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Did you know that every day, FedEx handles more than 3.1 million packages?

With those kinds of numbers, they’re bound to make a mistake every now and then. Today, we got to be part of a whopper.

At least this mistake didn’t cause any headaches for us here in the SOTH office. Instead, it created quite a buzz.

It seems that late yesterday afternoon we were the recipients of someone else’s mail.

What a difference a digit makes.

SOTH resides at 4283 Chapel Hill Road in the lovely town of Douglasville, Georgia.

The “Amber Light Escort Service” resides at 4483 Chapel Hill Road in the same lovely town of Douglasville, Georgia, THAT WE DIDN’T KNOW HAD AN ESCORT SERVICE IN IT!!

Suddenly, the brown cardboard box that landed on our office porch didn’t seem so innocent. It was a sign of corruption and sin, right here in River City, where we’ve got trouble that starts with “E” and that stands for ESCORT SERVICE!

It’s not every day that church work yields this kind of excitement. Sandi, our office manager, and I shared a good laugh over the coincidence of crossing a church’s address with that of this slightly less reputable business.

Then, we went back to staring at the box.

“What should we do?” we wondered.

Open it?

Maybe.

…No, definitely not. Well…Maybe.

Should we go on down to 4483 and share the gospel?

Maybe.

No, probably not. Well…maybe.

“What Would Jesus Do?”

We decided Jesus would pick up the phone and call FedEx, so that’s what we did.

SOTH: “I believe we received a shipment by mistake. There was confusion over the address.”

FedEx: “Do you have the routing number? Great. You’re not ‘Amber Light Escort Service?’”

SOTH: “No, we’re a United Methodist Church.”

FedEx: “Oh. …I am SO sorry.”

Now, I know that some of you good readers are preparing, even now, to organize a ministry to the broken souls down at the “Amber Light.”

I know that you may be plotting the best way to bring ‘em to Jesus, and/or run ‘em out of town.

You might want the following info first:

A few minutes after leaving the office today, Sandi called my phone. “I had to check it out,” she said, laughing. “Amber Light Escort Service….provides escort for oversized loads that have to be moved down the highway.”

“Well,” I said, relieved…and just a little disappointed at the loss of the day’s scandal and intrigue, “at least I know what I’m writing about today.”

I seem to remember an old saying that says “assume” makes “something” out of both “u” and “me,” right?

Old sayings hang around for a reason. First impressions, initial judgments, seemingly foolproof assumptions --- can all be dead wrong.

One study says that websites make their first impressions on viewers within 1/20th of a second. But we’d do well to take more time in really evaluating content, whether in a website, an organization, an “escort service,” or a person.

When I sit next to someone on a plane, and the inevitable “what-do-you-do-for-a-living” question comes along, I usually look them straight in the eye and say, “I work in non-profit.”

You see, “I’m a pastor” is a cover that all too easily leads to a mis-judging of the book. It can also make for a really, really long plane ride for yours truly. Every person has a specific pigeon-hole in which they place those of us who carry that title. Their prejudices vary as widely as their individual experiences of clergy and the church, for good or for bad.

I wonder what the folks down at the “Amber Light” think of us when they get packages for that “church” just up the road? What assumptions get made about those of us who carry the name of “Christ”ians?

Here’s a plan: If we’ve ever earned a bad reputation, let’s own up to it. If people pre-judge us wrongly, let’s forgive them and show them where the wrong assumptions have been made.

Let’s make a new name for ourselves.

"They'll know you by your love," Jesus said.

Amen to that.

Grace & Peace,

Adam

PS -- Happy Administrative Professionals Day to Sandi Hockensmith, who gives of herself in service to SOTH UMC every single week, we are truly blessed by her work!