Our Midsommarfest Garbage Pick-up team was ready to go last Sunday as part of our Service for Service day. We had the garbage bags, the latex gloves, and the desire to tackle Clark Street and rid it of stray plastic cups and wrappers. As we headed east on Winnemac and made our way into the Midsommarfest festivities, we only ran into one problem.
There wasn’t any garbage.
Oh, there were some stray cigarette butts here and there, but, probably because it was still early in the day and there were others who were also on clean-up patrol, we did a lot of walking and not much picking. When we made it to the end, we decided to head back to Bethany via Ashland and that’s where we found the empty beer bottles, McDonald’s sacks, and other mysterious garbage.
It’s important for us to do ministry where the action is (we had a booth at Midsommarfest, after all), but this experience reminded me that it’s just as important to do ministry where the crowds might not be gathered. It’s another reason why Jesus is such a good model for us–he gave his time to the crowds and also stopped for the individual who had a question. It’s also why we’re dedicated to reaching the whole city and not just a few neighborhoods. Last Sunday’s Service for Service day was a great way to continue that effort.