Ethnography: Shalom International Ministries


Ethnography:  Shalom International Ministries


We visited Shalom International Ministry last week, understanding that this is a Christian ministry for refugee families in the Clarkston area, “the most diverse square mile in America”[1]; but what we discovered was much more than was expected!  The church building which houses Shalom belongs to Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church (MDPC).  Although MDPC is an active congregation in PC(USA), the size and ability of the congregation has been dwindling since the 1980s, due to an aging population, less financial resources, and an overall shift in demographics of the area that it serves[2], which includes Clarkston and Stone Mountain zip codes.  Therefore, MDPC has become the grounds for Memorial Drive Ministries, which is an umbrella church-based nonprofit organization “that fosters diverse worshipping communities, innovative social services, and transformative relationships”[3].  Shalom is only one part of this relatively new, diverse, and growing organization.

An Introduction to the Clarkston and Stone Mountain Areas

What used to be a primarily white middle- to upper-class region has become a predominately black and refugee low- to middle-class region.  The minority populations of old are no longer minorities in Clarkston and Stone Mountain (see Table 1 in Appendix).  The African-American and Asian populations are increasing; the white and Hispanic populations are decreasing; and there is a simultaneous increase in poverty, decrease in median property value, and decrease in median household income[4] (see Table 2 in Appendix).

Why is this important?  According to PeopleKeep, the federal poverty line in 2016 for a family of 4 was $24,300[5].  Not only do the median household incomes of Stone Mountain and Clarkston qualify these areas as lower-class, but they also fall below the median household income in all Dekalb County communities.  Furthermore, there is a rift between whites and nonwhites in the highest average salaries.  Whites in these areas make 1.67 times more than Asian workers, who make the second highest salary of any race/ethnicity.  African American/Black and Hispanic/Latino races are left out of the comparisons, because their income is so low[6].

To concentrate on the area where Memorial Drive Ministries and Shalom International Ministry do their primary work, we have examined the data regarding the areas of Indian Creek Way, Indian Creek Drive, and Pine Lake[7].  According to the census, the median household income in these areas in 2016 was around $23,000[8], which places these families below the federal poverty line.

David Roth, director of Memorial Drive Ministries, and Reverend Gad Mpoyo of Shalom identified several other issues that are prevalent in this area, besides income and its poverty counterpart:
  • Workplace,
  • housing, 
  • language barrier, 
  • lack of education,
  •  transportation,
  •  and childcare
[9]Refugees arrive with a refugee visa and a responsibility to engage in the livelihood that has been organized by the United States’ Refugee Admissions Program – housing, job and wages, school district, public transportation, etc.  They have 180 days to become self-sustaining individuals in the community, according to this assigned livelihood.  Although refugees receive a medical exam, a cultural orientation, help with their travel plans, a loan for travel to the United States, and some medical and cash assistance[10] for the first 60 days, the responsibility placed on their shoulders is enormous!  Although there are various organizations addressing the needs of refugees and immigrants in Atlanta, there is something special to be said about the refugee work of Memorial Drive Ministries and Shalom International Ministry.

Memorial Drive Ministries

While Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church was doing well and flourishing with a growing population up through the 1980s, they continued to add buildings and increase their capacity for worship and programming.  After the 1980s, things changed drastically, leaving many buildings unoccupied and under-utilized[11].  Nearly at the same time, in the 1990s, the Clarkston area was identified as an ideal place to resettle immigrants from the refugee asylum programs because of its proximity to metro-Atlanta, public transportation, and affordable apartment housing.  Today, nearly 1,500 refugees are welcomed annually, and greater than 50% of the residents of Clarkston are foreign-born, coming from over 50 countries[12].

