To be missional involves no less than making Christianity a way of life, making evangelism just one step in a whole lifestyle of discipleship and makes our walk with God something that we must do together, not just something reserved for Sunday mornings, words we say, and choosing to live a moral lifestyle.
Trying to live missionally has been one of the most rewarding and one of the most challenging things I have done in my life.
It constantly takes me out of my comfort zone and it puts flesh on faith.
And it's hard. To live a life of discipleship, where our focus is no make disciples, it's saying that God comes first and we come second. It's saying we're forgetting our comfort, we're letting go of our own dreams and ambitions. It goes against everything that culture and self tell us to do.
At least, it's hard at first. - The spirit in us is the same spirit who lived in Jesus, who inspired the apostles to radical lives, and not one of them ever regretted giving everything up for following God. This life is crazy and counter cultural, but I am more and more convinced that it is the only life worth living.
Until then, it's the first step that always seems to be the hardest. We feel convicted, we repent, we may cry, we make a choice, we decide to do it... then Monday morning comes and we go to work/school, and suddenly all of our attitudes shift back to the current that our life already flows down. We forget, we complain, we isolate, we loose sight of God and of our mission.
I'm getting tired of loosing sight.
So I decided to do something, something small and maybe something that's a little crazy. I wanted to ask the question - who's already doing this? What are they doing and how's it working? Maybe I won't find the answers to my personal calling by asking, but if this life that I live is by faith and in fellowship with other believers than I think knowing the callings or ministries of others can only help. It doesn't just put flesh on our faith, but on the faith and walks of those around us. How are practical and impactful ways to change the world around us? Who are those missionaries that don't have to leave Edmonton to make a difference? Those people who live ordinary lives for an extraordinary God? I wanted to try and find out, just by asking people in Edmonton, starting with my own home church. A search for Urban Missionaries, hoping to put a finger on God's pulse, to see where his heart beats...
Even if it's places I am somewhat uncomfortable, like sports!
Urban Missionary:
Name: Aaron Albu (an Athlete in Action!)
Favourite dessert?
Ice cream. I would have to say my favourite flavour of ice cream is Chocolate peanut butter... probably?
What is it that you do missionally?
I work for Athletes in Action, a division of Power to Change. It's basically working in missions wherever you live, Athletes in Action hires people who want to be involved in pro sports chaplency, leading bible study groups for anyone from University teams to CFL or NHL teams, or you can work with them on university campuses, mentoring university athletes. You can also work at their summer sports camps.
There's a really big need for AIA, there are not many organizations for athletes, who can struggle with identity and easily find themselves defined by their skill. Once athletes are no longer competing they can struggle with depression, and with life circumstances, as they no longer identify as these pro athletes.
How I'm involved is mainly in the office, doing a lot of fundraising stuff and online work. The missionaries get monthly support which I help them track. I also help them track their "insights" - how many bible studies they've done or outreach events or how many people they mentor.
In the past I've helped with discipleship groups on the U of A campus, with the football and hockey teams.
Are there overseas missions opportunities?
The people who work for AIA focus mainly on home based missions, most people are just working in their own backyard - whether that be the University, or their team or just mentoring and discipling or camps in the community. There is the option to go overseas as well, you can get an international placement in a different country (AIA is in over 60 countries). Or last summer I was able to go to Brazil on a soccer tour. We would play against mens teams, sometimes semi-professional, sometimes amateur. After the game we would buy snacks and refreshments and share our faith with the other teams. They were really willing to listen, teams of Canadians or Americans coming over to play sports against them is really rare, so it really fosters a good environment to open up and share our faith. The people really wonder why we're doing what we're doing. We try to make the point that we love soccer, and we believe people can be united by soccer, but we wouldn't be here just for soccer, we're here because we love Jesus more.
Do you see sports as a good way to share your faith?
I think it's a hobby for a lot of people, so it's a good gathering method, and a way to get people to relax. There are groups that do recreational games where believers bring their friends and it creates a good community that hopefully becomes something more.
How did you get started with AIA?
I got started on Campus at the U of A, I went there in 2010, I was part of the student group that met on Monday nights, basically people talked about the issues of faith and sports, like how do you compete to the best of your ability while still believing and trusting in God, and not being performance oriented. Which isn't just an issue for athletes, but for lots of people - they want to be known for what they do instead of letting God take that, like you don't have to perform for God.
I got involved with that more in more and became a student leader in my second year, so I would help run the Monday night meetings, and bible discussions and other groups. This September I started as a full time volunteer. I'm now hoping to rase support to work for them on a part time basis.
Did you play a varsity sport?
I played soccer at Kings college for two years. When I transferred to U of A I did not continue to play soccer. There were a lot of things going on in my life at the time, so I could have tried out but I didn't.
What's the most challenging part of being involved in AIA?
You really really want to do well - the purpose of it is really empowering, because I know I'm making a difference for the kingdom. But the challenge is when you think you're going to change someone, you have to let God do his work as well, and know that he is sovereign. Sometimes you have to realize that God is in control and will change a person whether you say the right things or not, or whether you influence them or not.
Right now a challenge is trying to make it an actual living. I can't continue at this pace without making money, so I'm starting to raise support to cover my basic needs.
What's the most fulfilling part of being involved in AIA?
I was just thinking about this the other day, my boss and I were trying to figure out what motivates people to try to get by on donations, what really makes someone want to do missions? I think it is just the whole kingdom picture of seeing lives changed, and being able to assist in that process however God calls you to. I think what I see as really rewarding is when I see someone living a life away from the gospel and slowly you see them start living their lives differently.
AIA focuses on long term relationship building, some people are friends with those they mentored years or even decades ago, it's definitely a lifelong process. It's not "convert and move on" but it's a relationship building ministry that focuses on making disciples, getting the people you're discipling to the point where they're discipling others.
How have you seen God at work?
I've seen numerous circumstances of people on the hockey team or the football team come to Christ, lots of people who grew up in the church but stopped going in High School and kind of turned away, I've seen them come back and embrace faith again. I guess I could talk about myself: I was pretty similar to those people, I grew up going to church with my parents but in high school I fell off, I would call myself a Christian but my actions didn't represent that at all so after my first couple years of college no one that met me would describe me as a Christian. I was rude, I slept with my girlfriend, I would drink every weekend, I wasn't living a Christian life at all. It's not like AIA changed that when I first started going, God was working in my life, but it was the one on one mentoring that I got when I transferred to the U of A - meeting for coffee once a week or whenever we could. Just kind of guiding me through what it looks like to be mentored and how I actually wanted to take this thing seriously. It was a time of need and I was kind of like "what am I doing with my life" and AIA was definitely there and guided me along the process and softened my heart towards what God was doing in my life.
How can people help you?
There are a lot of different ways to get involved. AIA as a whole has a lot of needs in everything from HR to business, to camping and coaching. With our summer camps there are a lot of ways to get involved. There's a lot of events every year, like the Grey Cup breakfast that people can volunteer for every year and lots of overseas missions that they can support or even go on.
Thanks Aaron! I love organizations like AIA because it focuses on what people are already doing and what they already love. To love God does not mean that we must be less who we are, but more!
