Urban Pastors Conference

Last week I had the chance to attend an Urban Pastors Conference in Nakuru for 3 days.  Though the days were very long, it was a rewarding experience as I learned much about the culture and was able to meet many Kenyan pastors from around the country, who were very accepting and kind.  I was very humbled as I began to get to know some of the pastors.  Many of them are serving in some extremely difficult situations.  One pastor I met has a budgeted salary of only 5,000 Kenyan shillings per month (about 60 dollars) and the church cannot afford to pay even that.  He has a wife who does not have a job and, I think, three children, and he cannot afford to pay for their schooling.  He said that many of members who do tithe can only afford to tithe about 50 shillings, which is around 60 cents.  One pastor was asking for prayer that they could afford to get electricity for his church, another was thankful that his church could replace windows on one side of the church and was praying that they could raise enough money to replace the windows on the other side, which was a much needed project.  Another pastor was asking for prayers that the church would be able to install bathroom facilities as the congregation is currently using his own personal bathroom at the pastor’s house.  It made me realize how feeble some of the things are which we worry about having in our churches in America.  It makes me wonder, with over a billion people in the world living in desperate and grinding poverty, most of whom are starving, have no health care or access to clean water, and cannot afford education, about how much the churches and Christians in America, if we gave just a portion of what we spend on our lavish sanctuaries, new cars, and bigger houses to aid in fighting poverty, what a difference it would make.  Ronald Sider, in his wonderful and very challenging book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, quotes “The Christians of the world enjoy an income of at least $10 trillion a year.  It takes only about $500 to create a new job among the poor and improve the living standard of a family of five by 50 percent within a year.  At $500 per job, 1 percent of Christian income for just one year could create new small loans producing 200 million new jobs.  In one year, that many new jobs could improve the well-being of one billion people.”  I do not think that spending money on buying nice things or building up the church is a bad thing in itself but hearing the stories of the many pastors who are making an impact with what little resources they have makes me wonder whether our priorities are up to par with the way Jesus would have them.  I am reminded of God’s anger for Israel in Isaiah chapter one and also Amos 5, where God declares that he is sick of all their sacrifices, prayers, offerings, celebrations and pious meetings because they forgot about the poor.  “Give up your wicked ways.  Learn to do good.  Seek justice.  Help the oppressed.  Defend the orphan.  Fight for the rights of the widows.” Isaiah 1:16-17.  “I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.  I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.  I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.  Away with your hymns of praise!  They are only noise to my ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is.  Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry.”  Amos 5:21-24.  Apparently our worship for God is not enhanced by upgrading our sound systems if we forget about helping the poor.  I need to reevaluate my priorities. ~ Jeremy