The Presbytery of Greater Atlanta recognized the refugee and immigrant needs for sustainability in the Stone Mountain and Clarkston areas in the ‘80s and ‘90s, as well as the need for bodies and finances to support a large empty church in the presbytery.  Therefore, other worshiping communities, nonprofit partners, and recreation groups, specific to the Clarkston and Stone Mountain refugee communities, were invited into the space to help rejuvenate it, as well as to bring in some finances to support the maintenance and upkeep of the buildings and grounds[13]. 
In June 2018, Memorial Drive Ministries was created as a non-profit organization to oversee these many ministries hosted at the Memorial Drive location.  This non-profit organization is supported directly by ten churches in the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta.  These churches provide support through prayer, study, collaboration, consultation, volunteerism, and finances.   

How Shalom International Ministry Began

In 2008, while a student at Candler School of Theology, earning his MDiv and ThM, Reverend Gad Mpoyo was introduced to Clarkston by friends.  During his first visit, Reverend Gad met a few area residents and fell in love with the dynamics of the area.  After that, he was “hooked”[14].  Reverend Gad and his two friends began coming to Clarkston on a regular basis, which later turned into a Bible study group that met in various area homes.  As the group grew, they found a worship home in Midway Presbyterian Church in Decatur and continued to lead community Bible study.  The community continued this way for three years.  In 2009, two of the worship leaders graduated and moved on to pursue education at the PhD level.  Reverend Gad graduated and began working full-time.  Without the help of the other leaders, it became difficult to continue in the activities of the ministry[15].    

In 2011, the director of 1001 Worshiping Communities reached out and asked Reverend Gad to discern forming a worshiping community under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church.  After six months of prayer and consideration, in December 2011, Shalom International Ministry was officially birthed.  It started in Reverend Gad’s home and began rotating to other homes.  After just a few months, the worshiping community had outgrown the homes and moved to the chapel on Memorial Drive, where they are still flourishing today.

Shalom’s Four Core Values

Shalom’s mission is based on the model of Jesus’ ministry, focusing on the whole individual.  Shalom addresses the social, economic, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of every person.  This is reflected in their four core values:  hospitality, healing, learning, and worship[16].

Hospitality

Although Shalom is not the first organization to provide refugee services in the Atlanta area, there is something unique about the hospitality at Shalom.  Reverend Gad, an immigrant from the Democratic Republic of Congo, defines his ministry of hospitality in this way:

“Hospitality is related mostly to the immigrant and refugee experience.  By that, I mean, I remember when I came.  I was by myself, and I didn’t have any support system.  So, based on that experience and on the experience of the many people who came before, we say, “No this has to change”, in the sense that when someone is new, we need to make sure that they don’t feel lost.  That they are part of the community, a family, and a way to show that is not only welcoming them to church but … being present in their lives – when there is death we cry together, when there is birth we celebrate together, and when there is a birthday…have cakes, pizza, to show that you belong to this community”[17].

Currently, this concept of hospitality is established through relationships among refugees and immigrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Republic of Rwanda and The Republic of Djibouti.  Reverend Gad and other Shalom volunteers are particularly sensitive to the challenges being faced by immigrants and refugees and aim to assist them in understanding and transacting in their new environment.  This is demonstrated by providing transportation to and from services and programs; pastors Gad and Charles going into the community to welcome newcomers; seeking people, greeting people, checking on people; serving as translators; and, like a family, being present at important life events.

Healing

As we are accustomed to the traditional American concepts of prescriptive techniques, fixing problems, and creating programs based on assumptions, it was revolutionary to hear Reverend Gad share his ministry’s balm for healing. We asked how Shalom ministers to persons who have come through the trauma of war, genocide, religious persecution, home destruction, personal violence, and loss of loved ones.  Because of Shalom’s hospitality concept, no one is forced to share or to participate in order to receive services.  Rather, volunteers at Shalom earn the trust of the parishioners.  When they are ready and willing, parishioners may share their stories with the staff and volunteers at Shalom[18].
The ministry team’s first line of response in helping parishioners to heal from their past horrors and wounded memories is the ministry of presence and active listening.  This means they attend “to others in their particularity and otherness within the presence of God”[19].  The ministry team provides culturally appropriate pastoral and psychological care; works to reconcile communal divides of race, culture, and ethnicity; nurtures forgiveness for perpetrators of violence and injustice; and connects the parishioners with long absent medical and dental care.  It is sacred work, which requires care, compassion, and sincere empathy[20].

