My Favorite Mission u Moments
By Janjay Innis
Recently, I attended Mission u (formerly known as The Cooperative School of Mission) an annual weekend study on a topic pertinent to Church and Society presented by The United Methodist Women in conferences across the country. Mission u is one of the many activities offered by the United Methodist Church that I had heard of, but had never been a part of until I was recently invited.
I truly enjoyed my time at the Mission u. The two topics of study were “The Church and People with Disabilities” and “The Roma of Europe”. We heard about ways persons who are differently-able contribute to the life of the Church and how we in return are to be accommodating of them as whole persons. We also learned that “Roma” is the more appropriate way to refer to those called gypsies. We learned about some of the cultural practices that make them a warm people who enrich the lives of those they are around. We even learned how to be in relationship with the Roma and to help one another to live as persons with promise and purpose.
For me, the highlight of Mission u was the “How Is It with Your Soul” study book. This resource helped us look at our faith journey through prayer, learning, mentorship, and transformation. Soul-tending is essential for the continuation of our calling and the mission of the Church. If we cannot tend to our own souls, we will never be able to tend to the souls of our neighbors. I mean that from the point of view of praying for and transforming our world through love, mercy and justice.
I especially enjoyed a small group exercise around this study where we discussed the differences in asking someone, “How is it with your soul” versus “Are you saved?” Without a doubt, we all liked the question “How is it with your soul?” because it is an invitation into relationship-building that centers on meeting a person where they are. I’ve never felt comfortable with asking anyone, “Are you saved?” – as it sets up all kinds of dynamics that lead to judgments about where people will spend eternity
Now that I’ve attended Mission u, I’m on a mission. I’m on a mission to find a lonely stranger and to ask them “How is it with your soul?” When I get the courage to do so, I am sure it will be filled with discoveries about our common humanity.
I was first introduced to the School of Mission by my mother’s participation over the years and when I became a missionary, I was the guest of a school that she attended in Central Illinois. A great moment came when one of the saints gushed to my mother: “Aren’t you proud of your son?” and my mother replied: “I am proud of all of my sons,” indicating that just because one was a minister, that didn’t cut any ice with her in relationship to “the others”. So I was proud of my mother.
With continuing education being an issue in United Methodism, I have long wondered why more ministers do not take advantage of this quality program. It has long been on my “don’t miss” list and I have never been disappointed. Warm, but not disappointed.
One time I was asked to teach a course of social issues and one woman took the class to try to understand me. We had clashed on one issue and she wanted to go deeper with me. That was very fortunate, as a few years later I became her pastor and because of that course, she was able to accept me as her pastor, even though we disagreed on one particular issue. Without that experience, she probably would have found it difficult to accept me as her pastor. But then, we will never know.