On being ‘Christ in the neighborhood’

Recently, a group of folks from First Christian Church in Minneapolis went down the street to Community Emergency Service.  CES is a local empowerment and social ministry in the Phillips Neighborhood and First has been a partner in ministry with CES since last year.

This particular day, we gathered at CES to fill grocery bags with food from the foodshelf and deliver it to St. Paul’s Residence, a low income housing development in the Phillips Neighborhood.

Don Rudrud, a retired Lutheran pastor who heads up church relations at CES, wanted us to do more than just drop off the food to the residents.  We spent time talking to the folks and getting to know them.  It was a wonderful experience in getting to know the residents as real people and not simply “those people” that we have decided to help.

As we were leaving, I noticed a banner at the church across the street.  The church is St. Paul’s Lutheran and

Don told me that the congregation was committed to staying in Phillips neighborhood and was also working to welcome Latinos who were moving into the area.  The banner was in Spanish and it read, “Dios vive en el barrio,” or “God is in the Neighborhood.”

God is in the neighborhood.  Our church, any church is called to be a presence wherever it is planted.  We are called to be God’s hands and doing the work of justice and salvation that God has called us to.

Here in the Whittier neighborhood, where First Christian is located, we see many people who are in need.  Some are in need of housing, some in need of treatment, some in need just a friendly hand.  First is called to be Christ in our neighborhood and beyond.

Here is your homework assignment for August:  how are we present where we are located?  How can we be a presence?  How can we be Christ to those who are hungry or lonely? How can we say “Dios vive en el barrio,” “God is in the Neighborhood?”

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