Rick and the Blue Bus

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

This Sunday, Rev. Irwin was away. He's doing dishes at Camp Imodene. In his stead, we welcomed Rick Wismer to the pulpit. He's been here before and brings his big Blue Bus with him, along with boundless enthusiasm for the work he does with Youth for Christ Mobile Outreach.

I first posted about Rick and his bus on this blog in 2014, https://saanichpeninsulapc.blogspot.com/2014/05/blue-bus-ministry.html. Back then he was all excited about the "new" blue bus. The one his ministry started with was an old double-decker with a funky paint job and an iffy suspension. 

By the next year, the Youth for Christ Mobile Ministry, (that's the official name) had a fancy new bus. It is sleek, reliable, roomy and Blue!  

Back in 2014 the "Refuge" bus was intended to provide a safe and wholesome alternative to youth hanging out on street corners and parking lots. Now, it serves Indigenous youth, offering snacks, games and gentle mentoring. You can find their website here for more details.

One of their changes in their ministry is the "cultural jam."  I think of a jam session as a gathering involving jazz musicians and a lot of improvisation. In this case, the jam session is an opportunity for youth to learn the songs and dances of their culture as passed down from the elders. The intergenerational nature of these gatherings provides some challenges -- the Blue Bus ministry is focussed on youth -- but Rick and his team are dedicated to listening to the Holy Spirit. Right now these jams are highly attended -- 160 at a Tseycum event last month -- and that presents opportunities.

The ministry is still dedicated to their after school program, and youth are still eager to attend. They just need to find a time slot that works for everyone.

SPPC has been a long-time supporter of the Blue Bus especially as a provider of cookies, snack and dollars. We also have members of the congregation, Norma, Pam and Joan, to name a few who are dedicated volunteers. While these material offerings are most welcome, what Rick and his team crave are our prayers. His sermon on Sunday encouraged us to listen for God's direction in our lives. The best way to listen, is to pray.

Thanks Rick, for filling the pulpit on Sunday morning, and for your dedication to ministry, and for sharing your love of Jesus. 

Loyalty in Action

Our guest speaker this morning, Rick Wismer of the Big Blue Bus, told a story about his new puppy. (She still has much to learn about the way the world works.) 

It reminded me that I have another dog story in my files. This story came from Dr. Cecil Kirk, late of this congregation. His story was intended for the children's time, but I think it works for adults too.

The Faithful Dog

There is a story about a boy and his dog. They lived in Pompeii in Italy which is situated near a volcano. In AD79 it erupted. Smoke and fire burst out from the mountain. Ashes fell on the city. Burning rocks came tumbling down its slopes.

This didn’t happen without warning: some people took heed and fled the city in advance of the eruption. Others had disregarded the warnings.

Those who remained in the city were trapped in molten lava. Soon the whole city was buried in ash and lava; everyone died.

Centuries passed, the city was forgotten about. Then about 180 years ago people began to wonder about Pompeii. They began to dig through the ashes, cut away the lava. After time many streets, fine buildings, beautiful works of art were discovered.

In one place they found the body of a young boy, near him lay his dog, both killed by the eruption of the volcano.

On the dog was a collar; “This dog has three times saved his little master; once from fire, once from drowning, once from thieves.”

By himself, the dog might have escaped but he remained faithful to the very end. Dogs can teach us about loyalty - they stick with you through thick and thin.

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. No matter what happens He will stand by us.

And Jesus wants us to be as faithful as Him. There are some fair weather friends. They talk a lot but when the going gets tough they drop away. Jesus does not want people like that. We should be like the little boy’s dog. No matter how bad things are we should stay faithful to Him.

As well as occasionally filling in at the pulpit, Rick is part of a search and rescue organization and a youth leader. This is risky work. There may be times when Rick's courage is tested, but he knows that Christ will be faithful to him until the end. 
Thank you, Rick, for the work you do and for your example of faith in action.

P.S.  Here are the answers to last week's puzzle.
Puzzle Answer:

The Big Blue Bus

We had a visit from Rick Wismer and his BIG Blue Bus last week. What an amazing story he has to tell.  He started with Youth for Christ ministry nearly 20 years ago and joined the Refuge bus ministry a couple of years after that.  The idea of a bus grew out of the need to go where the people are rather than wait for the people to come to us.   As the Great Commission says, we are to go to all nations. 
   Early in the bus ministry, workers found where kids hung around a street corner with nothing to do but get into trouble.  That's the corner where the Refuge bus showed up, offering a positive alternative.  Over time it became clear that the blue bus had a special ministry for First Nations youth.  Now, at the invitation of the band leaders, Rick takes his bus to Tseycum, Tsawout, the Esquimalt Nation, Scia’new (Beecher Bay) and T'Sou-ke. 

