Signs of Transformation

It's important in urban ministry to celebrate break throughs in people's lives. Any signs of progress are cause for celebration. This weekend I experienced many seemingly small victories. One of the boys in my neighborhood was released from a long stint in a youth detention center / boys home and he was reunited with his family on his mother's birthday. He came right over to our house to visit with us, and my wife, Julie, helped him and his brothers to bake a cake and make home made birthday cards for their mom. I went with the boys to deliver the birthday cake to her, and her face lit up when she saw how thoughtful they were. It's been a hard year for this struggling family in Homewood, but on that evening everyone was happy to be reunited with one another. The next day one of the boys in that family came over to share about a difficult situation in their life that they are trying to navigate through. He was very angry, and instead of acting out violently he decided to come over to my house to talk to me and cool off. That was a huge break through for him! In the past he has shown up at my front door all banged up from street fights where his anger had escalated. This time I listened to him, helped him pray through his anger and emotions, and I was even able to give him his first Bible and help him find out what God has to say about anger and conflict. I love to have the amazing privilege of giving a person their first Bible! It's the best feeling in the world! Then, this evening one of my mentees called me to tell me that he is going to be serving as a volunteer for a week at a Vacation Bible School at a big church in Pittsburgh. He is a relatively new Christian, and we have talked in the past about serving but this is one of the first tangible steps that he has taken to serve Christ. I am so proud and excited for him! I know God is going to show up and meet my mente right where he is at in his faith.

The things I'm describing might seem small, but they are huge to the young people involved. Transformation in cities is a process... an often difficult process. Yet, as author Jack Dennison points out, the process of urban transformation gives us hope. "The hope of city transformation is invigorating. None of us wakes up in the morning and says, 'If I live in a run-down, mediocre place, that's OK by me.' We all want to live in neighborhoods that are safe and free of discrimination. We want our schools to be places where real learning takes place. We want our justice system to serve everyone fairly. We want economic opportunity to be available - really available - to citizens of every class, kind and condition. And most of all, we want people to hear and respond to a call to radical discipleship - one that fills our cities with people through whom Jesus lives. Reports coming in from all over the world tell us that this is possible. But to get there requires transformation of individuals, of congregations and of the Church of the city. Then as our churches work together as one Body, the evidence is compelling that God can and will bring transformation to the cities of America and the world." - City Reaching