Street Outreach Initiative Newsletter June 2011

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STREET OUTREACH INITIATIVE PAGE 1

SSTTRREEEETT OOUUTTRREEAACCHH IINNIITTIIAATTIIVVEEQVOD EORVM MINIMIS MIHI As to the least of them, so to me (Mt 25:40)

SUMMER 2011

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

ON THE STREET

CHRISTIAN FORMATION

ABIT ABOUT MATTHEW

OUTREACH NEWS

22001111 CChhrriiss LLoohh PPhhoottooggrraapphheeddoonntthheeccoorrnneerrooffHHaassttiinnggssaannddGGoorree..


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PAGE 2 STREET OUTREACH INITIATIVE

OONN TTHHEESSTTRREEEETT

I work in a place where the least expected things

are always to be expected, and where God reveals

himself in the most unlikely people and places.

Why dont you to join me, on this slightly overcast

afternoon.Walking down Powell St...A black man in

his late 20s is heading in my direction.

We both stop, and he looks me in the eye:

Exorcism...Do you do exorcisms...? He asks

matter-of-factly. I tell him the truth . . . Havent

done too many lately ... Whats up? He is notforthcoming. But asks, Look, can I meet with

you...? But later . . . Ive got to be somewhere

else right now. I make an offer: St James

Church, in an hour? Do you know it...? He nods

grimly, and departs without a word. I continue

down Powell St. On my way to the mostinfamous street corner in Vancouver.

The intersection of Main and Hastings

deserves its notoriety.

Im stepping up onto the sidewalk in front

of the Carnegie Centre, when a thin white man inhis 50s immediately asks me, What do you need?What can I getcha? Hes a front man for a

dealer, standing around the corner. Hes asking

what drugs Im looking for. I shake my head,

No.

Directly in front of me, people areexchanging bills and coins, for small paper flaps,prescription pill bottles, and tiny crystals that look

like rock salt. On this corner you will find, what

our Book of Common Prayer refers to as all sorts

and conditions of men. This includes merchants,

professionals, middle class types, trades workers

on breaks, and others, all visiting this part of theneighbourhood, to score.

I enter the Carnegie, and at the front desk,

pickup the latest drafts ofFree Foodand

Resources in the Downtown East Side. Thesebrochures are the definitive, up to date listings of

whats available for people in need ofvarious

things, from a hot lunch, to emergency dental

care, to assistance with applying for replacement

Photo I.D.

Across the street on the northwest corner,

and away from the drug bazaar, groups of

indigenous men and women are talking, laughing,and milling about. You might expect that, as a

white Anglican priest, I would bepersona non

grataamong those who as children attended the

infamous Residential Schools. It is remarkable

that here there is hospitality and kindness.

I meet and catch up with 2 friends.

Vince is indigenous man in his late 20s. A

black eye and split lip are evidence that Vincesbeen in another scrap. A man not prone to


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ST.JAMESANGLICAN CHURCH PAGE 3

violence, hes very open, as he recounts thecircumstances that led to such a rough encounter.I shake my head, chiding with a smile.

For the street outreach priest,

parishioners are not only those who show up at

the church building Sunday. Our parish

membersinclude men and women just like

Vince. Residents and denizens of theneighbourhood parish of St James. And mycolleagues, on a team of seven priests, do the

same. They are all prepared to stop and connect

when encountering a friend or someone in need.

For all of us, the parish extends very definitely

into the neighbourhood, including its toughest

street corners.As I bid Vince farewell, Chris, an

indigenous man in his late 30s, smiles and says

hello. Chris has just completed a demanding

drug recovery programme. I make a practice ofcelebrating all triumphs, both great and small.

And as Chris speaks about this landmark in hislife, I have never seen him so open hearted and

joyful. I celebrate with him this major step.

To my mind, there is no recovery that is

not a miracle. And I tell him, that the Creator

must be very proud of him. In speaking with the

indigenous members of our parish, I amcomfortable referring to God openly and directly.

People in other areas of our city, on Robson

Street, or at a mall in suburbia, might wonder at astatement mentioning God. But in the DTES,

and especially among the members of the First

Nations, it is simple and natural to speak of Godspresence in our lives.

