By Pastor Tracey Breashears Schultz, Bishop’s Associate for Leadership
Paul Mikula is council president at St Paul Lutheran in La Grange, TX. He has been to Synod Assembly numerous times – and he was at this year’s, too – but this time was different. This time, Paul heard a story that inspired him, and he was stirred to respond.
Kinnon Falk at Synod Assembly (May 17, 2024)
The second day of Synod Assembly, Paul reminded me, as we spoke by phone, that, especially as the afternoon comes, things can drag a little bit, and “people can become more interested in leaving than staying,” but this was when Deacon-candidate Kinnon Falk addressed the Assembly. Under the theme of “Listen, God Is Calling,” Kinnon spoke about how God was calling their congregation, Kindred, located in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston, to be resilient and faithful during trying but hopeful times. Kinnon went on to share what Paul heard, “here is a church with day-to-day challenges,” but they aren’t held back by them. “They are a non-traditional-type church with worship around a meal, and they have started a food truck, part of which teaches interns a new trade and skill. Plus, they have the homeless coming to them in need of help, in need of showers, and they take care of them.” Kinnon mentioned the roof, air conditioning, and plumbing repairs that were needed on their historic building and said these challenges were unexpected, but somehow, God made it possible for the ministry to continue.
Paul said what stood out most to him about Kinnon’s message and Kindred’s story is “he didn’t ask for a thing.” Paul thought about what he had heard on the way home. He told his girlfriend about it and talked to his interim pastor, Stan Larson. Then, the following Tuesday, he was moved to tell St Paul’s church council about Kindred and what he and Pastor Larson had heard at Assembly. Under the heading of “new business,” Paul asked the council to consider the funds they have set aside for mission and whether some of those funds could be given to Kindred. A council member made a motion that $10,000 be given to Kindred; but, before the motion could be seconded, Pastor Larson mentioned what he had found while googling Kindred: they were in the midst of a fundraising campaign to offset costs of $15,000 in building repairs so they could continue to serve their neighbors in need. (Paul didn’t know the campaign was active when he brought the idea to council). The same member who had made the initial motion retracted it and instead made a motion that the full $15,000 be taken from St Paul’s mission funds to benefit Kindred, saying “let’s do the whole thing.” The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. They celebrated!
The following Sunday, in worship, Paul announced to the congregation that the council had taken this action. The church responded with applause, and after worship, Paul said, “tons of people were saying ‘this is the kind of thing we need to be doing.’”
Kinnon Falk and council leaders from St Paul-La Grange (May 30, 2024)
After the council meeting, Paul called Kinnon to make him aware of the council’s action and the gift that would be coming their way. They made arrangements to meet each other, and as Kinnon was already headed to Lutherhill in La Grange, he stopped by St Paul’s on May 30, a couple weeks after Assembly, to thank the donors and to tell his story to the council leaders who were able to meet together that day. They took a photo in front of the church sign, which they’d changed to reflect the theme they’d brought home from Synod Assembly!
I asked Paul if he was proud of St Paul’s generosity, and he said he sure was, and then he added, “we really don’t have the challenges they [at Kindred] face, and this was something we could do.” He said he hopes someone reading this story will “be moved like I was moved,” to help a neighbor, to encourage a smaller church, to respond to God’s call.
I reached out to Kinnon after talking to Paul Mikula and asked what it was like for him to learn Kindred would receive this gift. Here is his response:
“Paul called me on my way home from work after a stressful day. Kindred had just found out that the biggest tenant in our building was moving out, and we were trying to figure out exactly how this would affect our budget. When I got that call, I had tears in my eyes as Paul explained what happened and how their council decided to support our mission at Kindred.
It really seemed like Providence that he would call me that afternoon. I was getting ready to do a presentation for the new crop of Lutherhill counselors on ‘Hospitality.’ As I prepared for this, I had spent the day thinking about how our mission at Kindred is centered on hospitality, how hospitality is so central to the Gospel, how our employment training program (Kindred Kitchen) is teaching youth in need how to provide hospitality as a calling, and how hospitality can become ‘infectious’ and have a ripple effect in our lives and communities. Restaurants achieve high-level hospitality by giving an ‘unreasonable’ level of attention to their customers. Their goal is to give their customers a feeling of ‘this is exactly what I wanted or needed, and I now feel incredibly seen and valued.’ That’s exactly how I felt when Paul reached out. I immediately wanted to show up in La Grange and thank them, in-person. And as it so happened, I was on my way to Lutherhill outside of La Grange the next day!
I’m so incredibly grateful for St. Paul’s support and for their recognition of what we are trying to achieve at Kindred. It’s a beautiful example of how our Synod community can come together to look out for one another.”