My day went as follows: I woke up this morning in my house in Homewood (1). I spent some time working on a project for my doctorate program (2). I went to a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand new building in East Liberty, the neighborhood right next to Homewood (3). On hand at the ceremony were the mayor (4), community development groups (5), community residents (6), real estate developers (7), bankers and investors who had financed and supported the project (8), and the news media (9). I then drove back to Homewood to check in on some kids at their home (10). Then I drove to Wexford in the suburbs north of Pittsburgh (11) to North Way for a couple meetings with staff at the church (12) about how to mobilize our congregation outside the walls of the church (13) in order to build relationships with nonbelievers (14). I had a conversation with a staff person who read my blog and she was challenged to help out somehow. She decided to take responsibility for tracking down food and supplies for our Monday Night Madness group in Homewood (15). I had another conversation with a different staff person who's heart is breaking for the young people in Pittsburgh, but she doesn't know what to do about it yet (16). Then, I used the freeways to drive back to Homewood (17). A guy from a men's group at North Way Oakland stopped over to our house to take some measurements in our basement. His group is going to donate a lot of time and supplies to building out a space in our basement for kids in Homewood (18). As he was leaving, six kids stopped over to hang out at our house for a little while (19). They left, and now I'm blogging about my day (20).
Why are there numbers in the paragraph about how my day went today? Because, in just one day, I noticed 20 different ways that people can make a difference in the issues facing inner city neighborhoods. Here they are:
1. Move your family to a marginalized, inner city neighborhood. If you are a Christian, you will be doing yourself a huge favor. You will be doing your children a huge favor. You'll be blessing your new neighborhood by doing it. This is one of the best ways to enact change in the city.
2. Be a life long learner. Read books. Educate yourself on issues impacting the poor in the world instead of watching so much TV or numbing yourself with the latest distractions that the world has to offer. Christians, especially, should be on the innovative, cutting edge of society. That can only be done by keeping up with what's going on in the world. What's more imporant? Christians helping to transform people and places, or the latest episode of American Idol?
3. Celebrate breakthroughs! When something good happens in an inner city neighborhood, we should find great joy in the transformation. God wants us all to experience joy in this life. Let's celebrate when things go well.
4. Powerful people, in today's case the mayor of Pittsburgh, are significant players in the process of transformation. Government plays an important role in a healthy community. I believe that God created "the state" as a divine institution, just as he created the family and church as divine institutions. Transformational leaders engage both the powerful and the powerless.
5. Community members in inner city neighborhoods should work together to form groups that speak into issues that impact the community. People are more powerful when they work together. I know that goes against the lone ranger model which is held in high esteem in America, but it's still true.
6. Any work that is done to develop inner city communities should not be accomplished without the support and consensus of the residents in the communities being impacted. Period. Residents need to be empowered from a bottom-up approach, not ignored by a top-down approach.
7. Real estate purchasers and developers have the power to do great good or great harm in communities in the inner city. Did you know that most of the slum lords in Homewood live in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh? I wonder if they tithe off of that income at their churches? I wonder if that thought even crossed their minds when they went to a wealth builders seminar on how to buy up cheap properties in poor urban neighborhoods? Today, I saw real estate developers use their gifts for good.
8. Bankers and investors have the opportunity to do great good or great harm in communities in the inner city. Many cases have been documented where banks stopped lending money for home improvements to people in certain neighborhoods where either minorities or poor people started moving into the area. Today, I saw an example of how bank financers can make a positive difference in a community.
9. The news media have the opportunity to do great good or great harm in communities in the inner city. People must love to watch all of the stories of violence on the evening news, because the evening news is big business for local TV stations. Today, I saw an example of how the media shared a positive story about how things are turning around in a complex, urban neighborhood.
10. Go to where the kids are, and spend time with them on their turf. If you are a Christian, don't wait for people to come to you. Go to where people are and spend time with them in their environment. Christians are called to go into the world, not wait for the world to come to us on Sunday morning.
11. Urban and suburban partnerships are important. Both urban and suburban Christians should come together to resolve difficult issues facing the metropolitan area.
12. Use your influence to get people involved in your cause. Communicate however you can. Advocate however you can. Sometimes people may not agree with you or even push back against you, but that's just fine because Christianity should come with a certain measure of suffering for the sake of Christ.
13. Lead your church to involvement in your city. Many modern evangelical Christians have a rural bias. We think God is found in waterfalls and nature. I believe that God is in cities, too. Christians should be engaging cities, not running away from them.
14. Build relationships with people who do not know Christ. Also build relationships with people who are different than you racially and socioeconomically.
15. If you can't be directly involved with the people who are working in complex urban environments, then get involved in resourcing those people who are doing the work.
16. Let your heart break for people who are hurting. That should not just happen for people in far off countries, but for hurting people right there in your city. Your heart should break first... then you can do something about it.
17. Freeways are set up so that most commuters do not have to experience a drive through troubled urban neighborhoods. Next time you drive to work in a city or go to an event, take the "scenic" route through neighborhoods that you would not ordinarily drive through. And... don't lock your car doors when you get there.
18. Donate your skills to a worthy cause. The guys from this men's group have taken it upon themselves to build this basement at our house for the kids in Homewood. Use your skills for the Kingdom.
19. Practice the art of presence. Be available to people... on their turf, and on their timetable. Ministry is not always convenient. God calls us to many different types of places, at many different times of the day.
20. When I share publicly about my experiences in Homewood or with the things I learn through my doctorate program, I am doing so because I am being intentional about influencing others. I am doing my best to share stories with others in order to encourage people and help them to get involved. All Christians should use their influence to lead others, especially when it comes with a cost.
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