One of my favorite aspects of working at the Outdoor Church is that I am suddenly in a position in which it is socially acceptable to do the right thing. I know that Christians are called to help people who are on the margins of society and I have known this for as long as I have been involved with the church. Chronically homeless people seem to be one of the most obvious groups of marginalized people and having some kind of relationship with the chronically homeless would seem to be one fairly explicit and uncomplicated way of following the word and example of Jesus Christ. 

However, there is tremendous social stigma surrounding homeless men and women, so that beginning this kind of relationship entails a social risk. I've become especially aware of this when I have run into people I know along our sandwich route and felt a little embarrassed to be seen lugging around a cooler and stopping to talk to the people in our congregation. Sometimes I pretend I don't see them or I try to scurry away and hide behind Jed or Pat. I feel this way even though the Outdoor Church is often well-regarded among the Harvard Divinity School Community. 

For the time being, though, the Outdoor Church provides a way for me to begin to learn about the lives of homeless men and women in a setting where it is more socially acceptable to do so. This said, the Outdoor Church is also helping me to move away from my need to only do things that are socially acceptable. Soon, I hope to be in a mental and spiritual position in which it does not matter to me if the right thing is socially acceptable.