Anawim is a Hebrew word which means, in context, “the poor
who seek the Lord for deliverance.” It
is used frequently in the Psalms and book of Proverbs, including Psalm 37:11, “the
anawim shall inherit the earth”, which is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 5:5. The anawim are the focus of God’s acts of
salvation, and the inheritors of God’s kingdom.
Anawim is also a community church in Portland, Oregon. It is a church whose members are from a
variety of denominations, most of whom are homeless, almost all of whom are
desperately poor. Within the United
States, one of the most prosperous countries on the earth, is a huge population
living in what some may deem third world conditions. Without electricity, without easy access to
toilet facilities, without showers, even if they have a job, this population
struggles to survive. And this same
population is targeted by local governments to be assumed to be criminals and
ne’er do wells, simply because they are forced to live their poverty out in
public. This is the population of
Anawim: the homeless, the mentally ill, the desperately poor, the rejected, the
outcast due to economic disadvantage.
As a community, we have a number of principles by which we
live, which makes us a unique church, unlike most any others. Here are some of the principles:
1.
We not
only speak of our love of God and neighbor, we show it.
It is not enough to talk a good talk if we do not live it out. Theology and doctrine isn’t the primary indication of being a follower of Jesus, or a member of God’s kingdom. Living it out is. “Faith, if it has no works, is dead”
It is not enough to talk a good talk if we do not live it out. Theology and doctrine isn’t the primary indication of being a follower of Jesus, or a member of God’s kingdom. Living it out is. “Faith, if it has no works, is dead”
Below
each of the following principles, we will describe some of the ways in which we
live these principles out.
2. Our resources are for the poor
We are not building a “Christian”
community, but a community of the poor and vulnerable. Our buildings, our finances, our worship, our
housing, our food are all primarily for those who lack these very things. We seek those who need the most in our
community. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”
Our facility is used to shelter those who need a secure place to be, both day and night. Our kitchen is used primarily by the homeless who have no facility to cook in. Our shower is used by those who have no shower. Our bathrooms are open to those who have no place to use the bathroom. Our community house offers rest to those who do not have a place to live.
Our facility is used to shelter those who need a secure place to be, both day and night. Our kitchen is used primarily by the homeless who have no facility to cook in. Our shower is used by those who have no shower. Our bathrooms are open to those who have no place to use the bathroom. Our community house offers rest to those who do not have a place to live.
3. We are multi-cultural
One of the gravest problems in any society
is monoculturalism, the myopic viewing of the world through only one point of
view. We seek to build relationships
with people of different languages, different social groups and different
ethnicities so that we might learn to get out of our own narrow-mindedness, and
understand the breadth of God’s variety. “Before the throne and before the Lamb are
those of every tribe and all nations, peoples and tongues.”
Our church facility is used by four different congregations: One African, one Hmong, one Hispanic and one homeless. We invite middle class people to both serve and participate in our meals, especially to relate to our homeless and needy.
Our church facility is used by four different congregations: One African, one Hmong, one Hispanic and one homeless. We invite middle class people to both serve and participate in our meals, especially to relate to our homeless and needy.
4. We live by faith
We don’t know where tomorrow’s meal will
come from. We don’t know whether we will
have tomorrow the shelter that we depended on today. We seek God to provide for us, knowing that
God often provides in the very last minute.
“Give us this day our daily bread”
Our
prayer is our means of survival on a minute-by-minute basis. As an organization, we only occasionally ask
for funds, allowing the Spirit to move people to give as He sees fit.
5. We share all that we have
We cannot live without each other, because
none of us have enough to live well on our own.
When one person has an excess, then he or she shares with others, so
that we may all live in plenty. When one
is lacking in basic needs, they can go to others in the community to try to
meet their needs, whether food, shelter or clothing. “There was not a needy person among them
because… they would lay good at the apostle’s feet who would distribute to all
who had need.”
Our
facilities are set up to be places of giving and receiving, where churches and
individuals can drop off their excess so that we can give it to the needy
throughout Portland.
6. We sell nothing we are given
If we receive a donation as a gift, we do
not sell it to receive the money from it.
Rather, we find those who could use the donation and give it to them
freely. “Freely you have received,
freely give.”
All the clothing, furniture, food and other items that Anawim receives is distributed freely to the poor in the Portland area.
All the clothing, furniture, food and other items that Anawim receives is distributed freely to the poor in the Portland area.
7. We disobey any law that is in disobedience
to mercy
If we come against an ordinance or law that
commands us not to love or show mercy to those in need, we will try to go
around the law, but ultimately we must openly disobey if that is our only
option. We will always obey the higher
command to love. “We must obey God
rather than men.”
We will allow people to sleep on our property in emergency situation, even when that is in opposition to local camping or housing ordinances.
We will allow people to sleep on our property in emergency situation, even when that is in opposition to local camping or housing ordinances.
8. We make peace
We go to where there is violence and create
a community of peace. We use peacemaking
principles in order to subdue violent ways and create a community that not only
is at peace with itself but will create peace in the community at large. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will
be called the sons of God.”
We
hold biblical peacemaking trainings for the homeless and for other
churches. We constantly affirm the
principles of peacemaking throughout our shelters, offering a constant training
of the mind of peace. We prevent and
mediate conflict among those who come to our facility.
9. We seek to convert the violent and immoral
We are not content to have a community of
peace, but rather continue to seek the criminal and the mentally ill and the
violent in order to give them an opportunity of a new life of peace in
Jesus. “Eating with the sinners and tax
collectors.”
We invite anyone to eat of our food, to take showers and to get clothes, only asking that they refrain from violence on the property. Those who attempt to bring drugs to the property or who attempt to do violence we offer alternatives.
We invite anyone to eat of our food, to take showers and to get clothes, only asking that they refrain from violence on the property. Those who attempt to bring drugs to the property or who attempt to do violence we offer alternatives.
10. We accept suffering as our lot
We recognize that our calling is not an
easy calling, and we face violence and difficulty daily. This long term ministry (which we have been
participating in for twenty years) wears on us, and we struggle to
persevere. Our neighbors, the local
governments and even some of those we serve attack us and make our burden that
much harder. But we seek the Lord to
give us strength and endurance. “Without
many tribulations, no one can enter the kingdom of God.”
When
we are yelled at, we do not yell back.
When we are threatened, we do not threaten back. When we are hit, we do
not hit back. Rather, we seek God’s mercy for all.
11. We seek to convert the church
The church is lost, focusing on doctrine,
focusing on myopic communities, focusing on the wealthy, focusing on middle
class values, focusing on comforts. We
seek to remind the church of the radical message of Jesus, calling us to
radical lives not just scandalous words.
Ultimately, we seek to transform the church from an entity compromised
with the values of the world to step out and be truly unique in the image of
Jesus. “Be not conformed to this world
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”
We
encourage and teach radical discipleship in our denomination, and on the
internet. We partner with local churches
to join us in radical giving to the poor.
To see more about Anawim, please visit our website, Nowhere To Lay His Head
To see more about Anawim, please visit our website, Nowhere To Lay His Head
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