DownloadOct. 19, 2009 issue
Listening to the cities’ voices
By Glenn BalzerPage:
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Chicago is one of my favorite cities. I especially like its public transit system. It’s easy to use, gets me everywhere I need to go, and I don’t have to deal with the traffic.
Balzer
A few years ago while riding the Red Line, a man came up to me and asked if I had a personal relationship with Jesus. It was late at night, I was tired and not really interested in talking to anyone, but this guy wanted to know about my eternal status. I was the only person in the train car. I turned and acknowledged his presence.
Before I had a chance to tell this man about my status with Jesus, he launched into a creative rendition of the four spiritual laws.
By the time he came to the end of his speech, I wasn’t sure how to respond — or, to put it more accurately, I had not been given the opportunity to respond. It was clear that his goal was to have me pray the sinner’s prayer. From what I could tell, he wasn’t interested in anything else I had to say.
On that evening, this Mennonite pastor prayed the sinner’s prayer just to get rid of the messenger.
And I learned a valuable lesson.
If you are going to ask a question, wait for a response. Assumptions are demeaning and belittling.
Most of us have been guilty of asking questions and thinking we already know the answers.
For the next 14 months, Hugo Saucedo (director of Mennonite Voluntary Service) and I have been asked to lead a nationwide urban listening tour for Mennonite Church USA. It is the expressed desire of denominational leadership to have urban pastors and church workers shape the urban Mennonite agenda.
Listening is not always comfortable or easy. People say unexpected things. Conversations go in unexpected directions.
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