Loaves and Fishes
Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. The he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. Mark 6:41, 42

Last Thursday I went on an ambling walk around the neighborhood without any particular goal. I passed by Holy Rosary Catholic church, which I had done many times before; however, this time I saw a side door open leading down to the basement. I approched the entrance and tried the door - it was unlocked. As I peeked my head inside, I found myself staring into the large basement kitchen of the church - red tile floors and lots of stainless steel countertops. A kind looking older gentleman asked me, "are you here for loaves and fishes?" I had no reason not to be, so I said "yeah, sure." He proceded to hand me an apron and point me to a stack of frozen turkey breasts that needed to be unwrapped and put on baking sheets.

Through the course of the next two hours I met the people of two methodist churches that prepare a meal a month at this location of Loaves and Fishes that serves a free dinner to an average of 350 families and homeless people four nights a week. After meal preparations were done, I left for about an hour and then came back when the meal was served to stand in line with everyone else. The food was terrific and healthy, and I realized that almost half of the people were Native, mostly children from Little Earth, the Native American housing project across the street from the church.

I've been back twice already to eat - I need the food and it is a great place to meet people. Yesterday I met Iner (pronounced as in "niner"), an older Native man from the neighborhood. After becoming sober himself ten years ago, he now works at Anishinabe Wakiagun, which provides housing for 40 late stage chronic inebriates. He told me to ask anyone along Franklin Street for Iner and they could tell me. "Look for the guy with the black hat and jacket on the silver bike. That'll be me." He also told me if there's anything I need, to let him know. Please pray that I could meet up with him again.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:49 PM 0 comments  

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How To Bankrupt A Missionary, Or, How To Build The Kingdom of God
Sunday, October 29, 2006

As I was contemplating what I should share tonight on my blog, I had the shocking realization that I had unwittingly asked all of my prayer and financial supporters for my life in Minneapolis with InnerCHANGE to refer to this same blog for updates - the same blog that I post sometimes personal, sometimes edgy, sometimes controversial ideas, even if I don't own them 100% yet.

If I were "smart" I would have started a new blog entitled Benjamin in Minneapolis or something like that where I could post polished, successful, moderate stories and pictures. But that is not my life, and that is not the life of the church among the poor.

For that reason, I chose to use the blog format and include all of you. What you see is what you get, becuase that is the only way to enter a foreign culture group - with humble genuinness. My hope is that this sometimes daily, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes vulnerable blog sharing will in some way be a prophetic statement about what I want my life of mission here in Phillips to look like, and what I hope the people of Jesus all over the world will become. This kingdom venture we have embarked on is a journey into community and humility by transparency. The same respect I would give to my neighbors here I want to offer you, as my friends and partners along the way.

So here's to news straight from the horse's mouth - the good, the bad, and the ugly of life ministry among the marginalized.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:55 PM 1 comments  

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Case In Point - More Shootings

If you just read the above post about honesty, you will appreciate this. After several drive-by shootings over the last few weeks in our neighborhood, another shooting hit closer to home.

A Native American couple has been attending the current house church with some of the InnerCHANGE team. Jim and Raquel (my teammates) had been making great strides in their friendship with this couple, and the wife had started attending a women's Bible study.
We just found out today that the woman's cousin, Wayne, was killed early this morning about a mile away from me by the police - shot 15 times! Wayne is the third person in four months to have been killed by the Minneapolis Police Departement - all have been minorities, suffering "multiple" injuries. Not only is this a terrible blow to the family and an attempt by the evil one to discredit the gospel that has been preached to them, but it is also a sign of the injustice that has been sustained in Minneapolis against minorities by those in power. To read the Star Tribune article written from the perspective of "the powers that be," click here.

Please pray for this couple that Peace would be with them, and that their new faith would remain strong through this trial. Also, pray for justice, righteousness, and equality to flow like a might river through Minneapolis. And as Jesus commanded, please pray for the six police officers who fired on Wayne: Derek Chauvin, Dante Dean, Brian Grahme, Shawn Kelly, Oscar Macias and Terry Nutter, all on paid administrative leave after the incident.


Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:21 PM 0 comments  

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Walking On Water, or Barefoot Waterskiing
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Doing church-planting in a new culture is a bit like barefoot waterskiing - it requires faith. There are many other similarities:

Seeing someone else do it, you say "I could never do that;" you get bruised and beat-up the first couple times you try; most people never try; it takes a good instructor; without help you would drown; you often almost drown even with help; but when you get up...ooooooohhhhhhh man!!!!!

