Go + Stay

Two posts ago I wrote an article proposing the gospel impacting the Patient Grower's Network.  That week I prayed for God to open a door, but the Holy Spirit did not open a way.  That is the way things go sometimes, and I trust God for an open door elsewhere.

If you have been reading here in the last year you may remember a post on the Juggalos in downtown Salem, and J.K.'s story.  J.K. and I are still friends and because of her I am getting to know her friends.  I love them.  I don't know how to spend more time downtown which is what it would take.  I could list the ways I'm failing.  The biggest one would be that I am not living in the rhythms of the lives of those God wants to reach.  I swoop in, spread a little love and gospel, and swoop back to Keizer.  What I am doing, stinks.

Missional does not equal just "go" ing.
Missional = GO + STAY

I love this video...



Have you ever heard of the "Person of Peace"?  God opens a door for the gospel with a Person of Peace.  It is based on Jesus' sending out of the apostles.  Jesus commanded them to preach the Kingdom only where they were welcome.  Jesus taught Go + Stay.  Mike Breen teaches in his book Building a Discipling Culture that a Person of Peace:

1.  Welcomes/receives you, listens to you
2.  Serves you

When I read that last year, it freed me up to see who it is that I need to be pouring the gospel into.

The people downtown are SO OPEN to me.  They are so friendly, so lovable.  They have shared their lives openly with me.  They are people of peace toward me.

I have good news.  After a couple weeks, the guys were talking about how everyone downtown has a nickname.  I said, "I don't have a nickname."  One of the young men named Jack looked at me and said, "I know what your name is."

"What?" I asked.

"Your name is Faith.  That's what you represent," he said.

I looked at him for some time, to read his face and his body language.  Was I the kind of faith that was overbearing?  Annoying?  Preachy?  Out of touch with reality?  I didn't see any of that in his body language.  He looked genuinely positive.  My heart swells thinking about it!

There's another older man downtown who was widowed recently.  He goes to the same spot every day for two hours in the afternoon.  He greets every person who walks by, wants to know them all.  He is a believer who wants to share the love of Jesus.  His own son was once addicted to drugs for years but today he is sober and taking care of his family because of the power of God.  He is a natural shepherd with favor of the people.  It is so encouraging to talk to him.  He is also very open to me, totally encouraged by me talking in various forms about God's apostolic impulse.

All the young men respond so positively to this older man.  He was getting out of his car across the street and they all exclaimed his name loudly as he made his way, they were so excited he had come.  He got a nickname too that day.   Jack said, "there is no one as unique as you," to him.  The older man wanted to know why he was unique.  Jack said, "because you are the only older person I know who cares to get to know people, who will actually spend time with them instead of just drive right past them."  Isn't God good?

Jack is an agnostic who thinks the bible was written by men, full of inconsistencies.  Would you pray for this young man?

Here's the rub.  I feel so inadequate.  Let me give you a list of reasons why.  I've got more than one!!  :)

1.   I am a woman.  Yes, so I'm smart-n-stuff but you never know.

2.   My faith is not as strong as I wish it was.

3.   I'm not the best discipler.  I'm more of an apostolic/prophetic than a teacher.  There are others who are gifted at teaching and I sure would like some of those to come alongside.

4.  People downtown are sometimes mentally ill, former criminals, or addicted to drugs.  How can I stay ahead of all Satan's strategies?

I guess this is something for this older man and I to figure out together.  He is struggling with trying to answer the same questions: how do we know when to trust?  I've reached out to the Union Gospel Mission to get a feel for the way things really are and the resources they have available, the real struggles they are already engaged with.

Yesterday evening I went to Sonrise Church, also known as "Stitches."  It is an interfaith discipling ministry across the street from the Salem Conference Center.  I met Bob, one of the associate pastors.  He knows some of the people at Salem First Baptist.  He showed me everything they are doing to reach the young street folk.  One girl got bored waiting for our conversation to end and she came up to Bob and just snuggled in for a hug.  This moved me.  I love this place.

They started off doing an open grill down at the bus depot several years ago.  This developed into a group doing devotions at various places on the street.  In an alley.  On the capitol steps.  Eventually they got themselves a building.

I said to Bob, "You guys are doing everything that I want to do, though I don't want to develop things toward a permanent building with permanent services.  But you've got so much resources.  You have a men's mentoring program.  You have solutions for drug addiction.  I don't have any of that."

