioned it them while they were showing my girlfriend Ellen, and I around the church. They immediately asked if we wanted to see it. It turns out the church owns the building. It is a little run-down bit it has a lot of potential. I think we were all thinking the same thing. Could this be a potential place for ministry? Could UBFM use this building for something? A community center? Hospitality hub? A shelter? It is big enough for all of the above. At that moment I was already feeling a little overwhelmed. I told them I wanted to think and pray about this. But for the time being, we would love to use the church.

So there you have it. Finally, I move UBFM out of my house and I can walk around my dinning room without tripping. But the restlessness continued. I couldn’t stop thinking about that building and its potential. It’s located on our Wednesday delivery route. I have stopped many times to visit people curled up next to the building. There’s something about this. I started to feel like it is all falling into place. From UBFM, its publicity, and growth to the church and building. There is something at work here. I know this building will require money to renovate; it will most certainly be a costly undertaking but that is not my challenge. As a matter of fact, I feel certain that God will provide. My element of burden in regard to this project is commitment. I have a fear of failure that is clouding my commitment to this project. I prayed. In my prayers I asked for some time to contemplate this whole idea. I also asked for encouragement. So, I think and wait. I try to be open to every possible idea that comes to me. One thing I do have is the most supportive team of people in the world helping me out. Aside from my family, I receive more encouragement and support from my UBFM group than I do anywhere else. It is just a big melting pot of people that have huge hearts and giving spirits. Any time they have a suggestion about something, we try it. This is just as much theirs as it is mine.

One of my loyal members suggested that we should coordinate a silent auction as a fundraiser. I thought this a magnificent proposal. I started to round up all of my resources for the event. At the same time, I continued to think about the building. If this fundraiser is successful, perhaps it will jumpstart not only a building budget, but my confidence as well. As I began organizing this fundraiser, I realized it would cost a bit. I would have to reserve a place, have it catered, and somehow accumulate some items to auction. There was a moment I started to back out of it. The same fear of commitment started to come over me. I prayed. Actually, it was one of those informal prayers while I was driving down a busy street in Memphis, that went like this, “Okay, God, I’m just gonna go for it. I’m going to step out on a limb of faith. You with me? Amen” I guess it was more likely of an affirmation than it was a prayer. Anyway, it was a conversation with the Creator. I continued on with my errand running for the day. Within the hour of that prayer, I got it. I was in line at the super market and decided to check my email, and there it was: PayPal notifying me I just received a $500 donation from a random person. I had to bite my tongue. Tears welled up in my eyes. It might have been from biting my tongue but they were tears of joy, nonetheless. Not only did this jumpstart our funding for the fundraiser, but it furthered my confidence. It was what I needed to make the event happen. But it was also what I needed to shove past the fear of moving forward with the project. It was an answer from God, immediately. This project fell into my lap for a reason, the same reason UBFM happened. It is a call to ministry. It is God’s work in the world.

The following week I received two more PayPal donations affirming this event will happen. It will take place Saturday, April 12, 2014 at the Overton Park Golf Clubhouse. I am still coordinating and accumulating items to be auctioned. The money raised during this event will be focused on this building, God willing. In the meantime, I am doing some research on codes, grants, materials, and estimates. I strongly believe that if God wants something to happen, it will happen. From getting to know the people who are part of this organization, I am certain that anything can be done. I see so much love and compassion in this group of people I can’t help but to be confident. Thank you all for giving me this. I am in my first year as an ordained minister. I had no idea it would be so full of awe. I have been blessed to see God work meticulously. But, I do not necessarily see it through me, the minister. I see it through you, God’s people.

Peace

GHS-TV

During the most recent couple of months we've had a two visitors to help out with procedures and follow us around with cameras. Paparazzi, you ask? No, they are actually a couple of brilliant high school students from Germantown High School. They organize a local, student-operated, community television station. Though they are students, they work like professionals. UBFM has been blessed with the opportunity to get to know Zac andy Mclean. It's obvious they both have a bright future in television production. I can't wait to see what they do beyond graduation.

They created a piece on UBFM in this You Tube segment. Be sure to watch it all! They are now continuing their work on our organization with hopes to produce a documentary.

