A friend of the mission, Pastor Brad Culver has helped us think about learning from the ancient model of reaching people with the love of Christ which St. Partrick used to reach the Celts of Ireland centuries ago.
Brad has really lived a Christian lifestyle of loving people, particularly those who are on the fringe of culture. It has meant that their missionary fellowship in Straford Canada has created places and ways of "hanging out with people" who are not typically in "church". This is a hard place to walk if you are not yourself grounded in the faith.
Going to bars, movies, urban hot spots, setting up a cafe' that has an open-mic (meaning not all that is said and done is "morally" good). Yet, they trusted that their presence in this culture will bring salt and light as they care for people. This requires that the leadership is mature and able to resist the power and pleasures of the world which can suck people into its temporary and empty promises (drugs, sexual immorality, power trips).
When asked how he kept "balanced" in this relationship ministry he spoke of the ancient practice of Irish or Celtic Missionaries who did several things:
1) Went to the "thin places" or sacred places where Druid worship was held and set up communities where small groups of missionaries lived with the people and learned their way of life.
2)They looked for ways to share the truth of the gospel in a context that the people understood. For example, they listened for common stories within the Celtic culture that they could use to teach about Jesus. They looked for things in their art and music where they could connect.
3) The community tended to their inner spiritual health through regular worship and study. They used a monastic prayer liturgy throughout the day to keep them center.
4) The set up a system of spiritual mentoring where each missionary had a mentor and they each had one or two people they mentored.
5) They looked for intentional ways of serving the people with no expectation of reciprocity. They went to be a blessing and trusted that the Lord would draw the ones who wanted to know the source of their peace and motivation for their acts of kindness to ask about the faith.
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