MAKING A DIFFERENCE L ori G . Baynard
Offering Good News in Bad News Times
debt, deficits, and delinquencies. Given this commitment to fiscal responsibility, it was only natural that when the foreclosure crisis hit the state of New Jersey, Soaries felt compelled to step up and help. But what could one church do? Federal politicians were scrambling to try and rectify the growing number of foreclosures. New Jersey First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens was hit particularly hard. So Rev. Soaries, was founded in 1937 in Somerset, N.J., along with the First Baptist Community where it quickly established itself as a Development Corporation (which later church that cared for and served the became known as the Central Jersey community. Its legacy of feeding hungry Community Development Corporation families, providing scholarships to young or CJCDC), set up a meeting with compeople in the community, and taking the munity members, bankers, mortgage love of Jesus Christ out into the neigh- representatives, elected officials, and boring community was well in place members of the clergy. When over 800 when Rev. DeForest “Buster” Soaries people showed up, it was only too clear came to the church in 1990 as a pastoral that they needed to devise a plan to help candidate. “The role of the Christian church is Given the pastor’s commitment to offer good news to those who find to fiscal responsibility, themselves in bad news situations,” affirms it was only natural that when Soaries. And whether the bad news situation is a governor in the middle of a the foreclosure crisis hit scandal, a radio personality making racial New Jersey, the church slurs about the local women’s basketball stepped up to help. team, or a police chief who needs assistance with community relations, Rev. Soaries and the members of First Baptist those homeowners most desperately in Church of Lincoln Gardens have been need. In answer to the need, the Housing Assistant Recovery Program (HARP) quick to serve. Under Soaries’ guidance over the last was instituted by the CJCDC. In partnership with area banks, two decades, the church has placed 345 abandoned babies in loving homes, con- HARP has created a revolutionary structed over 100 homes for low- and approach to assist struggling homeownmoderate-income families, and created ers on the brink of foreclosure, and the the Cisco Technology Academy (the first program has had remarkable results. Here’s faith-based academy of its kind in the how the program works. Homeowners country). The church created and runs who are facing foreclosure first meet a state-of-the-art health center and a with HUD-certified counselors in an social services center, as well as a job attempt to work out a loan modificareadiness program.When a growing num- tion with the homeowner’s lender. If ber of church members found themselves loan modification is unattainable, the saddled with credit card debt, Rev. Soaries CJCDC will purchase the home from instituted the Dfree Lifestyle program, the lender and enter into a lease-purchase which encourages and teaches members agreement with the homeowner. The to manage their money and live free of homeowner must commit to attending
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financial counseling provided through the CJCDC. In addition, the homeowner must identify a mentor who can help the family through the process of reestablishing themselves financially by holding them accountable to their goals (the mentor has no financial obligation to the family). Finally, within 12-24 months, the family is able to repurchase their home at an amount not to exceed their original debt. Through this initiative people are able to stay in their homes, reestablish their credit, and repurchase their homes at a fair price. Rev. Soaries calls the plan “real help, right now, using no taxpayer money.” In HARP’s first year the CJCDC was able to help over 400 families, but with the number of foreclosure filings steadily rising, Soaries believed that they needed to do more. Under his guidance, the CJCDC brokered a partnership with a neighborhood revitalization firm called APD Solutions in Atlanta, Ga. The firm invested $25 million to further HARP’s work and to allow the CJCDC to buy up vacant bank-owned properties in eight targeted communities in New Jersey. The CJCDC would then offer these homes to low- and moderate-income families along with continuing to help those families facing foreclosure.This new venture is estimated to help approximately 625 families this year alone. Rev. Soaries sums up the core belief of the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Garden like this: “We don’t celebrate Jesus only on Sunday morning but also believe in serving our community in the name of Jesus all week long.” And by the grace of God, they are doing just that. (For more information about HARP visit FBCSomerset.com). n Lori G. Baynard is a Sider Scholar at Palmer Theological Seminary, where she studies faith and public policy. She also serves as a courtappointed special advocate for abused and neglected children in N.J.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE mae elise cannon