This picture from waterski camp this summer is a sort of inspiration for me - if I can stand on water, God can totally plant a house church in Phillips with Native Americans.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:13 AM 2 comments  

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A House!
Monday, October 23, 2006

I'm now on week three since arriving in Minneapolis, and after waiting, looking, praying, and networking, I found the perfect house with a room for rent! 2634 14th Avenue S. Minneapolis, MN will be my address for the next year starting November 1st. Thank you to those who have been praying for this specific request; this came at just the right time. This is probably the only open room in this whole part of the neighborhood that I could afford - and it is only blocks away from my other team-mates!

I will be living in a three bedroom flat on the second floor of the house with two other Christian guys. I found the house through Urban Homeworks, a group that works to offer affordable, dignified housing for low-income families. I've been told that the family that lives on the ground floor beneath us is Venezuelan - a Christian pastor who fled the country with his family. Funny thing, because I lived in Venezuela for two years.... Please pray that my first interactions with them upon moving in next week will be positive and that they will be open to friendship.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:20 PM 4 comments  

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Welcome Yakima Alliance Church People!
Sunday, October 15, 2006

I am so grateful to Pastor Jim for making the phone interview and slide show happen this morning in church! Thank you for taking the time to check out this blog. A couple quick pointers:

- To get a better general idea of what I will be doing, scroll down two posts to see my first newsletter (It is also posted up on the missions board in the church).

- To learn more about InnerCHANGE, please visit their sweet new site, linked on the sidebar. -->

- To avoid having to keep checking back all the time to see if there are new posts, sign up for blogarithm to send you a quick e-mail whenever I update the blog with a new story. Just enter your e-mail in the box to the right. -->

- If you would like to support me financially, there is a link to an easy, secure, donation page on the sidebar too. -->

- To find out about my crazy times in San Francisco last summer with InnerCHANGE, scroll to the bottom of this blog and read your way up!

- I will be posting weekly prayer requests as well as more stories and photos. Thanks again for surfing by, and please come again!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:46 PM 0 comments  

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A Tale of Two White Men and Two Cups of Joe
Thursday, October 12, 2006

Once upon a time, two white men came from opposite sides of a city and found themselves huddling in the doorway of a darkened building, trying to escape the icy blast. Neither one had ever met the other; neither one had made arrangements to meet the other. Both had picked up the Native American paper the previous day and had read this advertisement:

"Language Table and Traditional Teachings: Tobasonikwut Kinew, an elder from the Onigaming First Nation, will be presenting Ojibwe teachings and philosophy every Thursday at 7pm. Nawayee Center School, Minneapolis. Everyone is welcome."

Both expected to be the only non-native person there. However, upon arrival and after two hard rings at the doorbell, the two realized they were the only two people there at all. After a minute of awkward introductions and the shuffling of hands in pockets to stay warm, the one with the longer beard suggested a local coffee shop.

Within minutes, both were seated at a small table in the middle of an empty cafe called the Wolves Den; one with black, the other with a cream-colored decaf. It didn't take them long to discover some extraordinary similarities - both had gone to college, both were interested in electrical engineering, both played drums, both had published a zine, and both had started a sort of vision-quest that very night to explore Native American Culture in order to better themselves and the world.

After a lift home, both wondered at the strange meeting and the seemingly uncanny circumstances. Both wondered what the next chapter in their story would be like.

Don't you?

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:58 PM 2 comments  

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First Newsletter From Minneapolis
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Greetings from the Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis!

I hope you are enjoying the crispness in the air and the changing of the leaves as fall quickly comes upon us, only to leave in a few short weeks! Now that I am finished with the cycle of school years (I graduated from Wheaton College last May), it is up to the changing of the winds and the trees to make me feel like the earth is still rotating and life is still moving. So why am I experiencing fall in Minneapolis, MN and not in Yakima, WA?

Here is the short answer: many of you will remember that I spent three months last summer in San Francisco interning with InnerCHANGE, a Christian order among the poor. That incredible experience opened my eyes to God’s special concern for the poor and the joy of working among people on the margins. In the middle of September, a last-minute opportunity came up for me to join InnerCHANGE for a year-long apprenticeship with them in inner-city Minneapolis. I felt that it would be a great fit for me and a place where I could recieve spiritual formation while actively living the gospel among a people who are in desperate need of good news.

