A Good Work

Sunday we returned from our trip to Columbus, Ohio. It was a rich, meaningful time, and I am so thankful for it. The trip went smoothly, save a crazy tire tear that turned the girl's van into a massage parlor. Our teen group worked so hard, made wonderful memories, and participated in some incredible work.

We worked with Lower Lights Ministries, which is housed in Bellows Avenue Church of the Nazarene but it's actually a multi-denominational effort to address the needs of the Franklinton community. Franklinton is in the "Bottoms" of Columbus, and its statistics were mind-boggling. I didn't write them down, but they have record lows of inhabitable homes, literacy and graduation rates, and record highs in the areas of teen pregnancy, prostitution, and residents coming out of prison. This ministry started to address the needs of the community and be in solidarity with those who have been forgotten.

Most of the time we staffed the ministry's summer day camp, but in the afternoons we did yard work at Rachel's Houses, a transition program for ladies who are leaving prison. One Rachel House had a lot of fire damage from attempted arson, so we also helped scrub walls, etc. Another day we visited the Lower Lights Christian Health Center, which addresses the medical needs of underserved patients based on a sliding scale. Perhaps my favorite activity (aside from the day camp) was a visit to Franklinton Gardens to water, weed, compost, etc. The gardens help local families access healthy, organic produce by providing gardening space, a produce market, nutrition classes, etc. Grocery stores are leaving inner city neighborhoods, forcing families in poverty to do their shopping at gas stations and drug stores or travel long distances to reach grocery stores in more affluent neighborhoods. This leads to high levels of obesity and other health related issues.

It was such a blessing to be a part of holistic ministry in action and to see what can happen when people use their God-given gifts and passions to respond to a need. I know that this work is not exclusive to Columbus, Ohio, nor does it have to look like what's going on there; I am challenged, as one of our youth sponsors encouraged us, to be aware of the needs in our own community and to step out in "risky love" when I see them.

Friday we took the daycampers to the zoo, and I saw this quote by Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world. In fact, that's all that ever has." And on the drive home, I was revisiting Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri Nouwen, Donald McNeill, and Douglas Morrison, and I read, "Action with and for those who suffer is the concrete expression of the compassionate life and the final criterion of being a Christian. Such acts do not stand beside the moments of prayer and worship but are themselves such moments." (119) My prayer is that this trip will not be the end of such action, prayer, and worship for ourselves or our teens, but rather a beginning of a new chapter of compassionate action.

If you're interested in more info about these ministries or more pictures (we have a ton!), let me know, and I'll let you know where they can be found.