September 20, 2011

Vanity of Vanities; All Is Vanity

In just a few days I’ll travel to Texas to visit my parents, eat Texas-styled brisket, and to talk shop. And when I say “talk shop” I mean that literally. My parents have a small shop where they sell antiques as well as old and refurbished furniture. I’ll hear about their recent expansion, see the new pieces they are restoring in their workshop, and I’ll help my dad set up a Facebook ad targeting people who “like” old furniture within a 50 mile radius of their store. (For info on creating a Facebook ad for your church, I suggest the following excellent post from Church Marketing Sucks.)

I’d like to say that growing up in that setting gave me entrepreneurial skills and business savvy, but in fact it simply gave me stories. For instance, about vanities.

In Texas, vanities are a dime a dozen - and nearly as inexpensive. When at garage sales and junk shops, it’s common to find two or three dusty ones abandoned in the corner. The reason, of course, is that almost no one uses vanities any more when getting ready in the morning. No matter how beautifully crafted or well cared for, vanities have outlived their purpose. I’ve seen my mother buy two for fifteen dollars. 

A few years ago my parents realized they needed to take advantage of this endless supply of old vanities and began experimenting with ways to re-purpose them for today. After various attempts, they hit upon the idea of splitting them into three parts, removing the mirror, and creating matching side tables. Voila. Once painted shiny black, the intricate craftsmanship of the pieces comes through, and seeing them it’s easy to forget that they were originally part of something deemed worthless.  


Since hearing this story from my parents, I’ve sometimes labeled particular issues or concerns within the church as “vanity problems.” Like vanities, mission statements and ministries can outlive their purpose, they can come to the end of their life cycles. The result can be that our congregations feel less like living communities and more like finely wrought reminders of a bygone era. Having said this, I also believe we can be too quick to discard. Whether it be old furniture, mission statements, ministries, or people, we are prone to leave good resources on the curb. Yet with a measure of creativity, resourcefulness, and a Texas-sized dollop of gumption, these can become the beginning of new life.

In this vein, one of my favorite Vestry Papers articles is “First There Must Be Health” by Claude Payne, the now retired bishop of Texas. In this article, Bishop Payne writes about a small, older congregation which, like many Episcopal churches, was deeply concerned about the lack of young people. Countering prevailing wisdom, Bishop Payne suggested that this congregation stop being paralyzed by this "lack" and instead recognize the resource in its midst - the older adults who filled the pews every week. He suggested they begin to evangelize among the older, retirement-age community in its midst. “Several years later I found they had not only attracted retirees but also had several younger folk in the congregation, including children. Their culture had changed from a focus on survival and a preoccupation with the young people they didn’t have to one of miraculous possibility. This brought new life first to them, and that life became an attraction to others.” 

In many ways, good stewardship means beginning with the resources that are close at hand. Sometimes that means looking closely and creatively at what others have deemed worthless. Other times, it means looking at ourselves and realizing that we - our stories, our spiritual journeys, even our age - are the greatest asset to the church. 

What resources might be re-purposed in your congregation?