When I was about 13, I spent the summer at Camp Brookwoods in New Hampshire, as my brothers and I did almost every summer growing up. I remember one hot June afternoon I was eating lunch on the front lawn of the dining hall with some of my friends, when I saw my youngest brother - who was about 9 at the time, and small for his age -getting pushed by a fairly rotund-looking bully. As I watched, feeling my heart start to beat faster and faster, the boy kept pushing my brother and wouldn’t let him walk by. At that point in my life, I couldn't imagine that anyone would purposefully do anything to hurt another person.
But as I watched that kid prevent my much smaller brother (who at that point still walked with a limp due to a stroke had while in utero) from passing by for seemingly no reason, I saw that happen. And I saw that it was wrong. My brother was clearly smaller and weaker, and this kid knew it and exploited the physical power he had over my brother. And as I realized this I felt, for the first time that I can remember, what I now recognize as deep anger against injustice. And I wanted to fight it. So I marched over, put my arm around my brother, and stared down at the bully - who was not so much of a bully when his victim’s teenage sister was towering three heads over him - making sure he knew that he should never so much as lay a finger on my brother again, or else.
As I hugged my brother and walked him back to his cabin, I still remember feeling such joy that I was able to “rescue” him – that I had the ability to help. Through the years, as I’ve gone on to high school, college, and now live in the very real world of inner-city DC, my eyes have only been opened to more, much greater injustice in the world. God has continued to cause my heart to break for those who are hurting, for anyone in pain or alone, for anyone who does not know love. And those who know me well know that I often put the burden of rescuing all these people, just as I rescued my brother, all on my shoulders. But this only leads me to rely on my own ability, which in turn leads me to try to do way too much. Thankfully, though, God has helped me realize over the past couple years that Icannot save the world. I cannot do everything needed to make sure no one is hurting, to get rid of all injustice. I cannot march over and make sure the bully never hurts the victim ever again.
At times this truth has, and still does, make me despair. But what God has also helped me realize is that He can do all of this! He has already come into the world, experienced every pain that I’ve witnessed and more, and provides a love that can overcome even the deepest hurt and redeem even the most dire of situations. And He calls me not to try to re-do what He did and be another savior to the world, but to join the work that He has already done and is still doing. To believe in His love and live it out, in word and deed. To work with Him, trusting in His power to save and redeem souls and circumstances.
And He has now provided me with an amazing opportunity to do just that! Stephen and I have been attending an amazing church the past year called The District Church (TDC), where we have been ministered to, encouraged, and challenged, and where we have discovered more of God’s purpose for His church and for us personally. The vision of TDC aligns so closely with the passions God has placed on our hearts and the direction we feel God leading us: TDC is based in the Columbia Heights area of DC and is committed to being “A Church for the City,” a church that seeks to bring Christ’s redemption to the broken people and situations in our neighborhood, the city, and the world. And though only a year old (TDC was just founded last September) the pastors of our church - Aaron and Amy Graham - have already started a Leadership Residency Program, the purpose of which is to teach, train, and equip young leaders to better join with God in the ministry to which He has called them. Aaron and Amy have asked me to be a part of this program through being the Outreach Director at our church and, after much prayer, Stephen and I feel very confident this is where God is leading me to serve him for at least the next year! So I officially accepted and started the Leadership Residency Program and the role of Outreach Director on September 1!
There are already many exciting things happening as I’ve started my new role, and in updates to follow (I don’t want to make this letter longer than it’s already going to be!) I will provide more detail on my role and the things I’ll be doing. For now, I’ll just briefly talk about what this program is going to be like and how it aligns so closely with the passions and desires God has given me:
Through the Leadership Residency Program, I’ll learn more about what it looks like to live an out-reaching life, and how to help others do the same: I will receive direct teaching from my pastor and other leaders on mobilizing and equipping the Church to live out Christ’s teachings, through means such as advocacy, community organizing, and mentoring. I’ll be learning more about what it looks like for the Church to live differently in our materialistic culture - how we can better use our time, money, gifts, and daily lives to reach out to this hurting world.
Specifically, I will be doing things like: organizing outreach events to provide practical relief to the disadvantaged in our city; loving and mentoring those within our own church; coordinating initiatives and mentoring programs for the youth in our neighborhood; leading studies on the theology behind justice and outreach, as well as leading practical trainings on various aspects of outreach; and helping to spearhead a Faith & Justice non-profit that would help unify churches in DC to do the work God has called us to do.
So would you join me in this exciting process? First and most importantly, I need your prayers. As a passionate, independent, and controlling person it is easy for me to go too hard and depend entirely on my own strength. Please pray that I would learn to better listen to Christ, follow His lead, and truly believe that He can do more than I could ever even ask or imagine through His power in me (Ephesians 3:20). Please pray that He would teach me to rest in Him continually, even as I am doing His work, and that I would trust His power to save and redeem even when my own actions seem to fail. Please pray that He would continue to grow The District Church (TDC), working through our community to bring His love and redemption to individuals, our community, and the world. Pray that we would follow His vision, not our own.
