Scum

This is difficult for me to write for a couple of reasons. First, I know it may rub some people the wrong way. Religion tends to do that. And after reading that word “religion” I’m sure many of you have already clicked to another page. But I’ll keep writing, for my own amusement and for the hope that someone will keep reading and find something in these words, which may take a miracle, but I believe in those. It’s also hard to write because I want it to be good. I want everything I write to be good and too often I spit out something in about 10 minutes and call it a “writing piece.” But this, more than anything, I want to mean something.

I started going to a church that meets in Church in the City on Colfax and Josephine and few months ago. I had heard about Scum of the Earth before and I was in a place where I knew I needed God more than ever, so it seemed worth a try. To be honest, at that point I wasn’t too keen on church or religion in general. I had a lot of notions of rules, regulations and ignorance, so to be honest, I was scared. I was scared of hating this place that deep down I knew I needed. It was slow going at first. I didn’t dive right in, I was hesitant. But slowly I started to see why so many jaded people call this place home and decided to do the same.

Scum of the Earth is not your typical church, with a congregation of punk rockers, scene kids, homeless people and even a felon or two. But it is one of the most welcoming places I have experienced. And yes, it’s true, at Scum we believe in God and Jesus. And because we believe in God and Jesus, we also believe in love, hope, community and the healing those things can bring. Scum is not a place that turns people away, it is a place people turn to. And I think that’s beautiful.

That being said, my church, my home, has found a new place to plant its feet. It’s a beautiful building with everything we could have ever hoped for, except the price tag. In a month we need to raise $500,000. But like I said, I believe in miracles.

Having our own building would mean so much more than four walls and a roof. It would be more than floors and ceilings and doors. It would mean a pew where someone decides to love Jesus for the first time. It would mean a place for thousands of prayers to be said. It would mean a place where healing can begin for so many people who need what this church is offering. If this means anything to you at all, I ask that you help us. And yes I mean financially. Don’t stop reading! It doesn’t have to be a lot. It could be 5 dollars to 500 dollars. It’s whatever you can give, it’s whatever you feel is right. And if that’s nothing, then I respect that. But all I ask is you listen to what this place means to so many people and don’t shut us out.

I know that many of you reading this have been hurt substantially by the church, and in that sense, you are not unlike many of the people who attend Scum of the Earth. As a body, we have come together, jaded and angry, and decided we want to do better. We want to love instead of subjugate, we want to heal instead of cast others out, we want to do better. We are not perfect. We are not holier than thou. We are broken and confused and doing our best to love with what we have. We are the scum of the earth.

“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world (1 Corinthians 4:11-13).”

If you would like to give financially, you can click here and make sure you donate to the “building fund.”