We Show Up
So a couple of weeks ago there was a long weekend in our neck of the woods. A yearly Monday off called Family Day. I love the premise. A day off where the only requirement is to spend time with family. I always work to put the day to it’s intended purpose.
This year we found out about a big event hosted at a high school in one of the small rural communities just outside of our city. It was quite fantastic. There were jumpy castles, clowns, entertainment and more. Our kids had a blast. They were even serving a pizza/hot dog lunch in the cafeteria for a ridiculously low price. (this is starting to sound like an infomercial)
Around the school that day there were several local community groups helping out. One of the groups helping to serve the lunch was from a local church which I think is fantastic. What I found interesting was the t shirts the church group were wearing. They were very bright yellow and said
“Church Name (changed to protect the innocent) community outreach…..We Show Up!
While eating, my wife and I had a conversation about the “We Show Up” tag line on the shirts. To be honest I’m not sure what to think of it. I don’t mean to be hard on the group of people who were there on their holiday, giving up their time serving my family lunch but I don’t understand the intent of the we show up. That’s why I’m writing this post. I need some help and want some outsiders opinion.
Were they trying to draw attention to the fact they were doing this good deed? Were they trying to draw attention to the fact other churches weren’t involved. Were they trying to state that “Hey we’re here for you, our community please count on us”?
I guess trying to guess their intention isn’t really possible (or fair) but I don’t understand what they would be trying to communicate with it, or to be honest how I feel about it. If you have any thoughts please comment them.
February 26th, 2010 at 9:46 pm
This is a very confusing statement. At the very least it should get us realizing that something that makes total sense to use because we were in the context where it was created often is utterly meaningless to others. It’s like starting off a public speech with an inside joke and then not understanding why people didn’t laugh and weren’t engaged.
To me (in complete Olympic mode) it sounds like the slogan for the person who goes to the )lympics knowing that they are going to place between fourtieth and fiftieth in ski-jumping (or some other sport with a massive number of people in it). “Hey…we don’t offer any real entertainment value. We aren’t going to challenge for a medal. You probably won’t see us on TV. In fact…our participation in this thing means nothing to anyone other than me and my mom…she tells me I’m special! But…at least I show up. Even if I have nothing of significance to offer…I’m here!”
I’m not saying to be harsh. I’m not suggesting in any way that this is what the church had in mind. I’m just saying what it sounds like to me. Too often what we’re trying to communicate and what other people actually hear us saying can be radically different. I believe that, that problem is ours to overcome, not theirs!