The news of the violence hits me hard for several reasons. Things are more personal to me now that I live in the community. A woman tragically lost her life, and a new layer of fear develops within the community and for those who do not live in Homewood who might be interested in making a difference here (such as mentoring a child, starting up a business, or buying a home and raising their family here). Also, the young men who allegedly committed the crime were 15 and 16 years old. All I could think about while I was away were the many 15 year old young men who I have been pouring my time into over the past four years. I have such a burden for reaching them, and it really hurts when I see young people committing such violent acts.
I saw some comments on the news article about the prayer walk on Good Friday from people who seemed to think that prayer was of no use. From their perspective, that means that God has abandoned Homewood and all hope is lost. To that, I would say that God has not abandoned Homewood. Prayer is needed now more than ever. God desires to see shalom in the city, and especially in neighborhoods like Homewood. We, the body of Christ, have been called to lead the way. The last thing we should do is shy away when things get tough.
My neighborhood is hurting, but please do not give up on Homewood. We need your prayers! We need your time and energy! People of all ages in Homewood need help from their Christian neighbors, whether from Homewood residents or from people who live in the metro Pittsburgh area. There are many good people and organizations who are currently working and have been working in Homewood for a long time. Don't give up on them... they need your support now more than ever.
Finally, I truly believe in my heart that a great way to impact Homewood over the long run is through mentoring children. The impact is felt one child at a time. If you have been mentoring a child through LAMP... I say thank you so much! Please keep up the good work because you are needed now more than ever! If you live in Pittsburgh and you are not currently mentoring a child, then I would ask you to please do it! Did you know that there are over 40 children in Homewood waiting for a LAMP mentor right now? Some have been waiting for nearly two years, now. Friends... this should not be! Could 40 mentors be found from the 200 people who attended the prayer walk in Homewood on Good Friday? Could 40 more mentors be found at North Way, which currently has over 3,000 people attending but less than 100 LAMP mentors? And what about the other churches in Pittsburgh? It breaks my heart every time I have to look one of our LAMP kids on the waiting list in their eyes and tell them that I don't have anyone for them. It's not about me, though. It's about the kids in Homewood. And, it's about the church in Pittsburgh stepping up to mentor children in need in the area.
2 comments:
Bryan
As a mentor, I of course agree that mentoring is an effective way of impacting the inner city. It can and does work by impacting one life at a time.
But when it comes to some of the violence, it is only going to end when the residents themselves rise up and say "Enough!!" They more than anyone know who the perpetrators are, who the gang bangers and drug dealers are, etc. The true power to end this lies in the hands of the residents. Those on the outside can facilitate change, but it won't happen until the residents do what they need to do to end it.
IMHO, anyway...
John V
I understand what you're saying, John. The process of transformation requires both outside resources and internal accountability. Too often, though, the "sides" end up pointing the finger back and forth at one another... as opposed to working with one another in unity.
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