I’m a man of many hats these days. I’m an aspiring church planter OTWLA, an occasional hospital chaplain, and someone who helps others get around town by driving for a couple of ride-sharing companies. I guess you could say I’m a tri-vocational pastor. One of the hats I’ve really come to give thanks for is my ride-sharing hat. I’ll be honest. It’s hard work, but I’m grateful. It’s allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and has actually helped in sharpening my vision as a church planter. I’ve had some divine moments driving and some amazing conversations. I’ve had people share some pretty interesting stories, filled with joys and struggles.
My role as a pastor has gone in some ways behind the wheel. I guess you could say that I’m an “Uber pastor.” Here are some of the folks I’ve met. I’ve met a fire fighter, dancers, lawyers, a doctor, actresses, waiters, fast-food workers, students, teachers, housekeepers, honeymooners from Australia, college students from the Middle East, recent immigrants, folks who’ve had a little too much to drink, an ICU nurse from Australia, tourists from Sweden, Asian-American students attending film school in Burbank, New Yorkers relocating to Los Angeles, addicts, alcoholics, people celebrating late night birthdays, and writers. I’ve had conversations: with business owners; about politics, theology, and the role of a pastor in the church; about whether or not pastors can drink beer; about my work as an occasional hospital chaplain and the role of grief in a person’s life; with people who’ve been hurt by the church for whatever the reason; with people who’ve prayed for the ministry of Outside the Walls (I’m serious); with musicians and a woman who received news she was cancer free on her way to see her doctor; with kids taking their parents to the doctor; with someone on his way to host his own art show that he was late to; and,most recently, with people on their way to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. I’ve responded to people who’ve called for a car to give a loved one a ride, a friend a ride, and the friend who who simply had way too much to drink and needed a ride home.
I recently met an Army Veteran who served in the Army from 1998- 2002. He’s now retired and, on a daily basis, takes an Uber to the VA Hospital to work in food service serving hot meals to retired veterans. I also recently picked up a motivational speaker, who travels the country sharing his story to youth about how he was homeless as a kid and how he came out of homelessness. The one person who stands out the most is a guy that I picked up with two dogs. He was in a car accident and needed a ride from the auto shop and asked if it would be okay if his dogs rode in the car with him. Of course, I obliged. As we drove together to his destination, he shared that he was recently divorced, stories about his kid, and about how he, himself, was a pastor’s kid. He also shared that his ex-wife struggled with alcoholism. I guess you could say my car has become in some ways a dashboard confessional.
It’s interesting when passengers discover that I wear so many hats including the hat of a pastor. They’re often intrigued by my story which invites them to share some of their own stories. For a few moments they forget they’re in an Uber and I forget that I’m a part-time Uber driver. All of a sudden it feels a little like church, outside the walls. If anything, it’s an opportunity for me to practice what it means to be a New Commandment person. And it’s a reminder, for all of us who are trying to figure out how to love our neighbors outside the walls of the church, to take some risks, be willing to share our own stories, and to listen to someone else’s story. Most of all to listen carefully to the words of Jesus in John 13:35, “everyone will know that you are one of my disciples by they way you love one another.” No matter what your vocation is.
K.C. Wahe 