Besieged by Hope
preaching the gospel while situated in the bull’s-eye of a war zone. Dozens of bullet holes punctuate the wall and ceiling of Raheb’s office. In 2002, during the second intifada, Israeli soldiers used the church’s facilities as their headquarters for three days, causing over In 1967, shortly after the outbreak of the half a million dollars in damages. Despite Six-Day War between Israel and its neigh- the destruction inflicted by the army, the boring states, a 5-year-old Palestinian ministry of the church has continued to boy named Mitri Raheb was carried by grow and to flourish, for Pastor Raheb’s his mother to the Church of the Nativity message is one of great hope. Raheb sees his pastoral role in the in Bethlehem in search of refuge from the bombardments. Built on a 4th-century community as encouraging Palestinians foundation, the Church of the Nativity to move from the perspective of being marks the traditionally recognized birth- a victim to that of being active participlace of Jesus. For centuries worshipers pants in pursuing hope for the future. from around the world have been trav- He invites people to be a part of the vision eling to that very place to celebrate the and to nurture, challenge, and educate birth of the Prince of Peace. However, themselves through leadership training through much of the 20th century and and development. The opportunity for into the new millennium, Bethlehem has transformation comes through a relationbeen a place of conflict, poverty, and ship with Christ and the opportunity to oppression — the consequences of living become actively engaged in shaping the under occupation. Bethlehem has known future of their community. Creative opportunities to develop and little peace. A descendent of generations of uplift people in the community are found Christians, little Mitri Raheb would grow in the church’s Diyar Consortium, a up to become a pastor and shepherd to compilation of ministries that includes his community in Bethlehem. He stud- the International Center of Bethlehem ied in Germany, earning his doctorate (ICB), committed to “serving the whole in theology from the Philipps University of the community from the ‘womb to in Marburg. After returning to his home- the tomb’ with an emphasis on women, land, Raheb became the pastor of the children, youth, and the elderly”; the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem Media Center, which prowhere he discovered that the theological vides programming in Arabic that seeks framework he learned from his univer- to support the elderly and empower sity training failed to relate to the ques- women as well as to report the good news tions being asked by his community in coming out of Palestine; and the DarBethlehem. He began a process of help- Al Kalima College, which teaches over ing his congregation wrestle with con- 100 students skills for sustainable living, textual theology while living with the including training in the arts, teaching, stress of occupation. Six months after tourism, and various other academic his return from Germany, the first inti- programs. Other ministries of the church fada started. Raheb recounts the difficulty include a restaurant and guesthouse, of preaching a sermon while artillery children’s programs, a community cenfire barked in the distance. He talks about ter, a 350-seat theater, and dozens of the challenges of worshiping God, shep- activities to encourage life and bring herding the community of faith, and hope to those living in Bethlehem.
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Just as Christ’s incarnation took place in a particular cultural context, theology must be relevant to the context of the Palestinian people. Raheb says, “It is only Jesus who is able to transform people in this country from spectators into actors.”The partition wall that surrounds the city of Bethlehem is covered with scrawled cries for freedom. The despair of living with restricted movement, with limited economic opportunities, and with other realities of occupation can feel overwhelming to Palestinians living in Bethlehem. But Raheb describes the genius of the gospel in this way: Jesus could have viewed himself as a victim of the Roman Empire — that would have been a natural, understandable response. Instead, he was victorious over death, and his followers went forth proclaiming, “He is risen!” They professed a hope that was beyond human understanding. Christians were no longer victims but victors in the message of Christ. Of his community in Bethlehem, Raheb says, “If hope can be experienced in this context, it can be experienced anywhere in the world.”The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church is doing all it can to embody the promise implicit in Christmas, here in the birthplace of hope — for the people of Bethlehem and beyond. n Visit BethlehemChristmasLutheran.org. Mitri Raheb’s books include I Am a Palestinian Christian (1995), Bethlehem 2000: Past and Present (1998), and Bethlehem Besieged (2004). Mae Cannon is executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church in Walnut Creek, Calif.
