S1 A1 Assignment | Reflective Questions - Learning and Closing the Purpose Gap

In my own life the purpose gap is the distance between what I am able to conceive (intention) and what I am able to execute (action). While this may not be the standard definition of the purpose gap, it fits my life exactly. As I’ve grown older, my ability to bring into being the purpose-driven work I am used to doing has changed. Maybe a better way of saying this is my ability to physically execute ideas is less. I am learning to co-create art projects with the congregation and stay off tall ladders.

Our church, Epworth UMC, is blessed with abundant passion for justice and skills to do the work. We are weaker in our ability to focus on a social justice initiative long and hard enough to get the results we initially envision. Our hearts are strong, yet our legs are weak! The bridge we are building these days is a 5-year strategic plan. While it is still in formation, the intention is to set a clear direction and priorities, so we can “do less better.” That can be read two ways. The way I mean is narrowing our focus and executing more completely.

The conditions we are co-creating have emerged this year through the planning efforts, holy conversations, surveys, and the CRC work. While we haven’t landed it all yet, the condition that are emerging are deeper spiritual engagement, more frequent and clear communication, intentional listening, and expanding our welcome to the community.

The purpose gap shows up most clearly in the disconnect between participation and ownership. In my ministry and community context, young people are present—but not fully integrated into the identity, decision-making, or future vision of the institution. They attend events, engage culturally, and contribute creatively, yet often lack pathways to influence structure.

This creates a gap where people are active but not anchored. The institution continues operating, but without fully activating the insight, leadership, and lived experiences of those it is trying to reach. The result is disengagement over time—not because people lack purpose, but because they don’t see where their purpose fits within the system.

Where do you see the purpose gap in your own life, in your community, or in your ministry context?

In my youth I felt the call to go into the ministry. After college I applied to seminary and was accepted. I ultimately decided not to attend because I was in a lesbian relationship and at that time there was no path to be an out lesbian pastor. I had the resources, but there were strict gatekeepers in the way of my purpose. 

How are you or your institutions building bridges—or could be building better ones?

Things have changed dramatically since my youth. I attribute that to the inclusive movements that took place within the major denominations such as the Reconciling Congregation movement within the United Methodist Church. Queer people and their allies brought attention to the barriers and strategically and persistently worked to reform church institutions and change the hearts and minds of its members. 

What conditions do you need to co-create so that others can thrive?

A community of open, hungry, justice seeking people. Those that do not shy away from claiming the Christian faith and are driven to proclaim its true principles of doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God

Where I see the purpose gap most clearly is in the space between what people are carrying and what they feel safe enough to say out loud. Through our cohort listening sessions, I have seen that people have real thoughts, real experiences, and even ideas for change. But many of them choose not to speak. It is not because they do not care. It is because something in the environment does not fully support their voice.

This became even clearer to me after this week’s class and observations. I am beginning to understand that participation does not always equal awareness or connection. People may be present in the space, but still not feel fully included in how decisions are made or how their voice is received. That creates a kind of perception gap, where individuals believe they understand what is happening in the church, but may not have full visibility into leadership processes or opportunities for engagement.

This is something I also encounter in my own ministry. I have developed what I would describe as a ministry of listening. I regularly engage with both current and former members of my church, making sure they are cared for and supported whether or not they are actively attending. In those conversations, people often share things they have not felt safe enough to say in more formal settings. Some of these conversations are challenging. People are processing past trauma, mental illness, and chronic illness. What I have learned through this is that people are carrying much more than what is visible on the surface, and they need spaces where they can speak honestly without fear of being dismissed or misunderstood.

In my ministry context at City of Refuge, there is a strong sense of belonging and shared belief. People connect to the message and feel spiritually grounded. At the same time, there is a noticeable gap between that connection and their ability to fully engage, contribute, or be heard. I see this most clearly with younger adults. They are present, they are thoughtful, and they have ideas, but they are not always brought into the life of the church in ways that feel meaningful or consistent.