Chris and I catch up. And I head further down

Hastings.

An aboriginal man up ahead sees me

coming. Hey there, Mushum. Tall and in hisearly thirties, he leans back, against the Western

Union store window, and says nothing further.

I stop. Sorry... I didnt hear what you

said...? About a mushroom?No, he says,

mush-um

I stare blankly at him, and he can tell that I

dont get it.

, not mushroom! He shifts his eyes,

left and right; never looking straight at me. You,you are a Mushum.

He looks right and left, yet again. Am I

irritating him? It feels as ifhe cant stand thesight of me. I dont understand...? What does

mushum mean?Only now does he look straight at me.

Go. Ask an elderwhat mushum means...

Okay, I tell him. Ill do just that. And

with this, I move on. Baffled. What did I do tooffend this man?

I walk and wonder about the meaning of

mushum. It sounds like something bad. But

why...? An insult maybe?

Im walking now on Abbott Street, and I

hear the whining of a small engine. I look up to

see an old motorcyclethe kind with a sidecar

heading toward me. Painted blue, it must besurplus, World War II vintage. But then, I do a

double take at the passenger in the sidecar.

There sits a large brown doga genuine

hound. His eyes protected by goggles, a scarf

around his neck! He looks around nonchalantly,

as if taking in the sites.

No, Im not hallucinating! This is just a typicalmoment, in an average day, in the life of theDowntown East Side.


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I head back to the Church to meet the

fellow about exorcism. And for the record, I havenever done one.

From experience, the chances are this:

35% that he will show for the meeting, and 65%

that he wont. . .

I sit on the concrete front steps of St

James, and brood about how ineffective I feel.Especially when it comes to follow-up meetings.

On top of that I begin to wonder again

about what the word mushum must mean.Perhaps it means fool or phoney, or maybesomething worse... Frustration wells up, from

deep within me. I am staring at my feet... When

out of the blue, some words come to my ears...

Dontbesohardonyourself...

And as I look up, its not at all clear who

has said this...

There is no one nearby, except an Indo-Canadian man in his 30s... He strides by, and for

a moment, looks up the steps at me. Blank faced,

moving quickly. And then he is gone.

The hairs stand up on my arm. . .

Dontbesohardonyourself.

I am not sure who said this, nor do I know

what prompted his words. But I do know these

words are for me, and for this precise moment offrustration. Almost as if God himself, were trying

to tell me something...

I look at my watch; the fifteen minute

grace period has expired. Yet one more no-

show!

I think of the words just given to me. And

I can see that a noshow does not equal failure

on my part. The most I can do, at times, is to be

available. Whether someone shows up, or not, isup to them.

I go to the Church to write some log notes,

and update the prayer list. 20 minutes later, and I

head down Cordova Street, to meet my old friend

Wayne for coffee. Again, I start brooding about

the native fellow and how I must have offendedhim. . .

Down the sidewalk, two women in their

20s are laughing as they walk in my direction.

One of them looks up and stops me. You. Are

you a real

I look over at the other girl, who smiles

quietly and nods her approval.

priest...? I tell her that I am, and that

I work in this parish. Oh, Im an Anglican too.Her enthusiasm is genuine. She points to hergirlfriend. Hey. Its her birthday. Can you give

her a blessing?

So I say a blessing, for the birthday girl.

And another blessing for the one who asked. She

responds, with considerable emotion, I havent

been to Church for 10 years...Im really gladwe ran into you...Theres a reason thishappened... I point over my shoulder in the

general direction of the St James building...Ifyou ever want a place to pray, or a spiritual home,

youve got a standing invitation!

Im sitting now. Sharing a cup of coffeewith Wayne. Wayne is a traditional First Nations

artist. God has bestowed awesome artistic gifts

upon him. We reminisce and laugh about living

in Regina Saskatchewan, where both of us went to

high school. As we talk, I am reminded that

sitting across the table from me is a member ofthe Cree People. I change the topic . . .


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Wayne, can you explain something? I ran

into a native guy this afternoon.. He called me

mushum... Its something bad --- isnt it?

