Young Mr. Boh(hemian) was very sad because he wanted to serve Jesus through his local church but there were no opportunities that matched his talents and gifts.
The elders of young Mr. Boh's local church thought that he was recalcitrant, difficult to work with (maybe he was) and unwilling to serve (maybe he wasn't). Mr. Boh did lack self-confidence so was not one to propose himself for ministry for which he felt ill-suited.
Elders' perception of Mr. Boh
Mr. Boh's perception of local church opportunities
The Fair Trade Café had been bedouin for about 18 months, traveling from fair to festival and back again, promoting justice through selling coffee. The Café team seeks to do good because Jesus has been good to them.
But the Café had no home to call its own. Then in June God opened a door for the Café and that opened doors of service for Misters and Misses Bohs. Maybe they weren’t teachers or melodious, but they could do pointing on 15th century stone, piping, electrical work, painting and papering.
Modernist people sometimes seek unity that borders on uniformity.
Postmodern people sometimes seek diversity that borders on anarchy.
Jesus seeks unity AND diversity in dynamic tension.
The body metaphor for Jesus' church helps us to understand diversity, giftedness, opportunity, service, and unity. A body of coordinated members serving together with purpose.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, (therefore cannot play guitar) I have no place in this body….
And if the ear should say, because I am not a mouth, (therefore cannot preach) I have no place in this body….
One of the purposes of the Café was to expand opportunities for service for those who could not find a place within the local church structure.
I find it interesting and instructive that just a few months prior, the elders of Mr. Boh's local church were befuddled, saying, "Mr. Boh and his young boh-friends spend too much time together. And they don't think about serving."
Yet, Misters and Misses Bohs are the very ones who have jumped into the Fair Trade project feet first, contributing the most. "Finally," exclaimed young Mr. Boh, "something that I know how to do. And I can do it for Jesus!"
"But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. As it is, there are many parts, with differing functions, but one body."
