Town Hall Meeting on Violence

Last week, a brand new organization called “Stand Up for Something” hosted a town hall meeting to address the concerns of violence and community safety in the cities of North Chicago, Waukegan, and Zion.  This awareness/activism group was founded in August by Zion resident Ciera McNeal (daughter of two Chicago police officers) in response to an alarming upsurge of violence in these under-resourced communities.  Mayors, police chiefs, state elected officials, political candidates, and community members – including several current and former Trinity students and Faith Alive participants – gathered together.  For two hours, those in attendance presented and listened to several official statements, a brief homily, a commemoration of loved ones who had been murdered, along with many fervent comments and incisive questions.

Those who spoke touched on many themes.  Some dealt with the importance of not being afraid to speak up and report crimes to the police.  Others addressed the destructive enmeshment of gangs, guns, and drugs.  Multiple people repeatedly emphasized the necessity of raising, disciplining, educating, and caring for children so that they don’t get involved in the street life.  In general, people spoke respectfully and gave great honor to the civic leaders present, although the loudest corporate applause and affirmation was reserved for a young woman who passionately called them to task with these words: “You’re our elected officials! So make the right decisions and talk with the people who make the decisions!” Other memorable quotes from the evening included: “This isn’t a black and white thing, it’s a green thing”; “Parents should be the ones to whup their kids, because the police might not know when to stop”; and “Slow and steady pressure will change things in the neighborhood.”

And throughout the evening, a composite picture of brokenness emerged, with each person offering another brushstroke that brought to painful clarity the complex interconnectedness of multiple issues – historic racism and discrimination, falling levels of income and property values, unemployment, inequity in standards of education, the breakdown of the family, gangs, and spiritual principalities and powers.  The general tone was a poignant mix of hopeful optimism (that so many people and organizations were ready to unite for the common purpose to combat violence), vibrant faith (that God is on our side and ready to help us when we turn to him), deep frustration (that justice isn’t being served because people aren’t reporting the information that they know about crime, and that elected officials have not yet discovered the effective means to stop it), and some strong hints of despair – the unspoken questions of “Is this ever going to end? Will our children have a future? When will God act on our behalf?” could be felt.

As we debriefed our time afterwards, several different emotions surfaced – excitement that this meeting was held and that the cathartic expression of perspectives transpired; sobriety at the multifaceted issues that have converged on these beloved communities; and deep sadness at the pain and brokenness that people continue to experience, with no relief in sight.  I was struck by the desperate need that we have for God’s Spirit to move – in our lives, our churches, and our communities – in order for there to be lasting transformation and renewal.  The problems that North Chicago, Waukegan, and Zion face are spiritual, structural, and social; therefore any solutions must address all of these aspects, with God as the primary actor.  But I was also deeply moved by the remembrance of 1 Corinthians 12:26 (If one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it).  I cannot ignore violence, substandard education, poverty, and discrimination simply because they are not part of my background and typical experience.  I must concern myself with these issues because they affect my fellow Christians.  Many of the people who gathered at last week’s meeting were believers, part of the body of Christ.  This part of the body is suffering; am I willing to suffer with it?

By Joshua Beckett

God at Work in North Chicago Audio

Praise the Lord for this powerful evening of unified worship!  We began the night with corporate worship, prayer and a short devotional from Romans 12. This was a special time.

Jennifer from North Chicago Community Partners set the tone by outlining the needs and joys of the city.  Luke followed by sharing about the new church plant in Waukegan.   Jodi continued by giving a moving account of the importance of relationships in ministry and shared how that has played out through the ministry of Passion Outreach. Pastor Harry concluded by powerfully encouraging us to use the gifts God has given us by seeing with “sacrificial sight” and living lives of compassion.  So from the secular non-profit to the parachurch to the new church plant to the established church, God is at work in North Chicago and Waukegan! Praise the Lord!

