Dear Inner Circle,
For some of you this may be your first note, while others have been here much longer than I have. I first became a member myself well over a decade ago. Long before being called here, I was already deeply drawn by the philosophy and rebelliousness of this place.
The Inner Circle was first penned by Rev. Graham Long. When he arrived at Wayside, every day was different, and he saw a team all with different expectations and realities to each other. So this note was started, initially with a distribution of about a dozen people nearly 20 years ago, as a means to speak across Wayside, to ensure that there was a little bit of consistency in the chaos. Since then, it continues to grow and grow, now going out to nearly 50,000 people per week, connecting a motley crew from all parts of the world.
Why does this note continue to be shared far and wide? Perhaps because the chaos that it first addressed is loud as ever, though it’s now the expectations, realities, hopes and fears of all of us, not just within Wayside, that resonate with the message.
At its heart, this is a love letter. Not a “Dear John” — thankfully I am way too young (“way” may be an exaggeration) to know what a “Dear John” letter is.
Rather this is a love letter to the elder who sits in our horseshoe outside and welcomes all the younger faces, mothering them fiercely, as she was mothered on the streets. It’s a love letter to the man who always shares the last of his food with anyone who might not have managed to find any that day. He remembers his first night on the streets and how the only thing familiar to him was when someone, in a lifesaving act of kindness, bought him a meal, which acted as a lifeline in a stormy sea.
It’s to the gathering of men who laugh and joke jovially amongst themselves, each of them all too aware of the need for reminding each other that no matter how dark life can seem, a good laugh can do just enough to help others hold on for one more day. It’s a letter to the group in Bondi who pull out the drum and guitars for impromptu reggae jam sessions, so that everyone who walks inside does so to an inviting beat, accompanied by a soundtrack that might lift even the weariest of hearts.
It’s to the woman who once was in prison, and who now, pained by the memory of her mother dying alone when she was in lock up, visits everyone when they go into hospital. “No one should die alone Pastor, now promise me when my time comes, you’ll be there!” Rest assured, they’ll have to start a roster when her time comes such is the love she’s given and no doubt will receive back. It’s to the silent group of volunteers who hold membership in ‘the worst club in the world’ — having buried children before themselves, who show up week in and week out, to share a love that was taken from them too early.
All told, it is a love letter to the power of humanity, that insists upon and invites all to see the beauty where sadly too many are conditioned to see only pain.
Ultimately please also think of this as a weekly love letter addressed to you, our beautiful Inner Circle members. Every time you whisper to your friends about us, every time you act in love, then what we cannot own, but can only share, continues to grow and ripple outwards.
Thank you for being part of the Inner Circle,
Jon
Rev. Jon Owen
CEO & Pastor
Wayside Chapel
PS. If you know someone who might enjoy these weekly musings, please share by forwarding this email. We also keep an archive of Inner Circle notes on Wayside Chapel’s website if you’d like to revisit past letters. I hope you know that you are central to the moments of love and connection that are recorded each week.