Nominate a holistic church at kristyn@esa-online.org.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE D aniel C ollins
Reaching Working-Class Immigrants in Chicago’s Chinatown
CCUC bought the building, named it the Pui Tak Center, and established it as the physical home of their community service arm. A year later, David Wu was hired as the center’s executive director. Wu points out that the 30,000-squarefoot building, Chinatown’s only historical landmark, is a perfect portrait of the gospel — something corrupted by man has been redeemed by God and now serves people in God’s name. He insists it is no coincidence that the city’s most distinctive example of Chinese archiWhen Wendy Chai left her native China tecture has become the point at which for Chicago two years ago, her primary Chinese immigrants begin acclimating concern was finding a job. But she also to a new life in the United States. “Even in our outreach work we are needed to learn English. A number of people recommended that she check out trying to connect this need people the free ESL classes at Pui Tak Center, have — to learn English — with our located in the heart of the city’s vision of sharing the gospel with the Chinatown.Two weeks after arriving in people around Chinatown,” says Wu. Chicago, Chai began her first course. “Every year, people are getting bap“Now I can speak and write basic sen- tized at CCUC, and I think that is the tences,” says Chai, 57. “I don’t have to most important measure — not simply becoming active at church, but really avoid talking to Americans.” The Pui Tak Center is a ministry of doing work to build a Christian life.” the Chinese Christian Union Church While adult education has been a cen(CCUC), which opened in 1903 with tral focus, many new immigrants are in the goal of reaching the city’s growing urgent need of basic orientation to the number of Chinese immigrants. Over city. CCUC’s Individual Community the years, the church has offered English Program meets this need by assisting classes for adults, sponsored homework immigrants with legal, medical, and edututoring and Chinese language classes cational concerns. By distributing over for children, and even opened up its gym 300 welcome packages a year to newto the community. The church started comers, the Pui Tak Center begins to Chinatown’s first preschool in 1953 build relationships with immigrants who and operated a monthly medical clinic might otherwise have neither the time nor the inclination to attend church on throughout the ’60s and ’70s. In the late ’80s, the church’s ministry a Sunday morning. From the start CCUC has taken a to the community had expanded so much that additional space was urgently needed. holistic approach to community services. Just down the street from CCUC stood “All of our services here at the Pui Tak a monument to traditional Chinese archi- Center focus on one thing — helping tecture, a building constructed in 1928 new immigrants in Chinatown rebuild as headquarters for a Chinatown mer- their lives,” says Wu. “On a typical day, chants association. The building served 600 to 800 people come through our in that capacity until 1988, when an FBI doors. Many are new immigrants from raid exposed a multimillion-dollar rack- China who come to learn English or to eteering operation and it was confiscated seek advice from our staff. Some realize by the federal government. In 1993 that they need help rebuilding their PRISM 2009
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spiritual lives, too.” The success of the ESL program has been fueled by the immigrants’ earnest desire to learn, even when it means an early morning class after an all-night shift at a restaurant. Wu recalls one student who drove two hours from Racine,Wis., to attend classes. Because the program receives some governmental support, the classes cover job training, career development, and computer literacy. In addition, CCUC offers ESL Bible classes, which allows the staff to touch on the spiritual as well as the physical and economic aspects of each immigrant’s life. “ESL allows us to walk with immigrants for two to three years,” explains Wu, “building long-term relationships that would otherwise be impossible.” “I think evangelism is what really drives the church,” he continues, “but a lot of churches miss the immigrant working class because it’s so hard to reach out to them with their demanding work schedules.” The recession has provided an opportunity for the church to expand its outreach. Says Wu, “Our ESL instructors are working to create a new healthcare curriculum for our classes to provide a broader market for immigrants. We are also developing courses tailored specifically to restaurant workers and hotel housekeepers — with English they need to do their job.” The joy and enthusiasm that the staff exhibit in serving immigrants explain why Wendy Chai, and others like her, beam with appreciation for the Christians at Pui Tak Center. “They have given us a new life that I’m very proud of,” she says. More importantly, the gospel is being lived out before them in practical, tangible, and significant ways. n Daniel Collins is a freelance writer and video producer in Chicago, Ill.“Making a Difference” profiles congregations that put arms and legs on the gospel. Nominate a church at kristyn@esa-online.org.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE M ark L . R ei f f
