thirties who has clear passion for and great ideas about how they will serve Him, it injects hope and life into all that we're dreaming of for the future of the church. That in itself is reason enough to get up in the morning.
But when those passions and ideas are about addressing the injustices of poverty -- well, you can't get much closer to the heart of God and His strong words to those who say they follow Him. (Check out Isaiah 58 or Matthew 25, if you need a refresher).
Enter, stage right, one Shannon Blake, play write and cofounder of The Bench Theatre Initiative, and active member of Sanctuary. Sanctuary is a downtown church where the poor and excluded are particularly valued and where Shannon has found a spiritual home.
The Bench is a
hospitable, gracious, trust-risking theatre initiative prioritizing the poor and excluded, particularly those who are or have been street-involved, operating out of downtown Toronto. They are artists working in intentional community with other social and artistic initiatives, being an aesthetically compelling and credible voice in Canadian theatre, engaging their community as artistic equals.
This is not something undertaken lightly, and it has only come for Shannon as she has invested of herself in the lives of street involved people in real and meaningful ways over a period of time. Having been privy to some of the journey, I know that Shannon has been on her own discovery of self, understanding God's grace and love and redemption in profound, life-changing ways, because of her experience with this community.
In her own words,
"You don't get a lot of points for being inauthentic, and so as you're more able to share who you are and receive grace and love from that person, you're more able to extend those things to other people. Also, the power of God to build joy and redemption into settings of really immense sorrow; the fact that you do actually see the light overcoming some of the darkest scenes you can imagine deeply affects how I understand God."
We recently featured Shannon and The Bench Theatre Initiative at a service at Highview where cohorts Richard Bechard and Lyf Stolte brought to us the challenge to consider our own poverty before God.
Since our context is totally different - Highview being in suburban Kitchener and Shannon's ministry out on the mean streets of downtown Toronto - one of the main purposes of our morning was to help connect us to what God is doing there.
Shannon recommended two books, both by Sanctuary's pastor, Greg Paul. God in the Alley and The Twenty Piece Shuffle; moving and motivating both.
She invited us to come downtown to visit their community, and perhaps even arrange for a street walk where we could meet some of the particularly valued individuals who live there.
Some churches are involved in production preparation by constructing props and designing sets. Youth teams and drama teams have a lot to bring to this experience, and a lot to bring home from it as well. Other churches offer their support by advertising for productions.
The next production is set for this coming spring, running from April 29 to May 21. WONDERFUL is the story of three women living in poverty who, motivated by the impending birth of one woman's fifth child, seek to carve out space for themselves in the midst of a relationally, socially and institutionally difficult landscape.
An endeavor such as this requires funding, and that is another way, and a very important way, those of us with resources can participate in this amazing work. For that, I would refer you back to the link for The Bench where you can be directed in making a donation.
But perhaps the most significant means of connecting with what is happening downtown Toronto is by inviting God to help us think of ways we are poor, and ways we are rich, and how to invite people in your life into that. To consider what kinds of barriers exist between ourselves and others, regardless of economic standing, and how we might dismantle those barriers.
On a personal note, I have enormous confidence in Shannon and what she is undertaking. This is my first "endorsement" blog ever, and not something I have done randomly. I believe there is a strength of character, an integrity of person, and the passion of God's Holy Spirit behind The Bench. Shannon is real. She's intelligent. She writes magnificent plays. And she loves her people.
I am so looking forward to how we at Highview might share in some part of her adventure. And I am truly grateful for her inspiration.
