“That’s the Best Thing a Church Has Ever Done”

Okay – calm down.  It probably wasn’t the best thing the Church has ever done, but it was pretty great.  This video is 14 minutes long but if you don’t want to watch it, just keep reading . . .

I took a Lyft to the airport last Friday, leaving General Assembly early for a wedding in Philadelphia. It had been a great week for a long list of reasons and I was staring into space and relishing the memories when this conversation happened:

Lyft Driver Kevin:  Were you here for a conference?

Me:  Yes, the Presbyterian Church USA.  You might have seen us on the news Tuesday night.  We were on the local Fox channel.

LDK: Why were you on the news?

Me:  We marched from the Convention Center to the Courthouse with $47,000 to bail out some people who couldn’t pay their cash bail.  It was our worship offering from Saturday.

LDK:  Your church did that?

Me:  Well, it’s not just my church.  But yes, we did that.  We paid the bail to release about 3 dozen non-violent offenders.  It was pretty great.

We got to the airport, pulled over, and when we went to his trunk to retrieve my luggage, Kevin said, “I feel like I’ve met a friend today.  That’s the best thing the Church has ever done.”  And he hugged me good-bye.

This is what the world is looking for, my friends:  less talking, more concrete ministry that helps those in need here and now.  It wasn’t the very best thing the Church has ever done, but – like I said to Kevin – it was pretty great.

Image  by Danny Bolin from the march on June 19 march led by the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian Church USA.  You can still donate to this action here.