Reversing a Trend The January 2009 issue of Christianity Today reported that African American congregations are increasingly embracing a “black flight” from urban areas as more and more African Americans reach middle-class socioeconomic status. The report said that this only increases the disillusionment with God’s people among those who stay. Standing counter to this trend is the Great Commission Church (GCC). Founded a decade ago in Roslyn, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, this congregation decided to move to a Northwest Philadelphia neighborhood dealing with more than its fair share of crime, drugs, and unemployment. Pastor Larry Anderson, who oversaw the move, marvels at the work God is doing in and through GCC, a congregation that was, at the time of the move, composed mostly of middleclass African Americans—a model of the very trend reported by Christianity Today. The story of GCC’s unusual move goes back to 2002, when Larry Anderson and his family moved to Roslyn and began searching for a new church home. They visited GCC and found it was a good fit, but God had more than membership in mind for Anderson. A year later the church’s lead pastor expressed his desire to step into a support role, and Anderson, who was doing urban training and pursuing his MDiv at Biblical Theological Seminary, was asked to consider the position. By the end of that year, through continued study and training as well as close mentorship by the leadership team, Anderson was confident enough to fill the lead pastoral role. “I never applied for the position,” recalls Anderson.“God prepared the entire situation, and I just followed his leading.” Since its inception, GCC had rented meeting space in various church build-
ings within the suburban community. But Anderson’s understanding of the biblical partnership between evangelism and social action prompted in him a growing discomfort with the congregation’s vision for suburban ministry. His concerns were vividly confirmed when GCC planned to give Thanksgiving turkeys to needy area families and nobody in the congregation knew of anyone in need. His discomfort intensified as Philadelphia’s 2007 mayoral election cycle commenced and he heard stories of the city’s rampant murder rates, largely in his native North Philadelphia. Anderson wasn’t the only one in the congregation with urban roots. In fact, much of GCC had close ties to those urban areas in the most turmoil. Anderson began to seek God’s will for the church, and he invited the congregation to join him in an intensive study of Nehemiah. Because of what God revealed to them through this study, as well as the congregation’s growing desire to have its own facility, GCC decided to move to an urban setting where they could integrate with the community and partner with God’s work of transformation. In the year following this discernment, GCC worked at raising adequate funds, handling logistics, and preparing members’ hearts for the impending move into a new context.They located an old church building in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane section that fit their vision and, with some assistance, was fiscally feasible for them to acquire. They studied the surrounding neighborhood and found that their congregation could mesh well demographically.They developed a document outlining their plan, expressing their desire to serve in an urban setting and inviting others to journey alongside them. Anderson used this document as a rallying point to mobilize the congregation and others to support the transition, both spiritually and financially.This entire process culminated in January 2008, when GCC moved into its new PRISM 2009
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facility, poised to connect with the societal brokenness all around them and offer it Jesus’ love. Since the move, GCC has continued to be a nontraditional, informal evangelical congregation. Anderson has worked at cultivating a sense of authentic transparency throughout the church, which offers safety and grace to those in the community who are recognizing their brokenness. These successes certainly have not come without trials, and Anderson is ready to share about the times when the new context has strained congregational comfort zones. But GCC has allowed God to sustain and lead them in this journey, making each of these struggles fruitful. Anderson has worked at developing partnerships with various agencies in the community that GCC can support and work with in social engagement. He has been influenced by John Perkins’ philosophy of Christian community development, which he encountered in his current doctoral study at Biblical Theological (where is he also director of Urban Initiatives and the seminary’s first African American faculty member), and he is working to utilize those principles in GCC’s new setting.This has led the congregation to participate effectively in holistic ministry and to begin offering new hope to a neighborhood in turmoil. By God’s grace GCC is pioneering an exciting response to the reality of “black flight,” offering a model of hope to all churches, regardless of demographic makeup. (To learn more, please visit their website at GreatCommissiononline.org. n Mark L. Reiff is pursuing his M.Div degree at PalmerTheological Seminary inWynnewood, Pa., where he is a Sider Scholar working with ESA’s Word & Deed Network. He is also a youth pastor at Doylestown Mennonite Church. “Making a Difference” profiles congregations that put arms and legs on the gospel. Nominate a church at kristyn@esa-online.org.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE K rista Petty