Learning

Shalom’s focus on learning is shown through programs they’ve created and by those which they support. One of the ministries created by Shalom is the Inspire initiative, which is an afterschool program for middle school refugee students in the Clarkston and Stone Mountain areas.  Teachers at Inspire work in collaboration with the public school system to identify students in need of academic, spiritual, physical, social, and emotional support.  Inspire, which is offered Monday through Thursday 4:30-7:00 p.m., provides a safe and enriching environment in which students can receive assistance on their homework; navigate through their school curriculum, which is in a completely foreign language for some; and nurture their creativity, talents, interests, and self-esteem.  The flexible approach by the volunteers at Inspire allows students to decompress and relax after a long school day and to explore nature, their environment and community, STEM, health and nutrition, and self-expression through performing and visual arts[21].  

Creating a community that fosters individuality, acceptance, and a sense of belonging is an important part of the Inspire initiative. In addition to creating a safe, flexible, and enriching afterschool program, volunteers visit the students and their families at their homes on Friday evenings.  In this way, volunteers from Inspire share information about the students with the families, encouraging them to take part in the children’s development and academic career[22]. This is a unique approach to education, as it is very time-consuming and requires many resources, but Shalom is dedicated to this approach, because it reflects their core values.

Another Shalom learning program is the youth group, which is intended for high school students.  This program, which takes place on Friday nights from 7:15-9:00 p.m., is open to high school students of any religious tradition and culture in the Clarkston and Stone Mountain regions.  Pastors Gad and Charles, along with other Shalom volunteers, provide transportation for these students to and from the church and their homes.  At the beginning of the evening, the students engage in student-led personal interest activities, like film, dance, social justice, and singing; towards the end of the evening, they participate in an ecumenical theological discussion, under the guidance of Pastors Gad and Charles.   The topics and direction of the discussion are primarily initiated by the youth themselves, who maturely and respectfully express their thoughts in a safe and supportive environment. The topics of last week’s discussion, as suggested by Christiana, a youth with great poise, dealt with temptation, holding peers accountable, and forgiveness.  What’s most unique about this youth group is the multicultural, interfaith community in which these students engage.  Although most of the youth are Christian, a few Muslim students attend Friday night activities regularly. 

Through community building and conversation, these students develop an understanding of one another’s languages and actions and a deeper sense of cultural appreciation.  Not to mention, they are learning about conflict resolution and staying away from gangs, violence, and drugs, which are generally widespread on Friday nights. 

Shalom also supports learning in the larger community by offering a children’s ministry. This ministry was created to address a community need for young children to have a safe and entertaining place to go on the weekends. Shalom’s program is offered the first and third Saturdays from 12:00-4:30 p.m.  The program welcomes, feeds, teaches, and provides healing for the neighborhood’s children, which give Shalom “a deeper sense of what being a disciple of Jesus Christ means as we cross cultural barriers and minister to children from around the world[23].

Partner learning programs which are supported by Shalom include the Refugee Family Literacy Program and the Amani Program.  The Refugee Family Literacy Program provides opportunities for women who are pregnant or have young children to improve their literacy[24].  The Amani Program provides opportunities for mothers of school-aged children to learn and/or improve the craft of sewing and to bond with a diverse and supportive community.  These women create handmade goods that can then be sold for income[25].  The support of these partner organizations displays Shalom’s core values of learning, hospitality, and healing.  Through education, literacy, hands-on skill-building, and the ability to contribute to their family’s finances, women are involved in hospitable and welcoming communities.  They are also participating in a healing environment, in which their own wounds caused by trauma, abuse, refuge, war, death, and loss of status can be healed, while others are healing alongside them.

Worship

The congregants at Shalom are primarily African refugees of northern and central Africa.  They come as a mixed population of males and females, young and old, English-speaking and non-English speaking, single and married, married with children, single parents, students, and those waiting for financial aid to attend school; and they come with mixed emotions - scared, safe, angry, thankful, and, yet, always faithful to God and in need of this community. 

