Peyton Smith | Contributor
Junior Maddie White, co-director of the Emmaus trip: "I assumed I understood the needs of the community . . . but if I am not taking the time to observe what is taking place around me, do I really know the community at all? I have been challenged by this. I want to take more time to observe, more time to listen."
Twelve undergraduate students, two co-directors and one Graduate Assistant (GA) spent last weekend in Boystown, Chicago, carrying Taylor's message of servant leadership from the classroom to the streets.
The ministry trip was sponsored by Global Outreach (GO), a cabinet under Taylor World Outreach (TWO), in partnership with Emmaus, an outreach ministry headquartered in Chicago. Juniors Hannah Williams and Maddie White co-directed the Emmaus trip with the help of GA Lauren Carter. According to Williams, this is not the university's first experience at an Emmaus Immersion Night.
According to Emmaus' website, their mission is "to provide Christ-centered support to men seeking to escape survival prostitution and embrace a life of health and wholeness." Taylor students participated in fulfilling this mission through Emmaus' unique servant leadership opportunity, Immersion Night.
Last Friday night, Taylor students arrived in two packed buses at the Emmaus offices. There the group learned about the work Emmaus does and the culture of downtown Chicago. After two and a half hours of discussion, Taylor students split into groups and hit the streets of Boystown. They spent three hours evangelizing, asking questions, listening and learning.
Boystown is a neighborhood within Chicago that is home to a visible and active LGBT community. Evangelizing in this neighborhood led to the topic of the relationship between the Church and the LGBT community for several students.
One of the themes Taylor emphasizes within small groups and chapel, "a community centered around the table," came up in discussion at the Emmaus debriefing. Freshman Erica Bell recalled a heartbreaking testimony:
"One guy in particular, on the night of, literally, his very first family dinner, sat on the edge of the couch in (the) Emmaus lobby, clutching the arm of the sofa, terrified." Bell said. "When asked what was wrong, he simply replied, 'I've never done this before. I've never had a family style dinner before . . . I don't know what to do or how it works. I've seen it on TV, but I've never been a part of one before.'"
The group then split into pairs and found places to sit along bars and local restaurants to have conversations with strangers. Meeting the men on their territory in the middle of the night was genuinely scary for some students. According to Bell, her fear of harm, discomfort, unfamiliarity and the unknown almost kept her from participating in the experience.
However, conversations lead to a change of heart. "It's so fascinating and beautiful what God can accomplish in you when you're insanely uncomfortable and feel incredibly awkward," Bell said. "He uses the 'sinful' and 'unholy' lifestyles of others to teach you about the sinful and unholy thoughts and feelings of your heart towards them."
The next morning, after a rough night of little sleep on concrete floors, the group had a time of worship, reflection and service at the Monarch, a local thrift shop. The Monarch partners with Emmaus, providing jobs for the men in an Emmaus program. Even though the group's day ended around 3 p.m. Saturday, most agreed their work was not done. Their eyes were opened to a new perspective.
These encounters are set up by Emmaus with the hope of bringing about compassion through understanding. That is exactly what the Emmaus Immersion Night did for Bell. "I saw, heard and inhaled things that were shockingly sad, but at the same time, for one of the first times in my life, I didn't have a single judgmental thought," Bell said. "All I had for all the people I saw was love: an understanding of their humanity and of their brokenness . . . they were no different than me."
Though perspectives varied from person to person, Carter described her experience as a sneak peak into different walks of life. She found that people were eager to have simple conversations and approached her before she even reached out to them. "It's not every Friday night that Taylor students sit on a ledge at 1 a.m. on a street filled with bars," Carter said. "Not every night are we open to having conversations with strangers."
According to Carter, students were reminded that everyone has a story. She believes an open ear to those stories can go much further than judgment.
Love for one's neighbors is often hindered by false preconceptions, White and Williams said in an email encouraging students to sign up for the trip: "For many of us in the Church, day-to-day life does not offer meaningful contact with those who are dealing with homelessness, addictions, homosexuality or poverty."
According to Emmaus' website, a fundamental part of the Immersion program is walking with men on the street as Jesus walked with his disciples on the road to the city of Emmaus. The Taylor group listened to heartbreaking stories, shared the word and built relationships. The Emmaus motto reads, "Walking the road . . . Awakening hope . . . Welcoming men to the table." Within a single weekend, Taylor students had this opportunity in a context outside their comfort zones.