What I am beginning to understand is that this gap is not just about engagement. It is about conditions. It is about whether people feel safe, informed, and valued enough to participate. It is also about whether the systems in place actually support their voice, or unintentionally limit it.

Patrick Reyes describes the purpose gap as the distance between a person’s sense of calling and their actual access to the resources and conditions needed to pursue that calling. What I am seeing reflects that directly. People are not lacking purpose. They are navigating systems that were not fully designed for their voice to thrive within.

In my own life, the purpose gap shows up in moments where I can see clearly what needs to happen, but I still have to move through systems, personalities, and group dynamics to get there. This cohort experience has helped me understand that purpose is not only about vision. It is also about how we navigate real people, real emotions, and real limitations while staying grounded in the work.

References

1. Patrick B. Reyes, The Purpose Gap: Empowering Communities of Color to Find Meaning and Thrive

Where do I see the purpose gap in my life, in my community, or in my ministry context?

I learned the basics of how to care for clothing and handle a needle from my mother. That knowledge moved naturally through daily life as it was supposed to. I also saw that passive exchange disappear around me. The places where it once thrived were no longer. By the time I was an adult seeking to go deeper in my own practice, I had to search deliberately for a mentor to teach me. But I knew what I was looking for.

Most people today don’t have that foundation. Most have not had the benefit of standing at a kitchen table watching someone mend anything. There is no reference point for what they are missing. That is the condition Reyes describes, not a personal failure but a gap created by the dismantling of spaces where that knowledge lived.  I founded Sage & Needles because I had something most people around me no longer have, a starting place.

How am I building bridges?

Reyes describes the bridge as the thing that connects purpose to opportunity. For me, Sage & Needles is the bridge to access knowledge that was severed. What I am doing is not new, it is however, returning something to communities and families where it once lived. The Community Threads Project at UC Berkeley, the Stitch & Repair series and the Fix-It-Fest partnerships, all of these bring the knowledge back into community spaces without financial barrier. Reyes is clear, extracting one person from the gap through a grant or special opportunity leaves everyone else behind. I am not trying to make one person a skilled tailor, I am trying to put the knowledge back where it was always supposed to live – in the room, passed from hand to hand.

The bridge I need to improve is one that brings others into the teaching process. I have to explore how to build support and a network that sustains itself.

What conditions do I need to co-create so that others can thrive?

The conditions I co-create at Sage&Needles are specific and also measurable: zero-low cost access and tools, programming delivered inside existing community spaces and session structures designed without productivity pressure. All skill levels are welcome into a judgment-free space. The contemplative dimension reinforces all of this. Stitching is meditative by nature. The repetition and rhythm quiet the mind and create space for imagination and connection to spirit. Imagination which Reyes identifies as central to closing the purpose gap. People consumed by survival have little room to imagine anything beyond it. Sitting still to stitch makes room to open up. 

M. Cross

Igniting Vibrant Ventures

Rev. Heesung Hwang

Lesson 1, Assignment

Reflection

1.  Where do you see the purpose gap in your own life, in your community, or in your ministry context?

Personally, having turned 70 in December, I’ve been thinking a lot about my ‘next’. I continue to ask myself “What do you really want to do now?” Is it time for me to sit down, sit back, or step forward into something. But what is that something?

So much of my adult life has been purposed and centered in ministry with little time to really think about out much else, and truthfully, that has been enough. Still my focus is on ministry. We are just installing a new pastor who has vision and energy and I am excited to be a part of what’s coming. And for now, that’s enough.

2. Where ae you or your institutions building bridges - or could be building better ones?

Due to the passing of our founding pastor, we have been in a kind of limbo until now. Now there is a re-igniting the plan to build the ministry, especially programs for the youth, while simultaneously creating methods and programs that affect and involve the community right where we are.

3. What conditions do you need to co-create so that others can thrive?

We need to rebuild the basic departments and auxiliaries that have lain rather dormant until now. And that is happening. I am excited to be a part of planning, creating, establishing, and fostering programs that will reach out beyond our walls. This is a very exciting time for our ministry and what is coming is phenomenal.