A Church for Orphans
The church did eventually build a school, which today ministers to foster families. “Foster kids are welcome at the school, and we work hard to scholarship their needs,” says Sauder. The church maintains a strong emphasis on issues related to orphans: 100 kids “We were planning on building a school are in their care on any given day, 200 in 1997, but our plans changed,” recalls volunteers participate in such ministries Doug Sauder, pastor of family minis- as mentoring and teaching, and over 200 tries at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Christian families are licensed to be foster parents. Every child brought into the (CCFL). Why? Because that year the news- Broward County Child Welfare system paper headlines in Florida exposed a —yes, that’s right, every child!—is dire state of affairs: Foster children had given loving shelter and supervision at been lost, and some had even died yet SafePlace 4KIDS while they await a gone unmissed by the very system cre- more permanent placement. After that, children are either placed ated to track and care for them. This got the attention of CCFL’s with a foster care family or at KidsPlace leadership and members. Although they Shelter, a family-style shelter for up to had always been a church focused on six kids, aged 4 to 14. This allows sibcommunity needs, they chose to divert lings to be kept together while awaiting a energy, effort, and funds to solutions for foster home placement or reunification foster care children and youth as never with a family member. Those children who are not placed with a foster care before. “Children need homes first!”exclaimed family or family member are welcomed Senior Pastor Bob Coy from the pulpit into GirlsPlace (for teenage girls), one Sunday.The congregation—a vibrant GuysPlace (for teenage boys), and body of more than 18,000 believers at KidsPlace 2 (for sibling groups and chilone main and two satellite campuses— dren who are difficult to place). CCFL and 4KIDS of South Florida agreed, and today, much to the credit of CCFL, children in Broward County are also work in tandem with two additional not only being enfolded into new homes nonprofit organizations that were but are also receiving a quality educa- launched from the church. His Caring Place provides a safe harbor for pregnant tion and being formally adopted. By delaying the start-up of the Christ- teenagers, and Adoption 4KIDS matches ian school project for a year, the church courageous birthparents with committed was able initially to add four people to Christian families. Another aspect of this ministry to staff for their foster care ministry, 4KIDS of South Florida. Since then, the minis- foster children is CCFL’s commitment try has become its own nonprofit with to help other churches get involved in a staff of 70. To date, 6,000 kids have foster care solutions.To date, 140 churchbeen housed, fed, and loved in Christian es are involved in or partnering with shelters or foster homes as a part of the CCFL and 4KIDS of South Florida. How did this church organize such ministry, and over 100 children have been connected with families for adoption. a comprehensive, large-scale effort so This ministry is in addition to their min- effectively? Seeing the need to draw in istry to thousands of prisoners, a home other churches and faith-based providers for pregnant teens, and 65 church plants throughout the tri-county area, 4KIDS birthed “Churches United for Foster Care” in Florida and around the world. PRISM 2008
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in 2002.This initiative now facilitates the involvement of more than 100 organizations to care for Florida’s orphans. “We have vision luncheons with other Florida pastors, sharing the mandate of Scripture to care for orphans as well as teaching them how they can be a part of the solution. We tell them, ‘We don’t need your money. We need your people to love and care for orphans,’” says Sauder. CCFL empowers local churches to start their own residential homes for kids in need.“We train and take on liability so that a church can integrate a ministry to foster children into the life of their own church. It’s sort of a franchise model,” says Sauder. In 2006, CCFL made 32 presentations to congregations, yielding 33 new families involved in the licensing process, 53 new homes licensed, and 53 children placed in ministry-based, foster care settings. Parenting a child is a lifetime commitment, so getting members involved can be challenging.“Foster parenting can be scary, but once you see the kids and begin to work through the issues, it is very rewarding,” says Sauder, a foster parent himself. “Spiritually, our ministry to foster kids adds a vibrancy to the church.” Having foster kids in the classrooms of the church’s school and summer camps, as well as having foster parents in the adult Sunday school classes, brings a dose of reality to the scriptural call to care for orphans. n Krista Petty is a senior advisor for Backyard Impact (BackyardImpact.com), a community-involvement training organization for congregations, community agencies, and corporations. She also serves as an editor and resource developer for the Externally Focused Church (EFC) movement. Sponsored by the Compassion Coalition and Fasten Network, Petty writes EFC profiles of churches (available at FastenNetwork.com), from which this article was adapted.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE J . M onty S te w art
