Visitors to Homewood

This past week I've had the opportunity to show people around Homewood for the first time.  I've introduced them to kids, invited them into my house, shared about the history of the neighborhood, and discussed assets and needs in the community.  For each of the visitors, they had presuppositions about Homewood before they got here.  Their friends and family had told them they were crazy for going to Homewood.  They each had some fears about what things might be like here, but they left Homewood with the feeling that things are not as bad as everyone on the outside makes them out to be.  The kids in Homewood are just kids.  The people are just people.  There are some amazing people here.  And there is a lot of great work going on in Homewood to transform the community.

All of us have presuppositions in the way that we interact with the world.  Our worldview is shaped by many different perspectives and experiences.  Often times we build up biases or fears based on false premises or ideologies.  The important thing is that we are open to change, and to learning new things and trying new experiences that might adjust our worldviews for the better.  There are many people who build their worldviews on fear, and then those fears are fueled by things such as the media or friends and family who reinforce negativity.  As leaders, it is important to play a role in helping people overcome their fears and presuppositions.  Bringing new people into my neighborhood is just one example of that.  I love to show people the amazing things that God has shown me in these five years of living and working in Homewood.