From time to time if we remain in any Christian Ministry we will meet rejection from other Christians. Being a clown means being larger than life so we must expect reactions from others to be larger too. Always remember compassion for the feelings of others must radiate our ministry.
Facing rejection from other Christians is always hard and if God has called you to clowning do not give up. However we do need to be sensitive to the needs of others. When I started out I was able to make a compromise with a hostile lady in my Church and gave up using illusions (which was going to be my main clown skill at the time). It was a costly sacrifice at the time but the lady in question is now regularly calling me in to do puppetry and clowning for the kids work she leads. She has even made donations to the ministry!
People often have strong emotions attached to their viewpoints. Clown ministry connects people to their emotions and will often cause people to react strongly to stimulous brought about by clowns. If we allow ourselves to be sucked into the trap of reacting back or ignoring peoples feelings then we are not reflecting the love of Christ and our ministry is damaged as a result.
Compassion is the root of all christian ministry. Compassion for the lost and hurting people in our church and in the community should be our driving force. Yes we should continue in God's calling, but we also need to listen to hear the root of peoples objections. Sometimes a change of direction in responce to objections can help others to find healing.
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