What will I be doing?housechurch In a phrase: house-church planting. I will be working alongside long-time church planters to establish appropriate expressions of the church among the urban Ojibwe Native American community. The Ojibwe make up almost all of the Native population in Phillips neighborhood and have historically had an antagonistic attitude toward Christians (sadly, for good reasons). My primary goal throughout this year is to be a friend and a learner - to learn about Ojibwe culture, spirituality, and to hear their stories. As our stories and lives become intertwined, my hope is that the power and presence of Jesus in my life will be apparent. I hope to find “persons of peace” among them whom God has already been at work in to be open to the gospel. From this group of people, by God’s grace, we hope to start a gathering of believers to bring the kingdom of heaven to fruition.

To become a genuine friend and learner requires that I first become a neighbor, so I intend to rent an apartment in an area of Phillips where I can have day-to-day interactions with the Ojibwe, as well as the numerous Mexican and Somali immigrants in the area. Secondly, I hope to find a part-time job nearby that will give me more chances to connect with people and possibly give me another way to enter the community.

Why are the urban fencepoor such a big deal for InnerCHANGE? We don’t have a choice whether or not to love our neighbor; Jesus made that clear. But we do have the choice every day whom to make our neighbor, and there’s the rub. If Jesus had asked the Levite and the Priest who walked by the wounded man on the road to Jericho if they had loved their neighbor, at the end of the day I think they would have said yes. They simply did not see him; or if they did, their daily routes made sure he would not be in neighborly proximity to bother with - the “other side of the road” excuse. That is the point upon which the whole parable turns - the Samaritan made the choice to make his neighbor that person who was in the most need, when that person was actually the farthest in natural proximity from him! This is the choice Jesus commends. As religious people, we can attempt to follow the whole law by loving those in social proximity to us, but that is not enough, - and that is not what Jesus is teaching in the parable. He told it to answer the question “who is my neighbor?” And after telling the parable, he gave another command: “Go and do likewise.” This move to the Phillips Neighborhood with InnerCHANGE is my best attempt at obeying it.

Walk with Me! The kindgom of heaven grows by faith, and faith is acted out in prayer. Pray for me at any time, but if you would like to commit to pray regularly for me, I will be posting stories, photos, updates, and prayer requests weekly on my blog (the link is listed on letterhead). This purposeful lifestyle to plant a house church only allows me to work part time, and that cannot cover my living expenses. If you would like to help support my work financially, please visit my personal CRM donor site to support online, or e-mail me and I will post mail you the necessaries. If you would like more information about me, InnerCHANGE, or a free new DVD that highlights InnerCHANGE’s unique life among the poor, please contact me and I’ll get it to you soon.

Peace,
Benjamin

He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:34 AM 2 comments  

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ATTACK OF THE AGENCIES!!!! or, I Still Need A Kitchen Table
Tuesday, October 10, 2006

I've been in Minneapolis 4 days now, and I feel like I've already met 3000 people in the semi-underground Christian ministry/aid/relief/outreach/community develpoment network. There are more non-profit, federal beaurea, government funding, community center and religous "service" agencies in this neighborhood than I can remember. I am very grateful to them for the incredible resources they offer this neighborhood, but I am also thankful that an order like InnerCHANGE is also here - to walk street-level among these people as they navigate their way through agencies and programs and life.

Right now I'm still hovering it seems - being hosted by a local Christian couple until I am able to land. I have been blessed by being warmly welcomed into the family of faith here by people who hardly know me, but are opening up their lives to me. This is what I am experiencing, and this is what I want to offer to my neighbors here - not a tract, nor a finger to the nearest agency, but a life poured out and an open invitation to them to enter into it. This is where charity moves from the soup kitchen to the kitchen table at home.

And I am in need of a kitchen table and a home.

Please pray that I would find an apartment or a room in a house to live in - preferably cheap acomodations with a room/house-mate to keep me company, and in a location where God would allow many fruitful interactions with Ojibwe Native American neighbors. (This is the tribe we hope to start a gathering of believers in, aka "churchplant") Secondly, I am in search of a part-time job that will help my validity in the neighborhood, give me more contacts, and allow me to eat.

Lord, I believe; now help my unbelief.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:05 AM 2 comments  

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Retracing My Steps/Tire Tracks
Friday, October 06, 2006

As many of you know, I road tripped back to Yakima, WA from Chicago last May after graduation. (You can read about this previous trip by visiting the "May 2006 Archives" link on the right side of this page.) That was an incredible adventure where I met many new friends that I guessed I would probably never see again.

But, as things go, I found myself retracing the same exact road only four months later, with all my worldy possessions still packed in the back of my Jeep. My last trip was one of sorrow as I left my Wheaton experience behind and went home to the familiar hometown. This time, I am filled with excitement and expectation as I head off for a brand new start, in a city and among a people I know little to nothing about - the Phillips of Minneapolis.