“What we’re talking about is souls…On the other end of every conversation is a soul.” -Pastor Harry

Jennifer Grumhaus North Chicago Community Partners

Luke McFadden Waukegan Church Plant

Jodi Wilterdink Passion Outreach

Pastor Harry Stackhouse The Sign of the Dove

May the Lord bless you as you listen! “What do you see?” -Pastor Harry

Justice in the Christian Life?

This is a great article (thanks for the link Jennifer Aycock!) that examines “the cultural and theological forces behind the new interest in justice.”  Here is one quote I found powerful:

“The greater the church’s action in the world, the deeper the theological and spiritual wisdom needed to undergird it.”  In reading this, I couldn’t help but see the crucial role of TEDS in equipping future pastors and ministry leaders for faithful gospel ministry in word and deed.

Looking forward to your comments!

God at Work in North Chicago

God is working deeply within Trinity and the community of North Chicago! Faith Alive is hosting several service and ministry leaders as they give testimony to God’s incredible work in North Chicago and the opportunities for Trinity students to use their gifts in this city!  Tuesday, 9/28, 7:30-9:00 pm in the ATO Chapel.

Hosting Pastor Harry Stackhouse (The Sign of the Dove Church), Jennifer Grumhaus (North Chicago Community Partners), Luke McFadden (TEDS grad and Waukegan church planter), and Jodi Wilterdink (Passion Outreach)

Dr. Roy speaks on Worship and Justice

In September 2010, Dr. Roy spoke to Faith Alive on the topic of Worship and Justice.  May the Lord bless you as you listen!

Dr Roy Worship and Justice

Director of Publications at Trinity, Rob Moll wrote a blog post on the event

The Gospel and Social Action

In March 2009, Dr. Carson spoke to Faith Alive on the topic of the Gospel and Social Action. 

Dr Carson Gospel and Social Action

In April 2010, Dr. Fields spoke on the same topic and responded to Dr. Carson’s talk.

Dr. Fields Gospel and Social Action

May the Lord bless you as you listen! Love to hear your thoughts via comments!

Dr. Cha speaks on Isaiah 58

In January 2009, Dr. Cha spoke to Faith Alive from the Scripture Isaiah 58.  May the Lord bless you as you listen!

Dr Cha – Isaiah58

It was good for us to have been here

Two weeks ago, I went to a meeting at Trinity’s student center for those interested in participating in a poverty simulation/homeless weekend experience in Chicago. A girl named Ella was organizing this event to give Trinity students a glimpse of what it may feel like to “walk in the shoes” of someone who is homeless. Hopefully the weekend would promote greater awareness of the struggles of the homeless and develop a better understanding of how to minister to someone in that context. As a part of this introductory meeting Ella brought Qualin (pronounced Quail-lynn), a sixty two year old Christian man, who had lived most of his life on the streets.

Though he was asked to share a brief testimony, Qualin spoke for 50 minutes about his life. His thoughts were jumbled and his timeline wasn’t linear, but his words were filled with grace and passion for God. He told stories of seeing friends beat to death (literally) in front of his eyes, a kind pastor who let him live with his family in their basement, learning how to read after becoming a Christian as an adult and a difficult cycle of alcohol and drug abuse/addiction. His honest stories kept coming and coming… and I realized that was part of the homeless culture. He had no strict sense that the meeting was only supposed to go from 7-8 and he was only alloted 20 minutes.

After Qualin’s life story, as Ella was explaining the format of the evening, Qualin interrupted her, saying that he felt God telling him to do something. Saying that he saw her doing mighty things for God, he pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his pocket and gave it to this college Senior for her ministries. She tried to refuse, but he said, “You need to say yes. It is from God.”

After the meeting, I thanked Qualin for coming and sharing his story with us. Though he did not know the exact wording or reference he replied, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Cor 1:27) I left the meeting saying to my friend Danny, “It was good for us to have been here.”

A few observations/questions:

Though his grammar was poor, he stuttered, he was missing a few front teeth, he misquoted Scripture passages, he went deep on rabbit trails, and spoke slowly…
I never heard someone testify to God’s goodness so much in a short period than Qualin.