He looked me in the eye and said, "You don't need that.  I can tell you having worked here for several years, even when it comes to something like drug addiction: it is the love that sets them free.  That's it.  And it is the only thing that will keep them free.  You've got everything you need, as long as you are filled with love from God."

Ahh!  That was a word from the LORD to me.  So I pass it on to you.  You also are adequate in Christ's love!  God IS love.  All of His Holy Spirit ministry is captured within that powerful love.

I have two women who are praying with me, we are praying for one another's opportunities to advance the gospel.  We've been doing this for a month with one woman, several months with another.  One of the ladies wants to come with me downtown!  So I am planning on picking her up with me as I go.  God is so good to answer my prayers for partnership!

I am also being mentored by the longtime ministry partner of George Patterson.  Ralph Winter, the international missions leader who coined the term "Unreached People Groups" and in so doing catalyzed a new wave of world missions, calls George Patterson one of the top three experts in the world on church growth.  I am so glad for God's favor.  I can't even tell you how special this is to me.

I don't want to do church services - I want to do what is called a people movement toward Christ.  Work within the circle of natural community that exists.  See a few come to Christ and naturally they will reach the rest of their circle.

I don't want church FOR the people.  I want church BY the people, on the street, in the places they carry out life.  Mike Breen says,

I've said it many times: If you make disciples, you will always get the church. But if you try to build the church, you will rarely get disciples.

--  "Why The Missional Movement Will Fail" by Mike Breen

Praises:

For the young men and women who are open to me
For prayer partners who faithfully pray for the people downtown
For seasoned mentorship

Needs:

Prayer
Safety and Wisdom
Teacher(s)
Increased Faith

J.K.'s Story

This is my friend's story.  Her name is Jamie Barquest and she and I and her mother have reviewed this material before making it public.  Jamie is 20 years old and her nickname is J.K.


Q:  Are juggalos only family networks, or are they also a gang? 

A:  I have a street family downtown, but family is different than a juggalo. You can be part of a juggalo family. You can be family but not be part of a juggalo. It all depends on the respect you have toward people.  Once you give enough respect you start to call them your brother or your sister, moms or dads. Sometimes people just keep their family, family. Not everyone downtown is a juggalo. In order to be one you have to pretty much have to get approval of it. You can't start your own juggalo; you have to have been in one for almost a year, sometimes even longer. Then you can get permission to start one on your own. I had permission.

Some people will consider it a gang in some ways. Juggalos claim territory. Down town is a wide open. You don't want to claim a wide area like that, so we share it with two other gangs. I don't even want to mention their names because I don't want any trouble between juggalos and them. With those who are gangs, they have respect for us and we have respect for them. I don't know everything about juggalos and how they are or are not like a gang.  In the area by 20th between D and Center St., there lives a juggalette who knows more and has had multiple families and has been through that for about two years now. There is one juggalo family whose territory runs from Portland Rd. to Lancaster Ave. where it crosses Ward at the Arco station. That's Jesse's juggalo. Justin's juggalo has all of Keizer.

Q:  How do they defend their territory? Are they challenged to defend it?

A:  I don't think so. People don't care if you're in the territory unless you try and fight them. You're more and welcome to walk on their territory.

Q:  Is the juggalo family there to support you? 

A:  My street dad, Animal, is the head of the juggalos in all of Salem. He watched my ex-boyfriend very closely. They all chased him away when he put his hand on me. Your family always has your back. You're not supposed to kick anyone out of the family unless everyone votes. But, I was kicked out of a family without a vote. Elmo decided I was out because I am all about myself, she said. I said that's not true. I share my money to get other people things that they need, when it comes to drinks or food, I will give it if I have it....

Q:  How old were you when you started becoming aware of the Juggalos in downtown? 

A:  I heard... bits and pieces at the age of 12 or 13. It never came across my mind to join up with one till after I left my mom's house and she completely disowned me. I was 19. When I was 17 or 18 I really knew a lot about them, but now that I've been a part of the juggalos for almost two years, I have more knowledge.

Q:  How do you get out of the family? 