I stayed with the exact same people as last time, revisiting the Lockie's in Bozeman, MT and meeting up again with my friend Lili (who showed me the town last time I was there); and seeing Charlie again in Rapid City, SD (Where, again, he took my jeep into his shop and fixed whatever he could find wrong with it, this time re-welding my driver side door back on!).

Late last night I made it into Minneapolis and was directed to the hospitality of Dan and Lucy Olsen's place where I slept well. More to come soon!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:42 PM 4 comments  

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I'm Off To Minnesota!?!?
Monday, September 25, 2006

Many of you will remember that I interned with InnerCHANGE, a Christian order among the poor, last summer in San Francisco. That incredible experience was the original reason I started this blog, and if you scroll far down the page you can read about that time in my life. This year I will be an apprentice with their team in the Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN!

What Will Benjamin Be Doing?
In a phrase: house-church planting. I will be mentored and trained by long-term church planters as I work alongside them to establish appropriate expressions of the church among the urban poor. That includes finding a place to live and (hopefully!) a part-time job in the community.

Who Is InnerCHANGE?
Good question. They are not a missions board, denomination, church, or corporation. They are an order, a community built on shared commitments and lifestyles, such as the Benedictines and Franciscans of old. In their own words: "We are communities of missionaries living in poor, marginalized neighborhoods around the world; places most people want to avoid or ignore. We seek to live out the good news of Jesus among the poor, both with words and deeds."
It's a beautiful thing - please check out their great new website!

Why Minneapolis?
I have always been curious/interested/passionate about church planting - and Minneapolis is the only US based InnerCHANGE team doing it. Besides that, God seems to have orchestrated things so that I am going to be a very good fit and complement to the team already in that city.

"The Minneapolis team was established in 1995 in collaboration with mission-minded Bethlehem Baptist Church. We are incarnationally anchored in the "Zone," an area in the Phillips Neighborhood, which is the largest, most diverse, and most impoverished neighborhood in Minneapolis. Our friends and neighbors include Native Americans (Phillips has the highest concentration of Native Americans in an urban neighborhood in the US.), Hispanics, African Americans and Africans among many other people groups."
-From the InnerCHANGE Minneapolis Team Website

Why?
This will no doubt come as a shock to many of you who expected me to be returning indefinitely to Yakima, WA after my month of travel. Believe me, I was expecting the same and it threw me for a loop too! My intent from the very beginning of my travels was that if I came upon any opportunity, I would pursue it and pray for God to guide me in it. 5 days before I was scheduled to be back in Yakima, I ran across the InnerCHANGE website and saw that their apprenticeship orientation was starting in just over a week - I had a chance! I realized that the application deadline was technically May 1st, but I called anyway. To make a long story short, because the InnerCHANGE people knew me so well from last summer, they gave it a shot and found a great fit for me on the Minneapolis team. After speaking with the team leader on location in Minneapolis, I decided it was a good choice and went for it.

What Can I Do?
Pray and ask God what He is requiring of you. (Consult Micah chapter 6) Look around: who around you is invisible to everyone else? What "least of these" has fallen through the cracks? Ask God what you can learn from that person, and how you can begin a relationship with him or her.

Please pray for me! I will be continually updating this blog with stories, prayer requests, and pictures. You can also subscribe to this blog and receive an e-mail notification every time I update this. Enter you e-mail in the Blogarithm box under my picture at the top right of this page.

Live by faith; listen and obey.

What Next?
All the details are still being worked out, but I will be flying to San Francisco on Wednesday for orientation with new apprentices from all over the country. October 2 I will land back in Seattle to drive my Jeep loaded with precious few possessions 1578 miles to Minneapolis.

Woohoo!!!! God is good.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:49 PM 1 comments  

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What Am I Supposed to Do?
Monday, September 18, 2006

Have you ever felt absolutley lost in the world, as if you could disappear and no one would notice? That's close to what I am feeling.

Right now I am living with my brother Nathanael in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I am sleeping on a couch, living off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Ramen noodles. Every day I go somewhere new where I don't know anyone and all my surroundings are unfamiliar. I just spent almost a month traveling across America and the Atlantic, returning after two weeks in Ireland. When I arrived back in the states, it was like I had never left.

I fly back to Washington this Friday where I will begin the search for employment and meaning in life (Only half tongue-in-cheek). I've got many more questions about life now than when I left, but I guess that's what life is about. Please pray that an opportunity would rise to meet me as I step onto various paths and try assorted doors.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:40 PM 1 comments  

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