GHS-TV, Urban Bicycle Food Ministry, You Tube Video

Volunteer Odyssey

Volunteer Odyssey is a local non-profit, founded by UBFM member, Sarah Petschonek. This group helps people find volunteer opportunities in Memphis to further build their resume' and assist the person in finding adequate jobs.

Volunteer Odyssey has provided many volunteers to UBFM and allowed to establish relationships with people as well as other organizations in Memphis. We are very happy this organization is part of UBFM and we look forward to collaborating with them in 2014!

http://rsvpmagazine.com/streetseens

Photo by Steve Roberts

Sarah Petschonek: Spinning a New Type of Volunteerism

Story by Leah Fitzpatrick

For Sarah Petschonek, the president and CEO of Volunteer Odyssey, taking a normal approach to volunteering holds no appeal. Take, for instance, the fact that Petschonek did 30 consecutive days of volunteering in November 2012 for an effort called Mission Memphis, and then followed that experience the next month with a cross-country volunteer trip she organized and blogged about. She took her deep passion for philanthropy a step further last February when she ushered in Volunteer Odyssey, an organization that provides customized volunteer experiences to Memphians, namely to job seekers.

Commenting on how she came up with the name, she says, “Since I think about volunteering as a lifelong journey and something that’s supposed to challenge you, I kept coming back to the word odyssey.” Petschonek adds that the compass incorporated in the organization’s logo, which can be viewed on volunteerodyssey.com, symbolizes that people should stand out from the pack or make a statement wherever they go. In this case, volunteerism is the implied avenue for making a statement.

Volunteer Odyssey upholds the notion that good deeds shouldn’t be relegated to a single location, which is why Petschonek opted to only have a meeting space (located inside the Start Co. office in Playhouse on the Square) for the organization, and not a stand-alone building. Coffee shops are also a regular spot for meetings, but the bulk of the action occurs in the community, specifically at the 27 nonprofits that Volunteer Odyssey pairs participants with for a weeklong volunteering/ blogging tour of the local nonprofit scene. Volunteer Odyssey especially likes to showcase the “little guy,” including the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry (in the background of the photo at right), which enlists volunteers to deliver food and basic necessities on bikes to the homeless. Petschonek mentions that Urban Bike is a group that she personally enjoys donating her time to, and clarifies that each organization she sends a volunteer to is one that she has prescreened and volunteered for herself.

“We look for places that have quality volunteer experiences,” she emphasizes, “but we’re not a static list of volunteer experiences. Sometimes if we have a blogger with a specific interest, I’ll reach out to a group, but people reach out to us, too.”

More importantly, Volunteer Odyssey wants its participants to be engaged in experiences they enjoy, aiming to make the clearest path possible for them to do so. For instance, one man with a Ph.D. in medieval studies in England wanted to do something related to that area, so Petschonek contacted the National Ornamental Metal Museum so he could do some blacksmithing. Examples of other volunteer experiences have included helping out with the dessert hour on Sunday evenings at the Dorothy Day House, handing out tickets and taking donations at the Indie Memphis Film Festival and assisting in the greenhouse at the Memphis Botanic Garden. These examples are just a glimpse, however, into the varied activities that participants can do throughout the course of their Odyssey Week, which entails volunteering at a nonprofit for five hours a day, followed by roughly three hours of social media/blogging—part of the storytelling piece that Petschonek feels is a vital and compelling component.

“The stories and specifics are how people connect—we want volunteers to become a catalyst for more people to volunteer,” she says.

For those who don’t have a week to give, Volunteer Odyssey rolled out programs for corporate teams and congregations, as well as VolunCheers, a monthly happy hour where people can enjoy an adult beverage while doing a simple volunteer task. Just RSVP on the Volunteer Odyssey Facebook page for any posted VolunCheers events, and remember that there’s no wrong way to give back. As Petschonek says, “Find something you like, and you’ll keep doing it.”

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving

The past year has been a learning experience. Not only has UBFM learned a lot of fundamental lessons but also we have grown. We have made new friends, we have networked with other organizations, and we have gained a lot of publicity. Though this has the potential to be overwhelming at times, it is a wonderful thing. This growth has allowed us to reach more people and it is because of the volunteers and contributors that we have the opportunity to do this.