On Sunday evenings, a small congregation of 20-30 individuals gathers in the chapel at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church.  The space is full of the Holy Spirit through song, prayer, worship, laying on of hands, testimonies, anointing with oil, reading Scripture, teaching moments, candle lighting, and the laughter of children and adults.  The congregation gathers at 6:30 p.m., and it disperses around 10:00 p.m.

This congregation is special in its meeting time.  They follow the liturgy of PC(USA) but they do it in a way that reflects their culture[26].  It follows very loosely the liturgical rhythm of many Presbyterian congregations.  The welcome song, for example, is sung in one of many languages that are spoken in Africa:  Swahili, English, French, Portuguese, or some other African dialect.  The music is led by a choir of four Africans, three of whom are youth.  The call to worship is taken directly from the Bible, rather than a printed prayer or a prayer from the Book of Common Worship.  The passing of the peace is a hug passed to almost every single person of the congregation, including visitors.  The congregation gives space for testimonies by lay people, when two or three people talk about how God has provided for them in both expected and unexpected ways during the week.  Additionally, the prayers of the people are very personal.  Congregants share their concerns and needs, as many congregations do, but then the congregation is split into sections for devoted, passionate, spoken-aloud prayer.   For example, last week, the prayer groups were divided to pray passionately about the political turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo; the families of those lost in a shipwreck in Lake Victoria, near Uganda; health conditions; and student examinations.  Another week, prayer concerns were offered in silence by the congregants, and then the people were anointed with oil by Reverend Gad.  While these things may not seem completely unique to all congregations of the PC(USA), they are unique in the way they meet the needs of the community every week, permitting the lay people to lead worship through their own words, prayers, and thanksgiving.  The worship is not scripted but is entirely guided by the Holy Spirit, alive within each of the congregants.

Conclusion


Shalom International Ministry has been worshiping since 2011 at its current location.  Since that time, it has developed into much more than a worshiping community.  It’s an afterschool program during the week, a youth program on Fridays, a children’s program on Saturdays, and a worshiping community on Sundays.  At the same time, it’s a PC(USA) congregation whose startup funds will run out in 2020[27].  Therefore, it’s critical that Pastors Gad and Charles consider the growth of their ministry and how they will finance that growth. 

Reverend Gad stated that it has taken him some time to determine what growth means in the context of this ministry. Typically, church growth is measured by attendance at Sunday worship. Sunday worship attendance at Shalom, however, is influenced by so many factors:  weather, work, grocery shopping, and family time.  Because of these reasons, Reverend Gad does not pay close attention to numbers.  Rather, he seeks growth and development in the people – growth in relationship, trust, support systems, engagement with the Word, and spirit of creativity.   He also seeks assistance from those in the surrounding communities.  An Amazon wish list of everyday school supplies for the Inspire Program is available for those wishing to give in-kind donations.  There are mentoring opportunities for the boys and girls in the youth group and Inspire initiative.  Financial donations are also accepted.  Reverend Gad mentioned that he and those who support Shalom through the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta are even considering changing Shalom’s worshiping community status to that of a non-profit organization, so that they may seek outside resources that are not currently available to them.

The work at Shalom is not over.  We, the authors of this document, have a continued interest in ethnography, participatory observation, and political activism that are motivated by the hopes and desires of the parishioners at Shalom.  Shalom’s parishioners quote Jeremiah 27:9 at the start of every worship service, saying, “Seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in the shalom of it shall you have shalom”[28].  Shalom International Ministry continues to assist refugees and immigrants in their quest for shalom.