Please also pray for Stephen: He has just begun his first of two years in the intensive Teach For America program, and on top of rigorous training throughout these two years, he has been placed in a high-needs school with a very challenging 5thgrade class, full of students who each bring their own very distinct set of needs. Being the compassionate, wonderful teacher that he is, Stephen will need prayer and support as he strives to bring change and growth to these students’ academic and personal lives. Please pray that he wouldn’t become overwhelmed and easily discouraged as he faces heartbreaking situations on a daily basis in his students and in the DC education system. Pray also that God would help me love, support, and partner with Stephen in the ways he needs as he follows God’s call over the next few years. Before anything else, I firmly believe that the first thing God has called me to do throughout the rest of my life is to love and support my husband. Please pray that I would have wisdom when organizing my schedule, that at this intense season of Stephen’s life I would support him the way he needs, just has he has always done for me.
Please pray for our partnership and ministry together as well: God has used Stephen to open my eyes to the innumerable problems that burden our education system and amplify the issues that so many youth already face that prevents them from becoming all that God intended them to be. Stephen has also opened my eyes to our role as the Church in addressing these issues and truly loving children as our Father loves us, and I am praying about ways that I can support and help Stephen in this work that is so close to God’s heart, including ways through my job at our church. God has intertwined Stephen’s and my passions and has given us a vision for our work together in this world, and we are so excited to see how God uses us together this year! So please join me in praying for Stephen’s work, for the ways I am called to support him, and for our partnership together.
Would you also join me by receiving my newsletter updates? (Most of them will not be this long, I promise!) This will allow you to be kept up to date on what myself and The District Church are doing, as well as partner with us in more ways as opportunities come up. If you decide you don’t want to receive these updates, that is totally fine! You can “unsubscribe” at the bottom of this email. You can also read my blog (which I’ll update on a more regular basis) to read more about what Stephen and I are doing and to get even more insight into my crazy thoughts :)
Lastly, would you consider joining me financially? Because TDC is so new Aaron, Amy, and the other members of our leadership team (which now includes me) all raise support for our ministries. Our leadership community is made up of passionate people who follow God’s call, trusting His provision as they diligently do His will. I am seeking to follow their example, in the way they trust God as well as in the way they demonstrate what it looks like to depend on others: God has called us to join Him in his work, but we cannot do it alone (Trust me, I know - I’ve tried!) He very purposefully puts us in relationship with others and desires us to be in community, supporting each other, teaching each other, and learning how to serve Him and do His will together. TDC is an amazing community that models what this looks like so well, and one of the ways the leadership of our church does this is by relying on each other and others when it comes to finances as well. Our community expands beyond those who come to our church every Sunday morning – it extends to those who helped get our church of the ground by providing the financial support we need to do God’s work. Aaron and Amy humbly model the balance of trusting God to provide, while also diligently seeking the help of others, trusting others to be God’s hands and feet by providing for us financially.
So I ask some of you to consider being that for me as well! TDC is providing a stipend for us, and Stephen and I feel called to lead simple lifestyles that do not require a lot of expenses. I am also pursuing several promising leads for part-time work outside the church. All of this, in addition to the fact that Steve is blessed with his full-time teaching position, lowers the amount of support I need to raise for my ministry with TDC. The cost of working and living in the city, though, as well as feeding someone that eats as much as Stephen does (we’ve been married a year and a half now, and it still amazes me how much he eats…), still provides an opportunity for you to contribute financially, if you feel led! I know these are tough economic times and me sending you this letter in no way means I expect anything of you financially. The main reason you’re getting this letter, and all future letters from me, is to ask for your partnership in prayer and to keep you updated on our lives! If you do have a desire to support us financially as well, that’s wonderful - even a one-time gift of $10 would be a blessing. But again, the most important way you can support us is through your prayers and encouragement!
If you do decide to support us financially, you will be helping me do ministry with TDC, which makes your contributions tax-deductible. For your records, you are supporting the ministry I am doing here in DC with my church, which is why if you were to write me a check you would not write it to me personally - you would write it out to "The District Church." (My church will make sure all contributions desginated this way get to me. More about giving options later!) This will make your contribution tax-deductible and allow my pastor and others to keep Steve and me accountable with the money we are getting. I have a more detailed breakdown of our expenses, as well as TDC’s policy on fundraising and what the whole process looks like, which I can provide for you’d like (again, I really don’t want to make this any longer!) And I would love to talk to you more about what my work with the church will look like, as well as hear about what’s going on in your life - so please don’t hesitate to email me at blythe@districtchurch.org or call me at 757-561-7462. Also, I am always looking for ways to partner with others in the outreach work I am doing, so if you ever see an opportunity for that in your life – whether it is through your job, church, or just an idea you have – never hesitate to contact me!
To support my ministry at church:
You can write a check to "The District Church," with "Leadership Residency - Outreach" in the memo and send it to: The District Church, PO Box 3116, Washington, DC 20010.
The most convenient option for you to give would be online via the church website. Please make sure to select "Leadership Residency - Outreach” when it asks you to “Choose a Fund,” to ensure your gift is designated for me!
***All gifts are fully tax-deductible.
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