    We began with a formal presentation during the worship time. 

Rick told us about the programs the bus ministry offers, namely, sports, snacks, games and fellowship, always mindful of what the particular host band council has agreed to.

    Given the recent release of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, Rick's visit was a timely reminder of the strained relations between the church and Indigenous peoples.  On one reserve, the chief had a bad experience with the church, but another member of the council had a good experience.  At her instigation, the band council has invited Rick and his bus so that the children will have a "positive Interaction", but he's not to preach Christianity or tell Bible stories. It is a fine line to walk, but, as Rick says, God opens doors.

   For those who like bus statistics, the Big Blue Bus is on hydraulics so it can be raised or lowered just like city buses to allow ease of people getting off and on.  That feature is also useful going over bad roads.

 Inside there are thirty seats so Rick can take kids on a trip.  There is also space at the back for meeting and it's loaded with video games.  I don't know if any of the congregation took up the invitation to try them out.

    SPPC has been a long-time supporter of the Blue Bus.  Rick thanked us for our gifts and urged the congregation to continue to pray for his ministry, to donate and to volunteer as we are able.

   In our usual SPPC style, we ended the morning with lunch!

BLUE BUS MINISTRY

   

 We had a busy time at church this Sunday.  It was youth Sunday, in a way.  Members of the Sunday School read the call to worship, Scripture and took up the collection.  They also hosted a hamburger lunch after service.  The reason for the lunch was a presentation by Rick Wismer, of Youth for Christ ministry.
      Rick has visited our congregation before to say thank you for the support SPPC gives his ministry and to bring us up to date on what's happening with the bus. 

      When the bus first appears in Sidney, it was an old double-decker painted blue with the words "Refuge Bus" painted on the side.  It was parked in an area well-known as a hang-out for at-risk youth.  Over time, the mission and work of this ministry has changed but it's still a bus and it's still blue -- or, at least, it will be blue.
       That was Rick's big news.  They have a new bus.

 One that can seat 54 passengers, travel over the Malahat, ride the ferry and drive up into the interior.  A great improvement over the last bus which was a bit shaky and wore out the drivers because it had no power steering.  The new bus was purchased second hand and is now undergoing a refit, including installation of a television, wi-fi, and, of course, a blue paint job.
        Currently the bus serves mostly First Nations, where they are welcomed by children and adults alike.  The kids love to play games, eat snacks, unload their troubles, listen to "God Talk" and do crafts.  It's kind of like church camp, but it happens in a bus, one day a week, after school.  
         SPPC has long been a supporter of the ministry.  We are a big contributor of snacks -- fruit, veggies and cookies.  Rick told us the first question when kids come aboard the bus is, "Did you bring snacks?"
        The Blue Bus (the name Refuge bus has vanished from use) is one of those ministries our congregation undertakes that we hear about only now and again but is perhaps one of our most valuable.  Like donations to the Sidney Food Bank, and services at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, the Blue Bus is a short line in the budget, but it is constant.  Constancy, reliability, persistence.  These are marks of the faithful.
         Years ago I attended a funeral where a nephew of the deceased told us of his aunt's importance in his life.  The man's mother had died when he was only a child.  He lived in a nice house, had a kind father and never lacked for food or clothing or help with his homework.  What he lacked was a mother.  His aunt made it her personal mission to come to his home once a week, on Thursdays.  That day she would bake cookies, mend socks, cook a good dinner and be there when the children came home from school.  It was that "being there" every Thursday, without fail, that remained in the man's heart for the rest of his life.  He wouldn't have cared if she'd given them pickles and rice to eat, the cookies were a bonus.  What counted for him was her reliability and her presence -- every Thursday, without fail, for as long as the family needed her.
        Sometimes we may wonder if our work is worthwhile, if it's noticed, if anyone cares -- the answer is yes.  If we are faithful, constant, reliable and present, we make a difference.
         Thanks Rick for your presence among us and on the Blue Bus.