The purpose gap in my own life is trying to get my skill set, my passion, and the world’s great need(s) to overlap in the Venn diagram of my life. Perhaps I am overthinking this, but in my general calling to serve I am feeling a guidance to also be discerning – what am I called to do, am I the best person for what might present itself to me, is this an endeavor that brings me joy/will give me the energy to be sustainable? Is this something that I have to go out and search for, or will the opportunity present itself if I am attentive enough or listening closely enough. I think I am doing both these things at the same time, looking for opportunities and trying to listen and see what might present.

Volunteering with College is Real, a program in the Richmond public schools that matches writing coaches with first gen applicants to college, is a way I can bring my skill of writing and my agency around going to college to first gen students who seek help with college application essays. College is Real is building the bridges for next gen students and also building a bridge for those who volunteer, giving them a way to engage their purpose.

The PSR coursework over the past 8 months has changed the way I think about this, however. I now have to ask myself: are my volunteering efforts charity, something that is safe and easy for me to do; or am I working to change systems of discrimination and inequity. This is a helpful lens, and only now, thanks to having to write this meditation, do I see that building a bridge to college for these kids is a way of changing the system, by creating a new cohort of college educated kids who will have more credibility and agency in the system.

Victor Ogundipe - Igniting Vibrant Ventures - Week 1

• Where do you see the purpose gap in your own life, in your community, or in your ministry context?

I can see the purpose gap, that space or distance between potential and social/structural opportunity, in my own life and members of my community in many ways. The gap is multidimensional. It is educational, many of us have not had access to educational opportunities commensurate with our potentials, whether that education be academic or fiscal. It is financial, many of us do not have access to intergenerational wealth and did not come from backgrounds of fiscal privilege or even financial stability. It is spiritual, many of us received a distorted view of spiritual teachings or were hurt through misuse of spiritual leadership. It is existential, many of us face a gap because of the bodies that we were born in and the lower value placed on our lives because of our physical characteristics.

• How are you or your institutions building bridges—or could be building better ones?

I think the first step is coming to terms with the reality of the gap and its causes, both internally and as a community. Additionally, it seems advisable to work with a coalition of the willing that recognize these gaps and are committed to building something better. This allyship can be powerful. Additionally, it is advisable to connect however we can with those that don’t see all of the gaps. Maybe they can see one and we can collaborate on that. Maybe they see none, and maybe we can be in relationship and walk together to the degree possible so that we might come to see some things together.



• What conditions do you need to co-create so that others can thrive?

The conditions that we need to create so that others can thrive are conditions where we can see each other. Relationship is the basis of creating conditions where we can thrive collectively. We must be willing to see others and be open to finding a middle path in regards to needs. Through this process we will find both cross-cutting and specific needs, in genuine relationship we will find ways to balance these.

Leonard Bailey

5/8/2026

Reflective Question: Closing The Purpose Gap

The purpose gap shows up when people have real gifts and potential, but not the access, support, or opportunities to fully live it out. I see it a lot in my community with young Black and Brown people who are talented and creative, but may not have mentors, financial support, or systems that encourage them to dream bigger.

I think institutions build bridges when they focus less on appearances and more on people. Mentorship, community support, scholarships, and simply having people who believe in you can make a huge difference. Sometimes all somebody needs is one person to say, “I see something in you.”

To help others thrive, we need to create spaces where people feel supported, valued, and safe enough to grow. Closing the purpose gap is really about making sure people don’t have to struggle alone to find meaning and purpose in their lives.

 This is such a simple question to which I have really complicated responses. Firstly, I have striven to realign my career with my values, which led me to ordination as a Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist minister, but as part of that process, I have learned the myriad ways in which scholarship and doctrinal conflict & authority led to a great deal of normative sectarianism and fundamentalism in this tradition. While my own mentors, teachers, and Jōdo Shinshū friends have held much more expansive and justice-oriented interpretations of our tradition, rooted in the life experiences of our founder, Ven. Shinran, the majority of ministers—especially those with authority—in our tradition hold a very conservative and apolitical approach to the Jōdo Shinshū teachings.