Wayne responds immediately: No. Not

something bad! Waynes eyes are very serious,

as he meets my gaze. A term of respect.

Mushum means Grandfather... Like someone

who looks out for the well being of others. Itsnot something bad, Matthew. He is honouring

you. I sit in silence, just looking at my friend.

Grandfather...?

I am surprised and humbled. The

indigenous men and women I work with are not

glad-talkers. They do not use words lightly. As

Wayne and I part company, I am quiet and deeplymoved.

Tonight is the feast of Corpus Christi.

And I am back just as the evening service begins.

I will spend some time on the front step, to

welcome neighbourhood latecomers to Church.

Music rises from the choir, out the window, and

onto the street where I stand. A young Chinese

woman, in her early 20s asks if we can talk. I

nod, and move to the side, for some privacy.Donna recounts some past wrongdoing

and asks: Pastor, can God ever forgive me...?

She is sincere and speaks plainly, and I am filled

with both compassion and respect for her.

I tell her the truth..: Oh. You might be

surprised at what God can do...! Donnas

expression immediately changes, and she looks

searchingly. And I recount for her, briefly, Jesus

story of the Prodigal Son. As I stand there with

her, leaning against the wall of Church, the spicy

fragrance of incense from the procession streams

out of the windows, and flows down the wall, to

where we are speaking.The narrative, about a Father who truly

forgives, clearly makes sense to her. Donnas

facial expression and her posture both relax

visibly. She says yes to my offer of the words of

absolution. And as we are about to part, I offer

Donna one of our prayer cards, with a carefulselection of the basic prayers of the ChristianChurch.

As I put on a cassock, as the choir sings, I

pray a deeply felt thank-you to God, for the vast

privilege of doing this particular ministry, at this

point in time. This has been just one day in the

130 year connection between this neighbourhood

and this church. What a wonderful thing it is, to

be a part of it.

Copyright 2011 Matthew Johnson. The names

and descriptions of persons mentioned here have

been carefully altered to protect identities. Events

are not in their original chronology. Photographsdo not depict those who are mentioned in this

article. MJ


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CCHHRRIISSTTIIAANNFFOORRMMAATTIIOONN

Christian Formation is an integral dimension of our Outreach work. Part of this is providing resources,

in particular for Christian Prayer and Faith. For those who wish to study the Scriptures, and are street

involved or on limited incomes, SOI provides new hardcover NRSV Bibles at no cost. We also provide

Prayer Cards in

English, and in

Spanish; designed

especially for street

involved neighbours.

Our aim is to provide

the central prayers of

the Christian

Tradition; and

especially the texts

most critical for dailylife, and for moments

of crisis.

We have revised our

English Prayer Card,

adding two texts to

the collection: The

Two Great

Commandments, and

The Prayer of the

Good ThiefJesus,

remember me when

you come into your

kingdom. The

overall objective with

the prayer card is to

identify and make

available, what are

perhaps the mostsignificant and

powerful of all

Christian prayers,

that also address the life situations of our neighbours on the Street. These are fitted on a two sided

post card. SOI is most grateful to the St James Outreach Committee, and to Convenor Professor John

Conway, for underwriting this much needed ministry resource. And to Stephen Rathjen, who

accomplished design and printing of the card.


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AABBIITTAABBOOUUTTMMAATTTTHHEEWW

Sometimes people ask about how I got into the work of street outreach. Did I begin with a degree in

social work? Did I train specifically for urban ministry? Well, No. Actually I trained as a theologian

and I could never have foreseen that Id be working in the Downtown East Side!

I began studies in political science at University or Regina. I did a couple of courses in Religious

Studies at the Jesuit College. It is there that my interests in theology and liturgy began. From there I

did a Masters degree at Regent College, and a Master of Divinity at Trinity College, University of

Toronto. I completed the course work for a Ph.D. at St Michaels College, University of Toronto,

from which I am currently on leave. I have published a number of articles and reviews in journals like

Studia Liturgica, National Bulletin on the Liturgy(Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops), and the

Toronto Journal of Theology. The biggest piece of work Ive produced is called Bibliographia liturgica

The book was published in Rome by the Vincentian Fathers.