A Wellspring in Paradise Emerging from the Honolulu International Airport on the island of Oahu, you get your first whiff of paradise. Verdant palm trees wave in the seawaterscented breeze, and you can almost taste the mango, papaya, coconut, and pineapple. People fly in from all over the world, drawn to luxurious locations like Waikiki Beach and famous landmarks like the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor or the Aloha Stadium, home of the NFL’s yearly Pro Bowl. In the nearby community of Aiea stands Wellspring Covenant Church, the first Evangelical Covenant church plant in Hawaii. Pastors Randy Furushima and Dale Vallejo-Sanderson planted Wellspring in 2001, the result of both tenured pastors desiring to be more justice-oriented in the scope of their ministries. Wanting to see justice and righteousness prevail, they envisioned their new church as being contemporary, invested in the lives of people, and making a difference in the local community. Then the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, rocked the nation. People immediately began returning to church, but it was mostly to the mainline denominations. The pastors regrouped and prayed about finding a niche, something that no one else was doing on the island of Oahu. They discovered that while many churches were involved in jail or prison ministries, reaching out to incarcerated folks, no one was helping children stay in touch with their incarcerated parents, particularly the mothers. They applied for a separate nonprofit and launched Safe Place, a ministry for kids of incarcerated adults. “We
want to see a generation of children who rise up and do not follow in the paths of their parents,” says Furushima. Wellspring works predominately with children of incarcerated mothers, but has worked with children of incarcerated fathers as well. They began by consulting with staff from the Center for Family at the University of Hawaii, building relationships in the community, and seeking to integrate the prisoners’ families into the local church. Right next to Aiea, in the shadow of such tourist magnets as Aloha Stadium and Pearl Harbor, lies the community of Pu’uwai Momi, a public housing development and one of the largest and most challenging neighborhoods on the island. “We decided to take the church to Pu’uwai Momi,” explains Furushima. “Too many times we say that we are the church and people should come to us. We took the church to the people.” This involves providing Christmas for the families, picking up local youths so they can participate in church events, and providing Mother’s Day celebrations for those children whose moms are incarcerated. Eventually Wellspring came to understand that their various activities were not simply an offshoot of the main ministry of the church, but something intrinsic to their ministry, a natural manifestation of who God was calling them to be. With this in mind, in 2006 Wellspring absorbed Safe Place into the church, canceling its separate nonprofit status, for they no longer see the ministry as separate from the church. On Easter Sunday, Wellspring took the church to the local women’s correctional facility, thanks to the rapport the church body has developed with the authorities over the past few years. They brought in food, games, crafts— and the inmates’ children. Volunteers from the church, including people from Pu’uwai Momi, joined with the incarPRISM 2008
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cerated moms and their children in worshipping the arrested, incarcerated, tortured, executed, risen Christ. On that memorable day, they were no longer separate entities—Wellspring Covenant Church, incarcerated moms, etc.—instead, they were simply one body, the church of Jesus Christ experiencing his grace through the resurrection story. In addition to erasing the walls between the church, the community, and the prison, Wellspring has established both the Wellspring Arts Institute and Hawaii Theological Seminary. The Arts Institute is a place where writers, painters, sculptors, and musicians can express their faith and where the church body can embrace and benefit from their gifts. “We believe that the arts are another significant way we can impact the world,” explains Furushima, who also serves as president of the church’s small accredited graduate theological school. “Our goal is to equip leaders for ministry in a variety of settings,” he says of the seminary, “especially in Hawaii, the Pacific Islands, and Asia.We will soon become the graduate school of a college currently in Guam with campuses on several Micronesian islands.” While tourists wander the nearby beaches enjoying a brief stay in what they call paradise, little do they know that heaven is really happening in the local prison, public housing neighborhood, and a small church with a big heart. For paradise is wherever righteousness and justice prevail and wherever Christ’s church understands her call to be his bride. n J. Monty Stewart is the pastor of Kona Church of the Nazarene, a multicultural church in Kailua-Kona,Hawaii.“Making a Difference” profiles congregations—of any size, budget, and denomination—that put arms and legs on the gospel. If you’d like to nominate a church for this column, email the editor at kristyn@esa-online.org.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE MEG E. COX
