Although the congregation I lead is in the southern most part of suburban Calgary I still have an office and some responsibilities at our downtown campus. It is funny to think that when the church was built in 1912 there was a considerable amount of noise regarding building a church so far out in the boondocks!

In many ways ministry is ministry. I started in youth ministry and then used alot of the skills in my role as an associate pastor looking after adults in the inner city - most of whom were marginalized because of language and/or poverty issues. I now use those same skills as the lead pastor of a newly developing church in suburbia. That being said I was hit with some of the differences late at night while I was in my downtown office.

Tonight, I passed by our custodian who was carrying a huge plumber's wrench - I asked him if there was a problem in one of the washrooms and he matter-of-factly replied (in a calm, smooth Sudanese accent) "No I'm taking out the garbage - last night some guys tried to hold me up for my car keys and I called the cops on them. But I told them that if they try it again tonight they will not be so lucky as me calling the police!" Not ten minutes later I was carrying some files from a room where my old office was and I noticed a light on in the office building across the street and there was a woman assembling her office furniture with nothing on but a skirt!! You just don't get these things in surburbia!!

It got me thinking about a night that pretty much sums up inner city ministry for me. It was a spring night and I ad led our evening service. At the time it was a service geared toward people with little to no church background, largely from the international community that surounded the church. It was great! I thought my message went well, the fellowship was great and when I walked out there was a cluster of men standing on the steps of the church. I recognized them as people at the service and one of our worship leaders. They were praying for one of the men (a member of the communist party when he was in China) who had just accepted that God was real and Jesus really did have a place in his life. It was awesome. It was everything I worked for; everything we dreamed of as a ministry team. I floated around the corner of the building to hop into my van for the ride home and almost walked right into a couple of homeless guys (who I also recognized) using the side of my van as a urinal!! Aaaahhh, the visceral smell of downtown ministry. They assured my wife and I they only hit the tires and not to get bent out of shape (though not actually in those words). I laughed the whole way home.

In a way I miss the surreal reality of downtown (if you can have sur-reality). No one put up much of an effort to hide that they didn't have it together. I know for a fact that there are many of the same struggles where I now minister. Abuse is rampant: physical, emotional, chemical, sexual... but it is tucked away behind a two car garage and the trappings of the good life so nobody sees it. Downtown I would watch the guys buy crack on the street corner across from my office before they would come to try and hit me up for a safeway voucher or transit passes.

I truly thank God that he has given me so many experiences: growing up on a reserve, teaching in universities in North America and Asia, ministering in the inner city and now planting a church in a suburban setting. I just pray he will also give me the wisdom to learn from these experiences. I also pray he will continue to give me the strength and encouragement to keep 'learning.'

Migwec!