When I hit the streets each day, I know I am not alone. I am aware of Gods presence. My

other companions include St Anselm of Canterbury, St Thomas Aquinas, and Fr Karl Rahner. Many

of their insights are universal in application. They address directly this time in history, and this placeof the Downtown East Side. Their teachings about God and the dignity of the human person, provide

a constant resource, as I move from one situation to another.

I love the pastoral work which I am privileged to do. What is fascinating to me is that my

training in theology should be so relevant to this work of pastoral outreach. Perhaps I did indeed

become a sort of theologian in practice. Although I could never have foreseen the shape ofthis

vocation, I cannot imagine any other sort of work Id rather do.

2011 Chris Loh Photographed in an alley near Main & Hastings St.


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NOTE TOFINANCIAL SUPPORTERS

If you wish to contribute to the Street Outreach Initiative, and are not a member of St James or a subscriber of

GEM please make cheques payable to the STREET OUTREACH INITIATIVE and send them to the address below.

OOUUTTRREEAACCHHNNEEWWSS

A NEW 3 YEAR COVENANT

FOR THE STREET OUTREACH

At the heart of the Street Outreach Initiative is athree way partnership, involving St James Church,

Diocese of New Westminster, and ourCommunity Funding Partners. On 13th of

October 2010, these Partners arrived at a new 3

year funding agreement, which will keep the

Outreach operating in the current year and right

through 2013. On 19 November 2010, a new

entity, the SOI Partners Executive Group, held

its first meeting at Christ Church Cathedral. In

attendance were Mr John Van Luven

(representing St James), Ms Judy Hager

(representing community funding partners), Fr

Matthew Johnson (Street Outreach Priest), and

Convenor the Ven Dr Ellen Clark-King(representing the Diocese). The Executive

Group took on the task of recasting a new

Covenant in Ministry, among the Partners. This

new Covenant was signed at the Synod Eucharist

on 27 May 2011. We are grateful to so many,

whose work has made this possible. Special

thanks go to Diocesan Staff members, Mr Rob

Dickson, and Fr Paul Borthistle (now at St

Marys Kerrisdale). Their assistance was

instrumental in the complex task of forging a new

agreement for the continuation of this work.

SPECIALIZED TRAINING

FOR CRISIS INTERVENTION

Last summer, Fr Matthew completed the trainingand instructor accreditation process with the

Crisis Prevention Institute, based in Milwaukee.He is now certified to deliver training programme

called Non-Violent Crisis Intervention. Thereare times on the street, when things hang in the

balance. Someone may be angry or agitated, and

ready to strike out at someone else, or indeed at

me. The Rules of Engagement when Im on the

street, start first with putting distance between

myself and the individual acting out. But

sometimes this is not possible. In moments like

this, words and behaviour can directly influence

what happens next, and the overall outcome.

Many of the persons encountered on thestreet have serious and untreated mental illness.

Others struggle with addictions, where drug use

itself can occasion temporary (and long term)

psychosis. Abuse of alcohol too can result in

psychotic episodes characterized by delusions and

hallucinations. Alcohol also has a disinhibiting

effect on the brain, which can result in serious

violence.

Matthew observes, [When] I see someone

coming down the sidewalk in my direction, Id

much rather encounter someone who is mentallyill, or in a drug induced psychosis, instead of

someone who is blitzed on alcohol. []Intoxicated people are less predictable, more

prone to the use of violence, and less open to the

influence of others.

Matthew has taught variations of this

programme with volunteers at St James Church,

and at other parishes. His hope is that the better

able we are to deal with people in crisis, the more

prepared we are to invite everyone, including the

street involved, to join us at the Lords Table.

CONTACT DETAILS:

Street Outreach Priest: Fr Matthew Johnson

Project Administrator: Stephen Rathjen

Street Outreach Initiative, 303 East Cordova Street, Vancouver BC V6A 1L4Telephone: 604 685 7522 Email: [email protected]

Documents

Street Outreach Initiative Newsletter June 2011