4 Glad Tidings

I love the Old Testament Story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz—a story of tragedy, but also of hope, romance, and God’s faithfulness.

One part of the story that particularly intrigues me is when

Ruth, a young widow, comes to gather barley from a stranger’s field. She gathers the grain that is left behind by the reapers as they are harvesting. When Boaz, the owner of the field, asks about her, he’s told

that she is a widowed foreigner in need of food. He continues to allow her to follow his men as they reap and even tells them to pull some grain out of the bundles and leave it for her to gather. He also provides for her safety by allowing her to stay with the other young workers, who offer her protection from the possibility of being molested on

The JOY of theHARVEST

“Statistics show that the income support people receive on

poverty line, so it’s not in any way easy to live on the stipend.”

the Ontario Disability Support Program is around 40% below the

by Rebecca Sherbino and Colleen Graham

5September/October 2018

a stranger’s property. However, he doesn’t particularly help her out or give her assistance other than making it possible for her to work.

We’re told in the Biblical account that the reason that Boaz is so kind to Ruth is because he has heard stories of Ruth’s unconditional love for her mother-in-law Naomi, and the kindness she has shown her after the death of Naomi’s husband and two sons (one of whom is Ruth’s husband). But I’m left wondering…if Boaz knew she was in need, why didn’t he just give her the food and grain? Why continue to make her gather barley when he could have afforded to provide for her needs?

I’m convinced that there is meaning and joy for us in work and that being involved in work is part of God’s plan for us. Even in Genesis, before the curse, God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to “cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15)—to participate in the harvest.

I’m concerned that, in Canada, we’ve taken away the joy of work from some of those who are in need. This has happened sometimes with the best of intentions. Let me explain.

We have an amazing social assistance safety net that provides for people when they are in crisis. Don’t get me wrong though—the monthly stipend is low. Statistics show that the income support people receive on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is around

40% below the poverty line, so it’s not in any way easy to live on the stipend. (K. Tiessen Ontario’s Social Assistance Policy Gap, 2016) But, compared to where I lived for five years in Sudan and Malawi, Africa where there was no social assistance and people starved to death, it is, at least, a basic net. In Ontario, we have two types of social supports for people who experience joblessness and financial need—Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). OW provides income support and employment assistance to those who are in temporary financial need, while the ODSP is a long-term income and employment support for those that have a disability. This is an absolute necessity for individuals with a disability or mental illness that significantly impacts their ability to work, look after themselves, or get out in the community.

My concern is the middle group of people on social assistance. There are those with a disability or mental illness that are capable of work and, in

6 Glad Tidings

There are those with a disability or mental illness that are capable of work and, in fact, WANT to work and participate in their community.

learn to do good; seek justice...

fact, WANT to work and participate in their community. This is especially salient when people are struggling to meet their basic needs on the ODSP stipend and can’t make ends meet.

Many churches (including ours) have developed outreach programs to try to meet the gap: community meals, benevolence funds, grocery cards, and food banks. We are working with the best of intentions to honour Jesus and “…seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). These programs

are a gift—a fragrant offering for those that are marginalized and in need in our communities.

But, sometimes, these programs can be an easy out. Give money (or a grocery card or casserole) and send people on their way.

The challenge is that people are living under the poverty line and a grocery card, food bank donation, or community meal is not going to assist them for very long. It is a short-term solution to a long-term need. We may find ourselves frustrated that people come back to the church, month after

7September/October 2018

month, looking for “crisis support” when, in fact, they need more. They need more money to live on, and for debt relief, friendship, community and, possibly, meaningful work (a harvest!) to contribute to and participate in.

I’ve never felt more purposeless or lost than when I had quit a job I was working at because I felt that God was calling me out of it, but hadn’t yet called me into anything else. For six months, I was unemployed. I felt like I had nothing to talk about. People didn’t know what to say next when I responded to their “What do you do?” question with my “I’m in between jobs” answer. This period in my life, although difficult, was invaluable for me to realize what it must be like for others who are also jobless, through no fault of their own, but who want to contribute to something.

This brings me full circle to the food banks and grocery card dilemma. While these are a great

means of offering crisis support, I hope we, as The Church, are also willing to do more. I’ve become convinced that employment and participation in a type of “harvest activity” is the “more” that many people want and need. Meaningful work meets so many of our needs in life: socialization, belonging, purpose, dignity, and income. There are almost 500,000 people in Ontario, who are on the Ontario Disability Support Program and many of these individuals want to, and CAN, work. So, how do we open that door? How can we, like Boaz, leave some of the grain behind for others to harvest?

When our family lived in Africa, we were advised to enlist “help.” We quickly realized that even if we didn’t want to have help, it was viewed as shameful to try to complete everything yourself when you could afford to provide a job for someone else. In fact, most Malawians, even those with very little money, have

8 Glad Tidings

help. It may be more of a bartering or exchange than a paid job, but they provide a job for someone who needs one and they share the load with others. I found it very difficult to have help. We had a part-time nanny/housekeeper, a gardener, a guard and, for a short time, a cook. With my North American mentality, this seemed extensive and wasteful. I should be doing things myself! At the very least, my own housekeeping and cooking. But, I came to acknowledge that it seemed absurd to run myself ragged when there were people desperately in need of a job and an income. In fact, we came to feel that if anyone came to our gate asking for money, we would try to give them a job, even a temporary one, and pay them for it. This took far more effort than just handing them some money

so that they would go on their way. I was challenged to think through how I could “help” people.

In the book Toxic Charity by Robert Lupkin, he states:“Little affirms human dignity more than honest work. One of the surest ways to destroy self-worth is subsidizing the idleness of able-bodied people. Work is a gift, a

calling, a human responsibility.”

Boaz gave Ruth a gift when he allowed her to harvest his land. Even though she was poor and a widow, she must have been capable of work (the Biblical passage mentions that the other labourers noticed that she worked hard all day). Maybe we, as the hands and feet of Jesus, need to look beyond the handout sometimes, and try to provide a “hand-up”. Yard work? A part-time job? A position for someone with a

9September/October 2018

disability even if it means less profit for ourselves?

Isn’t that what Jesus was all about? Not the easy way, or the profit-driven way, but the sacrificial way.

Rebecca Sherbino and Colleen Graham are the Co-Founders and Directors of The Raw Carrot Soup Enterprise, a social enterprise (business/ministry) that “stirs up” meaningful employment for individuals on the Ontario Disability Support Program through cooking gourmet soup.

The Raw Carrot partners with churches and non-profits to start their own Raw Carrot Soup Enterprise and employ individuals in their communities. There are currently three Raw Carrot locations in Southwestern Ontario employing 16 people with more on the way. The Raw Carrot is supported by a Specialized Ministry grant from The Presbyterian Church in Canada. We would love to see more churches employ marginalized people across Canada. Intrigued? Check out the website: www.therawcarrot.com or contact us at info@therawcarrot.com.

Isn’t that what Jesus was all about? Not the easy way, or the profit-driven way, but the sacrificial way.