Urban Ministry Live And Unplugged: Loose Ends

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Loose Ends

I met for doughnuts and coffee today with another minister. What happened with your pension? he asked. Which is many years of missing pension. The story, I said, is this. My attorneys said they needed vital information. If I could obtain this, the matter should fall in my favour. I did obtain the information. Yes, they said, we had what was required. But the sum was so large, the matter would go to the city's High Court. A big part of a win would be lost to High Court expenses. He duly sent a letter to the Church which held and holds the pension. OBSERVATION: One should be able to discuss such things in good faith, said my clerical friend. Absolutely, I said.

2 comments:

Steve Hayes said...: Ah yea, lawyers. I was once persuaded to join with some other people in appealing against our deportation from Namibia. The lawteys said they were so disgusted with the injustice of it that they would handle the appeal free of charge. They handled it incompetently and we lost and had to pay costs of the Administrator in Executive Committee. Someone raised the money for that, handed it over to our lawyers, who pocketed it as their fee. Next I knew the deputy sheriff was wanting to attach my goods, because all my fellow deportees were out of the country and I had to pay their share as well. It was later settled, but the perfidy of the lawyers is not forgotten.; May 13, 2021 at 8:58 AM
Thomas O. Scarborough said...: Through the years, I have become less trusting of generous souls who do great acts for nothing. Which is not to say that many of them are not genuine. One just needs to be aware of the potential pitfalls. A first question is motive. Why are they doing it? For whom? In your case, for justice? for you? for God? for themselves? for the future? for the state? ...; June 4, 2021 at 8:48 AM

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About This Blog

I have spent ten years in suburban ministry, twenty-two years (total) in urban ministry, and seven years in country ministry. My involvements in ministry continue, now reduced.

There are a few reasons for this blog: 1. To help people form a picture of what ministry is about -- in particular urban ministry -- not least seminary students who may be destined for urban ministry. I have found that the image and the reality may be far apart in academia. 2. My experience in ministry may be (and, in fact, often has been) an encouragement to other ministers -- alternatively, a cautionary tale, as the case may be! Many notes of thanks have been recorded on this blog. And 3. Friends have simply told me how interesting reports of ministry are.

This is not a "parochial" blog. Only a tenth or so of readers are local (in South Africa). Outside of my home country, this blog is most read in Europe and North America. Russia is no. 4 on the list, and there is some interest in Muslim nations. At one point, this was the most authoritative Religion blog in Southern Africa (I now do not know how it is ranked).

With all of the above in mind, the purpose of this blog is simply to record urban ministry "live and unplugged", in the form of accounts. This blog is not a "church blog", but a "ministry blog". For the most part, I don't intend to share my views. The emphasis is the experience of ministry and the various events that surround it.

A definition of “live” is “actually being performed at the time of viewing”. A definition of “unplugged” is “without amplification or modification”. However, see my Posting Policy below.

Posting Policy

This blog may be unique with regard to its degree of transparency about urban ministry. Many people have written to me to say how they cherish the help they have received through this. However, this means that special attention needs to be given to confidentiality in particular. I use the following guidelines for posting on this blog:

I apply the following questions to posts: Are they posted in good faith? Are they balanced? Are they compassionate? Are they informative about ministry? Do they help one better understand a problem or issue?

I consider a post to be unproblematic if a person's identity is unknowable in the post, if the facts are public knowledge, or if a change of particulars (name, place, date, and so on) will truly protect privacy. If I consider that anyone who was not involved in an incident would recognise those who were, then I do not post. If a post could compromise the safety of those I blog about, then I make a post safe, or I do not post.

I believe that these measures should enable me to continue to be "open" about urban ministry while not compromising privacy.

In 2013, ninety percent of the posts on this blog were removed. I then put the question of the freedom of the blog to the South African Human Rights Commission. The position is this: if a post is legal, it is legal. Essentially, all of my posts were OK. There is freedom of expression in South Africa.

Having said this, if any post should even cause discomfort, it will be removed from this blog immediately. This has always been the position. One does need to contact me for that, best through an e-mail or a blog comment, and I prefer to see a name on it. The post will be put back up only if there would seem to be compelling reason for it. It is hoped that there will be the assumption that I wish to address any discomfort satisfactorily, compassionately, and efficiently.