Are we all responsible for “community development”?
June 18, 2010Anybody know what community development is? Kinda? Yea, same with me. Is “community development” a job title or a command from the Lord for all Christians? A few nights ago, I spent a night trying to get personal with that question…
I road my bike to the Downtown Indy Library, hoping to finally read a little bit of John Perkins. This is the John Perkins who wrote With Justice for All, not the John Perkins who wrote Confessions of an Economic Hitman. One writes about the incarnate nature of Jesus Christ and living that out to develop communities while the other encourages readers to buy sustainable products, not purchase from corporations that use sweatshops, and local action as the key to community development. Same names, similar desire to improve communities, but one key difference: the gospel. This reminded me…
—True development in communities must have its roots in the Gospel—
I have been taught this principle in school, read about it, heard it preached, but I think I am experiencing it in a more real way as I work for a community development organization that is doing a lot of good stuff but does not have the gospel at its core.
Anyways, I read through With Justice for All the way Keith Drury taught me to and got through the book in a little over an hour. Perkins’ main 3 points of which he is known for are: Reconciliation, Relocation and Redistribution. So as I try to figure out how I am called to community development, Perkins’ put challenging questions in my mind:
-What am I doing to seek reconciliation with those around me?
- Should relocating be a specific calling to a specific person…or is developing needy neighborhoods only possible by relocating to them?
- As a Christian, how does redistribution fit into a capitalist society?
Really, these questions are just the beginning of the thoughts that this book provoked. Questions that I do not have tidy answers too, but I think I need to ask. Part of me feels like I should not ask questions that could have scary answer. If I do not ask then, is it because the question does not deserve to be asked or because I am afraid to ask something that might make me change? If you can’t tell yet, God has been challenging me…
—It takes discipline to rely on God. Relying on God is difficult to do, but we should strive to it daily by learning to give up and rely on God’s grace—
Does that point above make sense? Whether or not it does, it seems like a paradox to me, and it has been a topic of lot of my conversations with God recently!
Learning theories must include personal experiences, so let me continue with the story of my day. I went from the library to downtown and ran up the War Memorial steps 10 times. The homeless people sitting there probably thought I was crazy! I was trying to pray when I was not totally focused on how exhausted I was. After I ran, I felt led to just sit with the homeless people. Then the Wednesday night homeless outreach came and handed out food and drinks. I wanted to talk but also did not want to force anything and I felt convinced that this time all I should do was listen and learn.
I did say one thing to someone, “Hey”. Other guy, “hey”. Me, “How’s the coffee?” Other guy, “really good”. Me, “Cool.”
After sitting there for over an hour, I rode my bike home, confused not so much at what God is teaching me but what I’m supposed to actually go do with it. So often I just want to know something I’m supposed to do so I can feel good knowing I’m doing!
Then I saw one of my neighbors walking near downtown. His name is Mark. He is 15. Last time I went into his house, the dog peed and they just put newspaper over it and left it. Mark squinted at me. (He lost his glasses the night before while fishing). He was wearing a sling and only had his shirt part way on. He told me about earlier in the day…He got hit by a car while riding his bike. It was a hit-and-run, and he broke his collar bone. Later that night when my girlfriend Melissa, her new roommate Hannah, and one of Hannah’s friends came over, Mark stopped and we gave him some ibuprofen. His family didn’t have enough money for the $13 subscription! It’s like God was telling me to pray and think about some things, but to not forget how simple it can be to show love to those around me.
The moral of the evening… For me, it is to pray more about what God wants me to be doing, and at the same time to not constantly be worried about doing but to first focus on relying on God.
I really appreciate all who read through all this (I know I rambled), and whether you have thought a lot about this or you do not even understand why I care about all this…I would really appreciate your feedback, especially on what you think about “community development.” Sorry the thoughts are scattered…
In His Grace,
Andrew
Dear Mr. Cuthbert,
I think this blog is bomb. I have been thinking on similar topics lately, as I pass a lot of homeless people as I go through downtown Seattle on my ride to & from work. We have EXCELLENT provisions for homeless people here– food, shelters, etc. But… nothing ever changes. People aren’t changing their lives to get off the streets, etc. Without some life-altering change, the problem will only persist and grow. The change has to come with The Gospel… not with merely giving someone a place to stay on a rainy night- ya know? I know where you’re coming from… and am equally perplexed on the issue I think.
Then, on the topic how to express love to others… it blows my mind the simple things God puts in my path to express love– and I just ignore them thinking later, “Man, that would have shown the love of Christ to that person.” God gives us opportunities to show His love to others ALL the time… but often I’m to self-absorbed to even see them. Even things as simple as smiling at people as I walk… but I’m to absorbed in my ear-bud-plugged-isolated little world, I don’t even do THAT often. Ya know?
Im starting a nonprofit organization with the Christian Community Development Association (John Perkins is the founder of CCDA). I recently had to learn to fully reply on God rather than worrying about what he wants me to do and how to accomplish those goals. We recently had a Block Party which was meant to share the love and get the new church’s name out. Once I started relying, everything fell into place and we saw results. Ive discovered that reconciliation is the way to go. Build relationships and they will come.
As I read this, I laughed because this is the same exact thing Im going through. We should catch up with each other but we live 5 hours apart….
I am proud of you Andrew, because I think a lot of people might start to think about this issue but do not go very far to entertain the thought. You have definitely made me think more about what my role is in community development, especially since I will be teaching many kids who live in these types of communities. Its been hard figuring out how to balance over thinking things and not thinking enough about what I can be doing to further show God’s love to others.
You inspire me