Jesus in Englewood

Daniel Bair

College Church member Daniel Bair is the executive director of Englewood Family Outreach. When Governor Pritzker announced a statewide “stay-at-home order” for Illinois to help curb the speed at which COVID-19 spreads, Daniel and his colleagues wrestled through its implications.

Daniel and the board held a meeting the Friday night Governor Pritzker issued his order to discuss the ramifications of this for their ministry.

Stay at home to save lives. That is sage advice. However, organizations that provide charitable and social services are exempt from this edict. Therefore, we as a ministry are faced with the difficult question of what to do in the face of such an unprecedented outbreak in our time.

We agreed unanimously that we cannot operate as normal, but there was room for discussion on how exactly we should respond in a way to love our neighbors. Do we stay home and eliminate all physical contact in order to halt the spread of this virus, or do we take the risk for the sake of restoring those in need? While staying home is going to be the best way for most of us to love and serve our communities, it is not an easy question to answer for those serving the vulnerable who will be disproportionately impacted by this lockdown.

Some Thoughts

As I was pondering this, I couldn’t help but wonder what Jesus would do if he were here right now. There was a flesh-eating disease in that time known as leprosy. From fear of the spread of this disease or defilement, those who had it living outside the camp wore rags and had to proclaim loudly, “Unclean! Unclean!” When Jesus approached a leper in Matthew 8, he did something unexpected. Before he healed him, Jesus touched the leper. Granted, we are not Jesus. He knew he was going to heal the leper and (therefore) wouldn’t spread the disease but cure and end it. But more than the method, I marvel at the message—Jesus saw a person in need, not a disease.

Our ministry has neighbors in need, and we are brainstorming ways that we can encourage them and help meet their needs, from the physical to the mental to the spiritual. There is a virus spreading rapidly; if it goes unchecked, it will likely overwhelm our medical facilities. But there are people buried under the headlines of fear and toilet paper shortages who are being crushed by the havoc the coronavirus is leaving in its wake. Sure, the government is doing much to try to alleviate their suffering, but without the organizations that have already been serving on the frontlines, the organizations that know the people of the streets, there are many who will be lost and out of reach. We must see the people buried under the rubble. We must see them, touch them (in a nocontact sort of way) and point them to Jesus.

At the end of Matthew 25, Jesus says that he will come back as king and reward his righteous sheep for clothing, feeding and visiting him. Baffled, they will ask, “When, oh King, did we do this?” The King will respond that as they did it to one of the least of his brothers, they did it to him (Matt. 25.40).

In some divine mystery, we are given the privilege of serving King Jesus as we serve the least of his brothers and sisters in the neighborhood. That is the attitude we come to the community with—not the attitude of the hero riding in to save the day, but the lowly servant coming in to help his King. One way to serve them is to stay home and not spread the virus—we could make things physically worse if we become a link in that chain, and staying home is a prudent decision. There is also a second option.

A Second Option

There is something great at stake here. Right now, people are confused, vulnerable and scared, and that is nowhere more true than in our under-resourced communities (just today I spent time praying with a mother from our neighborhood who, full of fear, called me sobbing). We have a unique opportunity to speak peace into their lives. While helping to ensure their physical, mental and emotional well-being, we can also impact their spiritual trajectories. There may be no greater opportunity than the one afforded by this virus to speak into their lives. It may be that we are positioned here for such a time as this.

Yes, the coronavirus has been killing thousands, and we want to curb that as much as possible. But in the end, death will come for us all; our greater concern is the thousands who may face death from the coronavirus without the hope of Christ. Hopelessness is in the air. The streets are emptied. Businesses are closed. The lights have almost all gone out. But we will keep a lamp burning. A light will shine forth from our refuge to possibly be the spark of revival in the hearts of people in our community. There may be a day that our light goes out, but it is not this day.

Our Plan of Action

We are coming up with many ways to reach out electronically to those we serve. Unfortunately, many have no phone service or internet, and so for them, this is not an option. Therefore, we have decided to cautiously maintain a limited visible presence in the community. We have reached out to many and handed out fliers with our contact information, an offer to pray with anyone in need of peace and options available for emergency relief. We have been in communication with our alderman's office to this end. We also will check in on families and get groceries and supplies to those who don't have the resources or ability to do so.

Your Role in This

We are able to do this because of you—thank you. There are three main ways you can continue to serve on the frontlines with us.

First, while we have suspended all onsite volunteer opportunities, we still desperately need your prayers. Please pray for wisdom as we implement methods for preventing the spread of COVID-19 among our staff and community as we follow the advice and guidelines of the state and health experts. Please pray for those we serve who have unmet needs to find some way to connect with us. Pray that we would be sensitive to the unexpressed emotional and spiritual needs of those in our community.

Secondly, we have already seen a couple of our revenue streams dry up. We are dreaming up ways to help those in our community, but many of them require some financial investment. We are brainstorming new ways of raising revenue but don't want to neglect our primary means of income, our financial partners. If you have the means to give a special donation at this time, we would greatly appreciate it. We look forward to sharing with you the impact your financial partnership has made during this time.

Finally, as most of us are going to be homebound for some time, we need you to connect us to people who may want to join in a partnership with us. If you know people who love Jesus and want to impact the people of Chicago, would you be willing to write an email introducing us to each other? We need now more than ever to come together (virtually, that is) to support and encourage one another and be a light to a world stumbling in the dark.

Know that we are approaching this virus outbreak with deadly seriousness. We will continue taking all necessary precautions. And we are committed to keeping you informed as we make decisions for the good of our community and staff and for the glory of God. Thank you for your continued prayers and partnership!