Tortuga, part 2

The last month has been an exercise in jumping into the whirlwind. Since the "idea" of the Totuga House/ Collective was brought into existance, we have experienced many ups and downs and felt the birth pangs of something new. Our core team of myself, Kelly and her father, Larry, have been spending many hours in our "upper room" (since it's on the third floor, duh) hashing out the various fears, dreams, plans and words that have been coming to us. We are attempting to wrestle the idea into shape, to give it legs and arms. So here is what we have so far:

- Our passion for outreach remains. The apparent lack of an obvious, cohesive street community (a la Portland) does not change this. We have been given a love that is irrational, a love for people who are at best ignored and at worst hated. And it is our calling to stay faithful to this, despite the "lack of effectiveness" assumed from an organizational standpoint. So we are currently purchasing supplies and scoping out locations for carrying out the outreach. Kelly has been particularly illuminated in this area, having seemingly random run-ins with various kids in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. The strange thing is that the people she has met are drawn to her -- as if she is communicating safety to them without speaking a word. I think that this is confirmation of what we know to be true. So on that note, donations of supplies (socks primarily, but other warm clothing items are good also) would be appreciated, and you can contact us if you are interested in doing so.

- Something we did not anticipate at all: For a while now, we have struggled with the "church vs. ministry" quandry. In other words, are we here to plant a church or are we here to start a ministry, non-profit or other somesuch organization? The answer has never been clear. We have always been hesitant to say we are "planting a church," just because we are trying so hard to see things from a Kingdom perspective, where "church" means the Body of Christ and not some particular, exclusive franchise that has no interaction with other franchises. But we have also seen a gap here in the city. And we have also remembered that we come from a specific tradition and background. We did not invent ourselves. Our tradition is very young and small as far as church history is concerned (it's been around for about 10 years, and we are one of 4 manifestations of it), but its distinctives have been so formative for us that we cannot simply discard it and move on to something else. It is the vision at the heart of this tradition that we bought into several years ago, and it is an integral part of what we have come here to continue.

The "tradition" of which I speak is the one of The Bridge in Portland, Oregon. This is the place where Home PDX came from, and as a result, 141-NYC as well. And we have begun to realize that without The Bridge, there would be no 141-NYC. It took a community, a church where freedom and safety were central, to incubate the ideas that would hatch into 141. We feel that a similar environment is necessary here in New York, to become a new incubator of transformative ministry. So, it is essential that we concentrate not just on the outreach, but on the community itself, to make the outreach possible. The two can be separated for organizational purposes, but in reality they are connected parts of one organism.

All this to say, we sincerely feel that "planting a church" is part of the reason that we are here. And so our focus splits into two separate but equally essential directions: the outreach and the church. I have been working a great deal lately on the connection between the two, and the mechanics of said connection, and I will post these later when I have more time. But for now, suffice it to say that we have announced our plans, and are working toward action steps to get them going.

The nitty-gritty then, or what I like to call "the details":

- The church is basically going to be a house church, for now. Which makes sense, considering that we currently have four members!
- Our core values, distinctives, etc, are currently in the process of development. But once again, we feel that we are aligned with a tradition started by The Bridge in Portland.
- We are not looking to steal members from established churches. We are looking for people who do not fit into any established church.
- The outreach is not a ministry of the church, in the classic sense (i.e, something that certain people in the church "do"). It is an integral, essential part of the way of life of the community.
- Our official start/ launch date is TBA. We have a lot of things going on right now. I have a hunch it will happen fairly soon, though.

Those of you who read this blog, I would welcome your comments and suggestions. I would also request your prayers, for wisdom and peace as we continue to wrestle.