I was raised to believe that religious community serves both within and without, but sanghas in the BCA are incredibly insular and classist. For a lot of reasons I’m still trying to understand, leaders in our community tend to focus on looking inward and backward, which has made this CRC project that Victor and I have been trying to work on feel nearly impossible. I honestly do not see our community building any meaningful bridges, rather it focuses incessantly on reinforcing our internal systems of governance and institutional wealth.

At the Berkeley Buddhist Temple, the only reason we were able to establish the committees that focus on outreach and education on political education and justice is because our Buddhist Women’s Association dissolved some 15 years ago. As far as I am aware, no other temple in the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA, our national organization which is closely monitored by our mother temple’s organization in Kyoto) has dedicated committees like ours. Politically, our organization is much like that of the US: a division between classic liberals and conservatives, and leaderships’ constant focus on fundraising has led to a lay-led organization with no religio-social values of which to speak meaningfully. As in Japan, the primary role of our clergy is to perform liturgy at funerals and Sunday services and deliver vapid dharma talks that smack of nostalgia and middle-class privilege. This situation leads to a complete disengagement with any discussion on the principles of our shared faith and ethics in an intensely violent world.

Just this past week, our national ministers’ association held a three-day continuing education conference where I tried to lead a workshop on the ethical problems of integrating the now very commonplace use of AI into our work, including a massive AI project that would create a repository of our sacred texts along with AI tools that could write dharma talks for us, answer questions from our sangha members, and instantly translate texts into dozens of languages. For asking my peers to consider the ways our reliance on potentially dangerous new technoligies that are ravaging the planet and further exploiting peoples of the global majority, a few people appreciated my perspective, while powerful ministers called me “backward, overeducated, and egotistical,” in spite of my care and diplomatic approach to sharing this information as unseen costs of relying heavily on AI.

This past year in PSR’s CRC with Victor has helped me grow so much, but it has also revealed the depth to which so many in my community do not truly seek renewal, rather a myopic notion of making our tradition great again in some way.

In my personal life, the purpose gap has most often shown up for me in a simple lack of awareness. I generally sit firmly on the privileged side of the wall, and, for a good bit of my life, I was unaware that there was another side. It’s a position that I continue to work on actively. I would say this is also true for many members of the Florence UMC congregation. While most of us fit within at least 1 marginalized community, we have also largely been able to exist on the privileged side of the wall (although not always without cost). Intersectionality is an interesting thing, because sometimes it means that blinders exist simultaneously with awareness.

While Florence UMC is good at maintaining bridges that are already built, building new ones is a bit more challenging. Because there are already robust programs in place, it is easy for us to point to those and say, “look at all the good we are doing,” instead of thinking through how we might expand and extend our ministries. In doing so, we become inadvertent gatekeepers.

We need to create conditions where people are seen, heard, and supported in order to close the gap and create a world where all can thrive. However, we must be intentional In listening to those on the other side of the gap, otherwise we are just being magnanimous gatekeepers, not co-creators. Sometimes the work of closing the purpose gap is getting out of the way of those on the other side.

In my own work, I try to build bridges through Summons Productions and Refuge of Mt. Olive by creating spaces where creativity, leadership, spirituality, and culture can exist together. Through music, fashion, live events, media, outreach, and leadership opportunities, I want people to feel seen, valued, and inspired to step into their purpose. I believe bridge-building starts with listening to people, understanding their realities, and creating opportunities that allow them to participate rather than simply observe.

At the same time, I know there is always room to improve. I believe stronger mentorship systems, better business infrastructure, more educational opportunities for creatives, and sustainable leadership development are necessary for long-term impact. Communities do not only need inspiration—they need systems that help people build stability, confidence, and ownership over their future.

To help others thrive, I believe we must co-create environments built on authenticity, compassion, accountability, inclusion, and consistency. People need safe spaces where they can express themselves without fear, opportunities to grow creatively and professionally, and leaders who genuinely care about their development. I also believe collaboration is essential.