I faced a dilemma yesterday that I'm still wrestling with in my mind!
I volunteer to usher at our church for the "early" service (8:15am) on certain Sunday's. There are several duties that are expected when I'm being an usher. A couple of things I need to do when "on the job" is to hand out bulletin's/programs to people entering the sanctuary and I also count how many people are in attendance for church records. Another duty is to be the first line of defense in the security of our congregation. This past Sunday there was a moment that I had to make a split decision about someone's intentions. Did they mean harm or were they simply looking for help?
Our church has a mission statement that states:
Each person is a unique creation of God and, through grace, is a child of God. The people of First Lutheran Church welcome all because God welcomes all, without regard for race or culture, sexual orientation, gender identity or relationship status, physical or mental challenges, imprisonment, addictions, socio-economic circumstances, or anything else that too often divides us. First Lutheran Church is a spiritual community that celebrates the gifts of God that can empower us to engage in the struggles of life, to care for each other, and to serve Christ where we work and live. Our unity is in Christ.
I'm a firm believer in trying to live that mission out as best I can. However, I fail...a lot.
Here's what happened in just a few minutes...but seemed like an hour:
This past Sunday, after worship had started, I noticed a large man enter the doors and looked confused. I approached him with a bulletin in hand, smile on my face and said, "Good Morning" and motioned for him to come down the hallway further and join our worship, which had just started. He motioned for me to stop and get him something to write with. So, I returned to the usher table and retrieved a pad of paper and a pencil. I turned back around and walked the length of the hallway and returned to the gentleman and handed him the paper and pencil. Just then another individual opened the door from the parking lot on the north side of our building. It was another face that I didn't recognize. He turned to go down the hall to my right, towards a row of offices, bathroom and a water-fountain. I locked eyes with him, so that he knew I saw him. I couldn't see all the way down the hallway due to where I was situated, as the large man in front of me was writing something on the paper I handed him. (At this point, I become concerned...not only for my safety, but for the safety of the congregation that was worshiping and was unaware of not just one...but two strangers in our building. I have quick flashes of news stories going thru my mind of what "could" go wrong. Was this going to be a crime-scene church? What were their intentions?) The gentleman that was standing in front of me finished his note and was handing it to me. I surveyed where my fellow ushers were, in case I needed some sort of back-up. I noticed they were standing back near the usher's table approximately 50 feet from me. As I'm grabbing the note from the silent stranger, I take a quick mental picture of the man standing in front of me. He was BIG. He was my size (I'm 6' 6") and had probably another 25-50 pounds on me. He had a full length, long grey beard. He wore a thick, bulky black coat. (A coat that I thought seemed odd for a day that would almost reach 60-degrees.) I took the note from his hand and read it. It said "Please give cash $10 or $20 for gas". I have no idea why he didn't verbalize his request. (I thought...why did he write a note? Was it a distraction?)
At this point, I still can't see the other stranger down the hallway...and I have someone in front of me that could have dubious plans. (Why is he wearing such a heavy coat on a fairly mild day?) I'm the lone person standing between him and 113 people in our worship area. (I know that I'm not going to turn my back on him. I want to keep him in front of me, in case I need to get physical and push him away if he goes to grab something out of his pockets.) Just then I remember that I had grabbed a $20 bill off my dresser when I left the house in a hurry (thinking I might get some breakfast after the service). I've been told my multiple homeless organizations in Omaha and Lincoln that people should never give cash to those individuals...simply tell them you don't have cash and direct them to places like the Open Door Mission in Omaha or People's City Mission in Lincoln to get help. (But my mind was racing a thousand miles per hour. I wondered did they simply want money or were there darker reasons for them entering our doors? I looked the stranger squarely in the eyes to see if I can get any kind read on him. Again...what were his intentions? What about this other guy down the hallway?) I decide the quickest way to solve any potential problem, is to simply hand over the $20 dollar bill I had left over from the concert the night before. He slowly took his hands out of his coat pockets when I handed him the money and told him that he could join us in worship or go about his day. At this point...every crime show I had seen, each story I've read about encountering someone evil, simply melted away from my mind. He turned to leave the set of glass double doors and turned around and used sign language to say "Thank You". He then pointed at himself and said "Shane"...and said signed "Thank You" again. I'm now figuring out that he was deaf and needed the paper and pencil to communicate. His partner/friend also re-appeared and quickly exited out building into our parking lot.
I'm not so naive to think that things could have turned out completely different. Those news stories that I kept thinking about during our exchange really happened. Those stories could have started out just like that one I went through. Some people do have nefarious intentions. Thankfully, Shane didn't...or I don't think he did. Maybe he changed his mind. Only God knows for sure.
After the intense situation passed...I then wondered...would they be back? Did they mean anyone harm? Were they simply looking for help? I decided they were simply looking for help...and what better place to get help than a church. A church that "welcomes all". I was able to put that mission statement into action...but it wasn't easy.