Leon: the GREAT preacher
Sunday, June 7, 2009 at 11:35PM My name was called by the lady from the Staten Island Church on the floor of General Synod. "Where's Leon?" she asked. When I raised my hand, she said, "He's the greatest preacher in the RCA."
Where did that come from?
It was like this...
I worshipped at Trinity Reformed in Holland this morning. After church, I headed back to Hope College to get lunch. I arrived at 11:30, parked my car, and headed toward the dining room. As I approached the cafeteria, I saw a group of 7 or 8 black ladies congregating by the door. In all honesty, it was one of those moments when you feel a little uncomfortable, not scared, but uneasy. I, as a white male, am the stereotype of what African-Americans view as the oppressor. And now I was going to walk right past a gaggle of them. I sensed they were just as uncomfortable with me invading their space. (Don't know if that's true, but it felt like it to me.) The words of Dr. Skinner from the previous evening ran through my head and I decided not to walk by silently, ignoring their presence, hoping they would leave me to my own space and thoughts. Instead, I entered their space with a big smile, engaging them with a welcome to Holland and Hope College. The lady who later recognized my prowess as a preacher was sitting on the bench; the others standing around. I spoke to her, asking if they were part of synod. She responded that they had just arrived. They had traveled 14 hours by bus to be there this afternoon to see their minister installed as President of General Synod. I reached out my hand to her, she took mine, and I welcomed her and complimented her on their dedication to their minister.
I excused myself for lunch, but they informed me that the cafeteria wasn't open yet. So I decided to sit down and talk. I plopped myself down on the bench and began the conversation. They responded and I was introduced to each of them in turn. I found out which was the mother and the sister and which were friends. It was a fun interaction that was lively and full of jest. We kidded and shared. It was a delightful 10 or 12 minutes. Then I got up and went in for lunch. That was it. We didn't even talk about preaching.
I discovered that my willingness to smile, say "hi", and sit down for less than 15 minutes tore down a wall and built a bridge. Later that day, much to my amazement, that black lady from New York said with her words, "There's Leon, the best preacher in the RCA". What she really said with her heart was, "There's Leon, he took time to get to know me a little and I like him".
It takes so little to accomplish so much. I discovered that truth again on the campus of Hope College, on June 7, 2009 at 11:45 am right outside of the Maas Center. Amazing!
Reader Comments (2)
I am reminded of the infamous Francis of Assisi quote, "Preach the gospel at all times, when necessary use words." We preach with our lives and you were the perfect example of welcome and hospitality... Imagine if you didn't take the time and make the effort; their experience of arriving would have been very different.
On behalf of the rest of the delegates,
Thank you!
I have always believed the Leon Fikse is one of the best preachers in the RCA and it is not necessarily what he says but rather because of who he is.
Thank you for being a brother in Christ.
Mike Molenaar