Collaborating with the Spirit
place for them to go after school. Michaelsen didn’t yet attend Living Water Community Church, but she knew some people who did: Debbie Lee had started the moms’ group for which Michaelsen babysat, and Lee’s upstairs neighbor, Lidia Mika, was hosting a small Where are the ministries? This is what I group of middle-schoolers for homewanted to know when our family began work time in her apartment in the afterattending Living Water Community noons. Mika invited Michaelsen and the Church, a small Mennonite congrega- boys to use her living room while the tion in Chicago’s Rogers Park neigh- middle-schoolers met in the kitchen. Mika and Lee introduced Michaelsen borhood nine years ago. Before moving to Rogers Park, we to other members of the church who had attended Rock of Our Salvation had created a tiny nonprofit called Bridge Church on the city’s West Side, and I and Garden Works, giving it the motto had worked at Circle Urban Ministries. “Christians cultivating children’s potenThe two form a church-parachurch part- tial in Rogers Park.”When Michaelsen’s nership that serves hundreds of people term with Youth with a Mission ended, each week and is widely regarded as a she asked her friends and family to conleading model of faith-based commu- tinue to support her work by giving to the nonprofit. nity development. This jived with the congregation’s I felt at home in our new congregation because its core members were mission strategy. Members “look for socially conscious people who had relo- where the Spirit of God is at work and cated to this city neighborhood to start collaborate with it,” says Pastor Sally the church, but I was perplexed because Youngquist. The Bridge and Garden there seemed to be no outreach programs. Works connection was only a small part Then I heard about “Kayleen’s Boys.” of the picture. Hospitality, peaceful Kayleen Michaelsen had come to volunteer action, and good cooking are Rogers Park to work for Youth with a Living Water’s long-term tools for culMission. She was volunteering at a local tivation: Discipleship flourishes when pregnancy center when she met six boys members welcome neighbors into their who together hailed from three conti- homes; a lemonade stand provides a nents—a microcosm of the neighbor- peaceful presence on a corner where hood’s ethnic mix. Only 8 to 10 years old, fights often break out after school; neighthe boys wore their house keys around borhood kids crowd in for a weekly their necks and spent their afternoons potluck meal. When Pastor Youngquist opened her roaming the neighborhood. As they got to know the Youth with a Mission home to the boys for an evening Bible folks, they began to hang out in the study, they began to invite their friends, unlikeliest of places: the waiting room and soon they were a group of 12—all of the pregnancy center where boys but one. They called themselves Kids Network. Michaelsen volunteered. The group then moved to the dou“Obviously they must have been bored to want to come in there, and they ble apartment that the congregation felt we were people they could trust,” used for a fellowship room, and Living Michaelsen remembers. She and her col- Water’s after-school program was born. leagues kept the boys busy with art sup- More volunteers joined in, and they plies, but she wished there were a better began serving a dinner-quality snack to PRISM 2008
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the children. “It’s often the kids’ first meal of the day,” said the current coordinator, Sue Ormesher. Soon the original Kids Network group became too old for the afterschool program, so youth pastor Joe Maniglia began integrating them into the church youth group. Now they are finishing high school and beginning college—and anchoring the volunteer staff of Living Water’s summer VBS. Two years ago Living Water moved into its own building.The transition was so expensive that the tiny after-school line item had to be cut from the church budget, and the youth pastor position was cut down to part-time.The congregation held its breath, wondering how things would go without them. Ormesher wasn’t worried. “If God wants this thing to happen,” she said, “then it doesn’t require a particular leader.” Indeed, the program now serves an unprecedented 18 children two afternoons a week, Spanish-speaking volunteers are joining in, and the leaders are beginning to make connections with the children’s families. Living Water was recently awarded its first-ever grant for the after-school program—$5,000 from a major foundation. Ormesher is hoping to expand the program to four afternoons a week rather than increase its size. There was a time, Ormesher said, when what she wanted most was to reach more kids. But her husband asked her: “Why go a quarterinch deep and a mile wide when you could let the roots go deep and cover a smaller portion of land?” Ormesher realized he was right. “To get to water,” she said, “you have to have deep roots.” ■ Meg E. Cox is a freelance writer and editor in Chicago. “Making a Difference” is a new column profiling congregations—of any size, budget, and denomination—that put arms and legs on the gospel.You can nominate a church at kristyn@esa-online.org.