A:  You can leave a family at any time. Not all juggalos are gang informed. One of them made it into a gang. His name was Jay. Animal and Farah ran him out of town. He is not allowed to wear the hatchet anymore. He was trying to take over Salem and leave no place for anyone else which is not right, and claim Animal's family. He's pretty much done for here.  The way I was brought into this, is not a gang. Jesse knows more about whether it is a gang, he wanted me to join. He was going to join Jay's crew. But Jay told him that in order to join he had to be shot in the head with a bee bee gun six times. But Jesse said no, and he walked away. That's when Jay started to lose his influence. No Sex Affender can wear any hatchet gear. Animal put that out as a rule. You can't be a juggalo and have hurt someone in any way. They'll fight I won't deny that, they'll fight over the right reasons though.

Q:  Has it been just like a family to you? Did Animal give you drama when you came in? 

A:  Animal has not given drama he and the rest opened up their arms when I joined. They've offered me drinks and food when I needed it. They'll help as much as they can. They help you with pretty much anything, warm places to sleep, anything. Yes Animal lives at the mission and yes Animal has been to jail; he is on probation. Just because they have been to jail that doesn't mean everybody who has been to jail has started a juggalo family, or is a bad person. But I don't wanna go down there anymore. Farah won't come downtown at all, either. Why - pointless. I would rather die before something bad happens again. It ain't worth it again. "A Place Called Hope" is where I will go, or at the Mission. I don't want to hang out with a lot of people anymore. My ex-boyfriend has tuned a lot of my friends against me. He could still be in Jesse's crew (juggalo). (It's more professional saying juggalo family than "crew.") I still have family down there. Two street moms, now I have three. Lots of street brothers. They became my family before I became a juggalette. Other than that why should I go down there? They don't really care about me. They are not calling or texting to show me they really care.

Q:  Tell me about the teenagers who hang out down there and join juggalos. 

A:  Most teenagers have parents who are drug addicts or alcoholics or don't care what they do or do not do. Like my friend Anna was told by her mom, "I don't care what time you come home tonight just make sure if you have sex you use a condom." In some ways I look at that and try to understand what kind of mother wants her daughter to go out there and have sex, at such a young age. But then you have other parents. Parents that kick their teens out and tell them to live on the streets to survive on their own. Same thing, why would a parent want to do that? Sometimes parents drive around looking for their kid at night. All these kids are growing up to do whatever they know to do that takes away their anger and aggression and depression and anxiety. Yes they do multiple drugs, some of them are always on something when I see them. They always are high I never see them sober. I stand by my friends' sides. I know how it feels. I'm not saying I'm the perfect person and not tried anything because I have. I've gone from smoking pot to sniffing spray paint, doing ecstasy and smoking meth once. One of my close friends I had in my past, Jules, told me, "why put something in your body to take away the pain. It ain't worth it, those problems are still going to be there the next day."  I've learned that; it took me three years. I feel sorry for everybody that I see and that I get to know who are homeless or trapped in a gang or have parents who want nothing to do with them. The reason why I joined to become a juggalette is to be more than just a family. It's because of all the outcasts that my heart is moved. There are some people who have no family, they don't even talk to their regular family. I want to be there to welcome them with open arms.

Q:  And are there homeless people downtown in juggalos? 

A:  Some of the people down there are also homeless. Outsiders look at the homeless that they aren't as good as they seem and that they don't need any help. They don't realize that a lot of them that I know are always there. Last week one of them made a necklace for me. There's a lot of people out there who actually care and would do anything. Literally give me the jacket off their back when they barely knew me just because I was cold. One let me use his duffle bag as a pillow and watch my stuff for me so I could nap.  I can have anything that I need as long as someone has the money or food stamps to get it. But that doesn't mean I can take it for granted. "Hey can you get me this can you get me that" - it doesn't work that way. I try to do what I think is right, and lately trying to keep to myself and not do much outside of the house.

Epilogue

At the time I had interviewed Jamie for this post she had made several statements about how disillusioned she was about juggalos and going downtown again.  She had made a resolution to me and to herself to be done with much of those relationships.  She told me it was change in her life that she had somehow misplaced her hatchet necklace and couldn't wear it anymore.  She was keeping to her room and reading novels as a demonstration that she was finally making some choices for her own welfare as distinct from the community downtown.

However, three days later we hung out.  She was wearing a bright purple and black hatchet shirt, and had a new boyfriend, and had been downtown earlier in the day.

Her mother is disappointed to learn about this.  We both feel that Jamie underrecognizes her family and upbringing that has been faithfully given to her all her life.  Therefore the conversation between daughter and mother continues, and they bless me because they are both friends and a part of my life and I theirs.

