by Murray Hack
HELD UP BY GOD’S RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND
In 2022 I became an Associate Member missionary of NCEM. I serve as a pastor, and there was an obvious opportunity to be strengthened through the wisdom, knowledge and fellowship of many missionaries (past and present) who have served faithfully across Canada in reaching Indigenous people. I have been greatly encouraged by my expanded spiritual family and the rich legacy of NCEM.
As pastor of an inner city church, Good News Chapel (Christian & Missionary Alliance) in Regina, Saskatchewan, with an emphasis on reaching people with the Gospel who live in poverty and addiction, I have many stories about people with significant daily struggles. The majority of those who attend our church are on social assistance, and it is not uncommon during prayer time on a Sunday morning to hear concerns about homelessness, or about friends or family who have died in addiction.
We have a potluck meal every Sunday, which provides an opportunity for fellowship, while at the same time meeting a very tangible need for a meal. Most of the people who attend Good News Chapel are Indigenous, and this has led us to additionally be part of a church plant on Muskowekwan First Nation, north of Regina. Many of the struggles we see among people in our church in north central regina are very similar to life on the reserve. Inner city church ministry has prepared us well for this reserve ministry.
Truly there is an urgency and persistence necessary in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. But if God does not strengthen us, if He does not help us, if He does not uphold us with His righteous right hand (Isa. 41:10), we will become weak. We will lose hope, we will stumble, and we will eventually fall under the burden and the magnitude of the brokenness that we see and experience.
What does pastoral ministry look like at Good News Chapel? First off, we are “people-centric.” Many churches are “program-centric” and operate quite differently from us. In a program-centric church, the pastor may focus on bringing groups of people together for a variety of ministry meetings within the church. It is through these groups that spiritual growth occurs. The level of support that most people in a program-centric church need may not be as significantly high as ours.
In a people-centric church, like Good News Chapel, the focus is on one-on-one support and discipleship. People in crisis need urgent help in order to work through problems they are currently facing. Often when a person is in crisis, he or she looks to their family or friends for support. But if your friends or family are incapable of providing the support that you need, where do you go for help?
In the city, it is possible for someone to access support from a variety of social agencies. But there are always gaps between agencies, and it isn’t always easy for someone to know where they can get the specific help that they need. We, as a church, can help fill those gaps, and also help people find the assistance they need. The amount of time and effort in providing this level of support is significant.
A significant part of my time as a pastor is figuring out what assistance exists, and working with supporting agencies. That way we don’t have to carry the entire burden — that would be virtually impossible with our limited resources. We are able to share the Gospel and reveal the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit, while other agencies can provide help with specific needs. I end up talking with many different social assistance workers, home care workers, lawyers, landlords, pest control companies, and so on. Sunday preaching remains of high importance to continually lead the congregation into a deeper walk with Jesus Christ.
On the reserve where we minister, the number of support agencies available for people in significant need is severely limited. So a church on a reserve can provide even greater impact using a people-centric model than what is possible in the city. However, finding a pastor or individuals willing to relocate and live on a reserve or in a surrounding community is difficult, as the sacrifice is significant. In the church plant on Muskowekwan, we have been “paratrooping in” for church services and discipleship, with the hope of eventually finding a pastor or others to live in closer proximity, as the church becomes established.
A unique benefit with our current ministry is the opportunity to coordinate help through a network of agencies and other Regina churches to provide support on the Reserve. On Muskowekwan there is no food bank or soup kitchen. I have been told that at times some people have had to boil potato peels to scrounge up a meal. So we have begun to coordinate providing canned food and frozen meat as part of our biweekly Saturday church services. It is our hope that this will help to build trust and give a greater opportunity to share the Gospel with people in the Muskowekwan community.
Boundaries and managing priorities are even more important in a people-centric church. As a pastor, I need to be careful to have a regular Sabbath, limit my availability, and continually spend time in the presence of the Lord. The challenge with dealing with a significant number of people who are in crisis is that it can appear that every situation is urgent. In reality, some problems can wait. There is also the sad reality that some people who ask for help are not really looking to change their lives and have no interest in seeking after God. As a pastor, I am constantly seeking wisdom from God as to whom He is drawing to Himself, and focusing upon these individuals. We are called to love everyone the same, and yet even Jesus Himself did not focus all of His attention on His disciples in the same manner.
As a father of four children, with our youngest being special needs, this presents an additional challenge in ministry. My wife Melanie attends another church on Sundays with our children in order that our son can have the appropriate support that he needs, and so that I can focus on our church. There are sacrifices that we are all called to make in serving the Lord, but if we are in His will, He will always provide the strength that is needed. How wonderful it is that we have the promise that God will strengthen us, He will help us, He will uphold us with His righteous right hand!
Murray (& Melanie) Hack joined us in 2022 as an NCEM Associate Member. To know more about Good News Chapel, visit their website: www.goodnewschapel.ca
(from Northern Lights issue #567)