charlie wear Ministering in the face of opposition
Some readers of Next-Wave will be familiar with the skateboard ministry of Moreno Valley. The city code compliance officers have joined with the neighbor to try and close the ministry down. The opposition to the skateboard ministry began early on.

Previous articles about the ministry, including last year's update can be found here:

If you build it they will come, part 1
If you build it they will come, part 2

 
Most Christians have never ministered in the face of opposition. Last week I had the unique experience of arguing for the existence of the Ranch, the name that skater's call the ministry of Marv and Karen Schuler in Moreno Valley, California. What was formed from the death embers of a dying church has grown into a vibrant ministry to teenagers, not quite a church and not quite a skateboard park.

The next-door neighbor doesn't like the skaters. In a meeting with city officials in the fall of 1999, she said that she wanted "the wrong element" out of her neighborhood. Over the years she has taken the following actions to shut down the ministry: 1) Hired a private investigator to videotape the ministry and skateboarding activities; 2) Telephoned the police on numerous occasions to make false allegations of alcohol and drug use, as well as to complain about the noise; 3) Complained to code compliance officers leading to threats of arrest and citations for operating a "church without a permit" and excess noise; Filed suit in Superior Court in Riverside; and in this latest round, called City Councilmembers and convinced them to unleash the power of the City against the Ranch.

The result of the code compliance efforts culminated in a search warrant which was executed on September 12, 2001. Fire code officers, building and safety officers, and health officials went over the property with a fine tooth comb and came up with a few dozen violations. About half of those violations will be dismissed if the City Council, sitting as a "quasi-judicial" body finds that the skateboard use is legal. The City officers spent two hours and 45 minutes last week presenting their case in laborious detail. Everything from using extension cords and owning a barbecue to building skate ramps without a permit was presented. The property housed some 30 goats (it has been an animal farm for over thirty years) and this was presented as a violation.

What can be said to a City Council in defense of the activities at the Ranch? That was my problem last week. The answer is: private recreational activities for residents and their guests is an exception to the land use code of the City; talking, playing music and singing about God is protected activity in the City of Moreno Valley. All of the construction was done with the intent of complying with the building and safety code under exceptions to the necessity for permits.

For a time in 2000 I lived on The Ranch. It is a creepy feeling to wonder whether police officers are going to invade your home and your prayer meeting! We are not used to this in America. On one particular night seven police cars containing officers and 1 dog came to investigate a "band night".

We don't know what the outcome of the hearing will be. We may end up at the door of the Supreme Court. We have prayed. Karen wonders if God will prove stronger than the old-boy network. I wonder if the City Council will realize the political and moral ramifications of their actions.

We knew that opposition to the ministry was a good sign. One doesn't have to be a fan of Frank Peretti's books to know that there is a spiritual battle. When God's work is being done, the enemy will oppose it. In the past two years Marv and Karen have ministered to hundreds of teenagers. Along with their team, they have distributed about 3000 New Testaments to souls who have come forward during an altar call. They have also been libeled, assaulted and falsely accused.

Have you checked your opposition lately?

December's publisher's notes, January's publisher's notes, February's publisher's notes, March's publisher's notes. My recent review of Brian McLaren's latest book is below.
I am more ready than I realized
By Charlie Wear

I’ve always enjoyed reading books. My father was highly motivated to teach me to read, because he had never been taught to read well. By the time I reached elementary school I was an avid reader and not much has changed over the years. Books can drop one into a new world, move one to tears, and invoke passion and humor. I learn from books and I am challenged by them.

A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to meet three authors who have impacted me with their writing: Leonard Sweet, Steve Sjogren, and Brian McLaren. Dr. Leonard Sweet’s writings on the emerging cultural shifts and their impact on Christian faith overwhelm me with the author's grasp of current trends and their applications. I learned that he reads dozens of books a week in his search for knowledge. From this research, done with the benefit of speed reading, he synthesizes the material that has found its way into Soul Tsunami, Aqua Church and Soul Salsa, his trilogy on emerging culture and its impact on Christian faith, leadership and living.

Steve Sjogren, founding pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, is the father of the "servant evangelism" movement which encourages Christians to perform small acts of kindness in the name of Jesus. Steve’s living example of the servant lifestyle in the aftermath of personal hardship (he nearly died a couple of years ago in a medical procedure gone awry) challenged me to realize that perseverance is an important Christian virtue.

Brian McLaren is pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Maryland. His books, The Church on the Other Side, Finding Faith, A New Kind of Christian, and most recently, More Ready Than You Realize have challenged me to think about my own faith in new ways.

More Ready Than You Realize is about the "dance of evangelism." It outlines a two year history of spiritual friendship between Brian and Alice using Alice’s emails to Brian to explain the shifts that need to occur in Christian thinking if evangelism is to be effective in the emerging cultural context. I heard Brian speak on this material at a conference at Steve Sjogren’s church and was moved by the gentle respect that Brian brought to his relationship with Alice.  

Brian’s example of being involved in less religious activity, Bible studies, prayer meetings, and what not, in favor of being a friend and a neighbor challenged me to think about my own life. I have lived a compartmentalized, fragmented life. When I was younger, I was mightily pursuing wealth, without much success, by the way. I frequently chose work over family life, to the detriment of my children. In later years, I pursued ministry in much the same way.

And now, a few years in the wake of my "pastoral" ministry, I realize that along the way I could have used more spiritual friends. Somehow, in the midst of church leadership, programs, building relocations and pastoral ministry, I managed to miss out on the Jesus purposeful promise: "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness." John 10:10 (NLT) For a few years now I have not been an active part of a "normal" church. There’s a lot about "normal" church that I don’t miss: trying to get "ownership" for the latest leadership initiative; charismatic calisthenics; or the search for the latest greatest idea that will make your church grow, whether it’s being seeker-targeted, seeker-friendly, seeker-sensitive, or purpose-driven. If I never attend another conference or class on how to achieve "whatever" it’s ok with me.

I know that my situation is not unusual. There are many trying to "have it all" and as a result, they end up not having much. Life is just one no-fat sugar-free vanilla latte after another. They drop their children off at day care at 6:30 a.m. in order to make it to their job that pays for the monthly minimum on their Visa card. And church attendance and involvement becomes one more activity that tends to crowd their already-too-busy schedules.

I read a book about "margins" a couple of years back and realized that in order to live a "full" life, one has to leave a little room at the top of the cup. Room enough to hold hands with your wife, hug your children (or grandchildren), and pray to your God. Room enough to be a friend and a neighbor.

Brian’s book helped me to realize that I am more than ready to live a full life that includes having and being a spiritual friend.