neighborly love.

not a day goes by that i don't see at least one homeless person...usually perched on the corner of a city block or resting on a park bench. most days, i'm oblivious - you just get used to such a sad reality. when i am actually aware, i shy away from eye contact, pretending to be busy messing with my ipod, rummaging through my bag, checking voicemails or merely zoning out. although i rarely feel threatened by their presence, a flood of awkwardness mixed with guilt overcomes me. how to do we, especially as christians, effectively answer the need that is so apparent in our city - and how do we do this with justice AND mercy?

growing up in a secluded bubble of a houston suburb, it was not until college when i was rudely awakened to the disparity of humanity that runs rampant in most urban settings. from the hub of power and money, you find those on the other extreme - desperate for hope and future, not to mention life's basic necessities of food and shelter. as an underclassman i spent about a year of my time in philadelphia addressing the dichotomy as such found in the infamous west philadelphia neighborhood. from a beautiful safe campus, a walk just a few blocks west took you into another world, as if alice stepped through her looking glass to find, instead of a fanciful wonderland, an urban wasteland.

working with a local public elementary school on improving literacy rates in a 3rd grade classroom, i was amazed at the students' stories that were aroused from various writing assignments we assisted them on. these were just children but faced insurmountable challenges daily - drug deals, street violence, hip-hop culture pressures. it's no wonder correct verb usage was the last priority on their list! even so, after our morning session concluded, returning back to campus to our privileged lives as well as demanding collegiate responsibilities, it was hard not to feel hopelessness for our neighbors....and sadly, just as easy to shove it onto the back burners of our mind.

all this to say, this conflicting burden of conscience has not dwindled but has increasingly grown on my heart. especially dc, with it being our nation's capital - the center of supposed justice and constitutional values - the irony is one you become cynically accustomed to. from the raging race riots of the late 60s to the transient nature of such a town, it's no wonder the district is far from the model city it should be. however a change is a-brewing, bringing economic prosperity and shiny new opportunities for growth.... otherwise known as gentrification.

on the surface, i think this is great thing; after all, i directly benefit from the transformation of the gritty to the glitzy. but what often goes unnoticed is the strong undercurrent the pushes the poor out of their homes and to where...? for the past 50 years, the inner city has been synonymous with the ghetto 'hoods of the forgotten and unwanted. but as this urban revitalization trend has built momentum, the reality is a diaspora of the most vulnerable and needy. no, they don't just disappear; they have to go somewhere, and that's a huge issue.

being a part of gracedc, a church in the city, for the city, this need has not gone unnoticed. so in coordinating 2 other dc churches - church of the resurrection and christ our shepherd - a multi-church symposium was organized in effort to unify dc christian's to address these needs with mercy and justice. one of the first such events convened in the history of the city, the interest was in no surprise, historic. with over 400 in attendance, members from 25 local churches, it was a beautiful mix of believers with a heart of the poor and impoverished.

friday night kicked off the weekend with a talk from the headlining speaker - bob lupton of atlanta - who has addressed the need for community development in conjunction with the force of gentrification for the past 35 years. this article published by PCA's web magazine - by faith online - captures the essence of his work and what this symposium centered on.

on saturday, i attended a morning and afternoon workshop - only 2 out of the 10 offered, but i wish i could have gone to all! ranging from education to public health to urban race issues to homelessness, there was a breadth of topics available with a wealth of knowledge and experience presented. instead i decided to attend sessions regarding housing development and job provision, facilitated by the directors of sister NPOs - jubilee housing and jubilee jobs. initially started as programs through a local church up in NW's adams morgan neighborhood, the visionary direction and compassion of these now established organizations have proved indispensable for this city.

i won't go into any more detail as i think this post is now long enough! but if anything this weekend proved that despite the efforts of our government - whether HUD's Hope VI program, HHS's welfare and unemployment benefits or dept of ed's NCLB initiative - positive sustainable social change can only really come from neighbors who care. developing a community that promotes mercy and justice to those without a voice, to those who could use a helping hand, to those that need the love of christ.... to that is what we are called.

and you shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. the second is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. there is no other commandment greater than these. - mark 12:30-31