As Thanksgiving slowly crept near, I was reminded of last year’s giving holiday for UBFM. There were only three of us, it was very cold, and we decided to drive a car rather than use our bicycles to deliver food. We learned a valuable lesson that night: our friends on the streets do not respond as well to someone getting out of a warm car. Some people ignored us, many would not accept our gifts, but nevertheless we tried. This year I wanted to try something different. “Why not make it big?” I thought to myself. I called all the members who subscribe to the UBFM Facebook page to donate extra blankets, jackets, cold weather gear, and snacks. I requested that we have a large group of discyplists (pedaling disciples) on the streets of Memphis. I asked that we come together and celebrate Thanksgiving by giving to our neighbors. I asked that we meet our friends on the street where they are at and shower them with love and supplies.

I posted that message Monday night and the response was immediate. Many members responded to the event, committing help with delivery on Wednesday night others committed to donating. When I returned from work on Tuesday evening I could not get into my house due to the boxes of donations blocking the door. Ecstatically, I sorted the items and prepared them to be loaded on Wednesday night.

The next morning I started preparing everything for the evening. Members kept calling throughout the day, asking if there was anything they could do in addition to preparation. Groups of people, families, and organizations called asking if they could bring or donate food and supplies. I started to get the felling that it was going to be a big night.

When six o’ clock rolled around four people were already at the house preparing burritos and care packages. It was shortly after this when local news Channel 5 walked in. They received word of our efforts and wanted to do a story. At 6:30 UBFM members started showing up with bicycles and supplies. Some members brought pickup trucks full of blankets, coats, jackets, clothes, food, and cold weather supplies. The front room of my house started to fill with supplies to be allocated to our neighbors affected by homelessness. My front yard started to fill with cyclists with zeal to serve. The night was shaping up to be one of the biggest nights of UBFM history.

By 8:00 we were all loaded with supplies. Twenty-two disciplists stood in my front yard with loaded backpacks. Four bike trailers were loaded; one was carrying a large cooler full of hot cocoa. I was quite surprised to see so much participation for two reasons: 1) It was the eve before Thanksgiving. 2) It was 25 degrees outside. The weather forecast claimed to potentially be the coldest night of the year. However, those two factors only fueled the compassion of this group.

Before we departed I told the group to look around. I told them to look at the person beside them. I said that is what God looks like in the world today. I believe this. I believe that God exists through the love of people in the world. God works through people. When I looked over the people in my front yard waiting and anticipating a connection with our less fortunate neighbors, I saw the love of God shining bright.

That night we distributed everything we left with. I witnessed a group of compassionate discyplits devote time, effort, and love to the people on the streets of Memphis. It was a wonderful thing and a marvelous night. Thank you all for the work you do to make this ministry possible.

Peace.

A God Story by a UBFM member

Church is a spiritual institution, a place of worship. My experience with the church as a child was one of fire and brimstone, discomfort and intolerance. I found myself connected with a God I thought to be different. I visualized remaining outside of the church, peering into the window, witnessing a pseudo-worshipping congregation, dissimulated by the precepts of hell and damnation. I was not spiritually uplifted. Instead, I felt demeaned and afraid. But, I also visualized, standing next to me, other people who dared not go in, and among the crowd, there was always God. That is when I knew my Church was elsewhere.

Years later, through decisions, hardships, and life, I truly believe God answered a prayer that I made outside of that church window a long time ago. There was no building, nor steeple, nor choir, nor hymns. My Church started with friendship; a friend who was called by God to become a minister. His movement in the community lifted my spirit and his compassion encouraged me to find peace through worship and scripture. He introduced me to a whole new way to connect with God, a way that fit every inch of who I am.

My congregation is friendship and fellowship, growing every week. My Praises are within nature; hitting the trails, zoning out, being thankful, coming clean, asking for advice, accelerating my heart rate, feeling loved, feeling alive, feeling uplifted. My Worship starts with hopping on my bike and handing out burritos to my friends on the streets. My Worship never ends, now that I know I, too, can bring Church to those who are looking for a home.

UBFM is a spiritual institution. Together, let’s educate one another on love, movement, devotion, and being the light for others to see. Let Church, wherever that may be, guide us to make the world a better place, to connect one-on-one with God, or to just see yourself as a perfect mold in an imperfect world. I love you all. Thank you for being a part of my family and my home.

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being rewarded day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4: 16-18