10th annual Pittsfield CROP walk...

When I began ministry 30+ years ago in Saginaw, MI one of my duties included drumming up support for the annual CROP Walk.  It is a money and consciousness raising commitment born of Church World Service that is part pilgrimage, part fund-raiser and part walking meditation on community and hunger. (check it out @ http://www. church world service.org/site/PageServer?pagename=crop_main)  In Saginaw, it was a BIG deal - we had hundreds of walkers - and raised thousands of dollars.

I can remember my very young children walking - and being pushed in walkers - as we made our way through urban neighborhoods and sugar beet farm land along with my youth group and many of their parents.  It was always a joyous way of being together to do something good for our neighbors in need and share some deep conversation, too.  Over the years, especially during my time in urban ministry, the CROP walks seemed to evaporate.  But now once again they are important and vibrant.

When I arrived in the Berkshires our local CROP Walk had fallen on sad times.  There was no one to coordinate it so I assumed the mantle of leadership - and brought some of our churches together for three years.  Then I had to take a break and no else picked it up so we were in danger of losing momentum.  Thanks be to God another good soul at my church sensed the importance and we were back on track today.  We had over 40 walkers - young and old and everybody in-between - and it was a total blast.  It was a gorgeous albeit blustery day in the Berkshires and it felt ecstatic to be a part of it all.  (My job was to drive the utility vehicle to pick up stragglers and/or act as traffic cop and make sure the cars were stopped at major intersections.)

I won't know how much money we raised, but it will be serious.  And we found a way to bring four congregations together - plus new friends from the wider community - in an act of generosity.  Someone asked me today in worship, "How do you start to "die to yourself?" That is, how do you begin the road of living like you're not the center of the universe?"  And I said, "You have already begun, my friend.  The first step is to get our ass out of bed on a Sunday morning and come to worship to be with others.  There are other ways, to be sure, but being a part of worship with others is a great start.  Keep practicing it... and the deeper ways will start to become clear."

I was blessed by the totality of this day - worship, fellowship conversations and the CROP walk - and now I'm going to take a rest and then cook up some fish for my sweetie.  Here are a few other pictures I took along the way...