Thinking Strategically

The first and last thought I have for Jamie is to see her leave the juggalos in order to find Christ in a deeper way.  But I am learning lately, this is a fallacy.  I used to want to help Christ followers find fresh relationships within the church walls and I was quite fine with the thought of replacing their old friends with friends at church.  But like the teacher in this video below, I realize how much a mistake it is to think that way.

I believe we need to stop pulling people out of their contexts.  Rather I desire to see them remain in it, and teach them how to be disciples whereever they happen to find their community.  "I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).  In the next post I hope to continue discussion on strategies for bringing Christ to juggalos, and hope that readers will join in.

This video is alright but if you might watch from minute 11:45 till the end (about 3-4 minutes from that starting point), this is what is so helpful.  Patterson gets offstage and gives a visual demonstration from members of the audience.

The Juggalos in Downtown Salem

Over the last month I have had the opportunity to learn a little more deeply about a friend of mine.  She had been using the word "juggalo" occasionally and I finally asked her "Don't you mean 'jiggalo'?"

"No, I don't know what a jiggalo is.  I meant juggalo."

Juggalos are the name given to fans of the music band Insane Clown Posse (ICP).  "Juggalo" is the term the singers of the band gave to their fans as a way of saying you're part of the family, part of the fan base.  ICP is a horror-rap underground band with violent and sexual lyrics.  The fans love singing these extreme lyrics as a way release pent up anger.  The fans consider themselves a family - and family is what they practice together in the places where they live.

I'm still learning a lot about the juggalo systems of family.  So perhaps some of what I write here is not truly accurate.  Some areas in the country have identified juggalos and juggalettes (male and female fan counterparts) as a gang.  They have been declared a gang by the FBI in Modesto, California; Detroit, Michigan; and in the states of Arizona, Utah and Pennsylvania.  But most fans dispute their being a gang.

They are typically an easily identified group.  They don themselves with "hatchetwear" - depicting a running man with a hatchet, or else wearing clown facepaint as the members of the band do during their performances.  The memorabilia can be purchased at the retail outlet "Hot Topic."

What is most interesting about the juggalos is the sense of family and belonging they have developed.  As far as I understand it, these people rally under the identity of being extremely poor, homeless, or outcasts in high school or society.  A sense of family is forged and members will watch out and care for one another.  There are many juggalos and juggalettes in Salem especially the downtown area.

Juggalos have a yearly national "Gathering."  It is four day festival not dissimiliar to Woodstock back in the 1960s.  They come to hear the band and revel in the unity of family coming together into one place.

I asked to publish my friend's story a few nights ago.  She said yes.  Her story will be the material of the next post.  Some of my questions made her feel the need to check answers with other juggalos.  She told me she would talk to "Animal" who is the leader of the juggalos in the Salem area.  She asked me, "Would you like to interview Animal yourself?"

"Um, I don't want to interview him," I replied.  "But I wouldn't mind talking to him.  I just would like to get to know him and his story.  That would be cool."

Two days later she and I talked and she said, "I asked Animal if he would like to be interviewed, and he said yes he would."

I replied again saying, "Well I don't want to interview him only for a blog post.  Maybe we could talk, over a meal.  I would do that."

The Significance of Juggalo Families

Juggalos on the street

I am beginning to understand that all of my friend's friends are connected the juggalo system of families, which is perhaps a soft gang.  This explains why she spends most of her time with them.  They are always together.  They are hardly ever apart.  They live life together and share their financial resources.  They are always there for each other when something goes wrong, deeply intimate with the lives of one another.  They sleep together, eat together, solve problems together.

There is an important reason I'm treating this to a blog post, and bothering to dryly interview my friend:  I find their example to be a high challenge to the Church.  Yes we believers have something to learn from those outside the faith.  Certainly we can invite outcasts and the poor into daily family of comparable intimacy as this - where they could learn the hope of redemption in the blood of Jesus?

Let's dream for a moment on what Christian community could look like outside the church walls....  Imagine if we had small families of believers dedicated to being disciples - we would be living out our lives with each other with gospel intentionality - and also be engaged in the rhythms of life of the people we want to reach....



Life in The Crowded House from TCH Sheffield on Vimeo.


More information on ICP and Juggalos:

Wiki


"Beneath the Greasepaint, The Roar of 'Fam-i-ly!'" (an article by the New York Times)