  
Appendix

Table 1.  Demographics of Clarkston and Stone Mountain (2018)

Clarkston
Stone Mountain
African-American/Black
58.5%
72.2%
Asian
24.9%
NA
White
8.92%
20.7%
Hispanic/Latino
NA
4.33%





Table 2.  Median Income and Housing Expenses in Clarkston and Stone Mountain (2016)

Clarkston
Stone Mountain
Median income
$33,486
$35,964
Poverty rate
35.9%
19.9%
Median house or condo value
$96,600
$84,000
Median gross rent
$898
$962




[1] “History.”  City of Clarkston.  http://clarkstonga.gov/history (accessed December 9, 2018).
[2] Roth, David, informal interview by Amy Remaklus at Stone Mountain, December 9, 2018.
[3] “Our Vision & Mission.”  Memorial Drive Ministries.  https://memorialdriveministries.org/vision-mission-approach/ (accessed December 8, 2018).
[4] “Clarkston, GA & Stone Mountain, GA.”  DataUSA.  https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clarkston-ga/?compare=stone-mountain-ga (accessed December 10, 2018).
[5] “2016 Federal Poverty Level (FPL) Guidelines.”  PeopleKeep.  https://www.peoplekeep.com/blog/2016-federal-poverty-level-fpl-guidelines (accessed December 8, 2018).
[6] “Clarkston, GA & Stone Mountain, GA.”  DataUSA.  https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clarkston-ga/?compare=stone-mountain-ga (accessed December 10, 2018).
[7] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by Amy Remaklus at Stone Mountain, December 2, 2018.
[8] “Clarkston, GA & Stone Mountain, GA.”  DataUSA.  https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clarkston-ga/?compare=stone-mountain-ga (accessed December 10, 2018).  Census Tracts 0220.08 and 0219.08 were explored in detail, demonstrating the median household incomes in various areas of Clarkston and Stone Mountain.  The areas ministered to by Memorial Drive Ministries and Shalom International Ministry are in the poorest regions of Clarkston and Stone Mountain.
[9] Roth, David, informal interview by Amy Remaklus at Stone Mountain, December 9, 2018.  Also Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
[10] “Refugees.”  U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/refugees (accessed December 8, 2018).
[11] Roth, David, informal interview by Amy Remaklus at Stone Mountain, December 9, 2018.
[12] “History.”  City of Clarkston.  http://clarkstonga.gov/history (accessed December 10, 2018).
[13] “History.”  City of Clarkston.  http://clarkstonga.gov/history (accessed December 10, 2018).
[14] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
[15] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
[16] “Core Values.”  Shalom International Ministry.  http://shalominternationalministry.com/core-values/ (accessed November 23, 2018).
[17] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
                   
[19] Osmer, Richard R.   “The Descriptive-Empirical Task:  Priestly Listening” in Practical Theology:  An Introduction.  Grand Rapids, Michigan:  Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2008, p. 34.
[20] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown in Decatur, Georgia.
[21] “About Inspire.”  Inspire:  A Shalom Afterschool Initiative.  http://shalominternationalministry.com/inspire/ (accessed December 11, 2018).
[22] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
[23] “Children Ministry.”  Shalom.  http://shalominternationalministry.com/children-ministry/ (accessed December 11, 2018).
[24] “Who We Are.”  Refugee Family Literacy.  https://www.mommyandmefamilyliteracy.com/ (accessed December 11, 2018).
[25] “Amani Sewing Academy.”  Amani Women Center.  https://www.amaniwomencenter.org/awc-sewing-program (accessed December 11, 2018).
[26] Mypoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
[27] Mpoyo, Gad, informal interview by authors at Stone Mountain, November 30, 2018.  Recording with Gina Brown at Decatur, Georgia.
[28] (New Revised Standard Version)


__________________________________

Class:  Imagination & Resilience for God's Changing World 
Semester:  Fall 2018
Degree:  Master of Divinity 
Assignment Description:  Small groups of 4-5 people will produce a 15-minute presentation (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) and corresponding paper of 8-10 pages on ministry in context. Each small group will visit a preapproved site in the greater metropolitan Atlanta area in which there is some type of active Christian ministry that is addressing a particular concern in the area. Students will gather data about the larger setting for that ministry, the history of the ministry, the fit and significance of that ministry, and the various community responses to that ministry.
Group Participants:  Gina Brown, John McCrosky, Amy Remaklus, Mylika Slaughter

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Watch Night Sermon: What Will You Shift?

Blue Note Preaching Assignment

My First Day