Engaging Strangers
Richard Renaldi began a photography project several years ago entitled Touching Strangers. He asked complete strangers to pose with others they did not know for portraits in poses normally experienced with close friends or family members. You can find an introduction to the work on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bNCQJsT7Vg.
The images are both arresting and enthralling. People from contrasting walks of life sharing space, various physical connection points, and often looks of mutual admiration. The pictures have inspired a new movement of sorts…talking to strangers. Not in the slightly frightening way our parents warned us about when discussing “stranger danger.” Rather, in the healthy realization that we have so much in common with others who share our spaces, even with those we might assume are vastly different from us. Studies continue to show that “talking with strangers can make us happier, more connected to our communities, mentally sharper, healthier, less lonely, and more trustful and optimistic.”[1]
Speaking as a devout introvert, talking to strangers is well out of my comfort zone. I find it difficult enough to talk to people I already know well. However, in the instances where I have been able to muster up the courage to reach out and engage in some small way with strangers who come across my path, I have realized the benefits of the studies above. There is a genuine sense of happiness, connection, health, and optimism.
In many ways this is part of the mission of RPC. Ultimately, we can’t help those in need if we truly don’t know those in need. Though the pandemic has hindered our ability to volunteer with our mission partners, new opportunities are opening up. NFCC will soon be looking for small groups of people to work the upcoming coat distribution center followed by the Christmas Toy Shop. Every Woman Works (EWW) is currently seeking teachers/mentors to commit to brief virtual meetings with clients. There are also opportunities to make and distribute ice cream in support of Drake House’s Miss Mary’s Ice Cream Crankin’ event on August 29 (easy to do and we will even provide the simple recipe).
We are also only a month away from the RPC golf tournament in support of Neighborhood Action and our mission partners. Maybe while traveling to and from RPC, the golf tournament, dropping kids off at school, and the rest of our everyday movements we can make the stretch to talk to the strangers in our midst. Who knows where it might lead?
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2
[1] Keohane, Joe. “The Surprising Benefits of Talking to Strangers.” The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2021.
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Dan Kreiss, RPC’s new Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, brings with him a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.