Have I ever seen a man or women like Qualin (i.e. homeless person) speak in a Sunday morning church service or Christian college/seminary chapel service? In my 24 years of going to church and my 7 years of attending Christian chapel… No.

All of the other speakers I have heard have been very polished, articulate, clean, dressed up, well-groomed, and intelligent. Is it bad or wrong that I have never seen anyone even close to Qualin’s caliber in these services? Why do we not have people like Qualin speak to our churches and ministries? I agree, it may be a bit awkward for the audience, but what in fact may we be depriving ourselves of in ignoring the input from the community of homeless and poor?

by Mark Hershey

Gospel Servanthood

The following is an excerpt from Reverend Pflegor’s 2004 commencement address at Northpark University. For the whole address, click here (highly recommended).

“See, that’s what true servanthood is all about – that’s what gospel servanthood is all about – that’s what discipleship is all about. It’s about caring and sacrificing and serving, without asking, “What am I going to get out of it?” or “How will I get paid back?”. But it’s a willingness to pay the cost because I understand I have been saved by grace, but saved for service. And discipleship will cost.

Charles Spurgeon said, “A church which does not exist to do good in the heart of the city has no reason to justify its existence and a church that doesn’t exist to fight evil, take the side of the poor, denounce injustice and hold up righteousness is a church that has no right to be.”

……

Finally, as we leave here to live our faith, let me close with the words of a simple woman who was of little stature but of great significance – Mother Teresa:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway. When you do good, they will accuse you of egoism and ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will make false friends and real enemies. Be successful anyway. The good that you do will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Sincerity and openness make you vulnerable. Be sincere and open anyway. What you build up over years of work can be destroyed. Build anyway. Your help is really needed, but people may attack you if you help them. Help them anyway. Give the world your best, and it will knock your teeth out. Give the world your best anyway.”

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. – Matthew 28:19-20

Are Some Tickets Punched?

A few weeks ago in Cincinnati, several Trinity students gathered with nearly three thousand people to worship Jesus and learn how to follow Him better. This annual event is called the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) and next year, CCDA is returning to Chicago. I hope to see even more Trinity students and professors next year soaking in this movement of God that is renewing our church and changing our world.

As I reflect on this year’s CCDA experience, the speaker that stood out the most for me was Bart Campolo. Bart, the son of well-known evangelist and social activist, Tony Campolo, did not fall far from the apple tree. Whether you love or hate him, Bart’s straight-forward no-nonsense delivery jolts his listeners in ways that leave them thinking and dialoguing long after his message has been delivered.

This year, Bart jolted me with a statement I have thought about and dialogued about since he said it…“For some people, their ticket has already been punched.” Bart was referring to individuals whose life circumstances are so bleak that their future has already been determined or severely limited.

When Bart said this, he was speaking about a time in his life when he was unhappy as the Executive Director of Mission Year. As the Executive Director, he spent most of his time telling miracle stories to potential supporters about individuals who got off the street because of God’s saving work in their life. When he resigned as the Executive Director of Mission Year, he moved among the poor in Cincinnati, and purposely did not start a church or ministry. He works a normal job and lives among the poor like a regular neighbor. He spoke of two neighbors in particular; one who is old and homeless and the other a young girl who was raped and then blamed for being raped by her alcoholic abusive mother. Using these individuals as examples, Bart suggested that for some people, their ticket has been punched. The damage has been done.

At first, I hated what Bart said. Jesus modeled for us faith, hope, and love. He told us to overcome evil with good, and assured us we can walk in victory and transformation. Bart was wrong to have said that.

But Bart’s message was not all wrong. Bart wanted us to understand that we are not called to fix people. We are called to love. We are called to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves. Bart shared that there has not been much change in his homeless friend’s life. He is still homeless. But today, when Bart walks by, the homeless man now stands up to receive a hug, and that, Bart said, is more important than “fixing” his problems.

Although I believe other services could be offered to Bart’s homeless neighbor and that his ticket has not been punched, I am thankful for Bart’s message and I respect him as a man of God. I was reminded that my first job is to love. Whether problems are solved, the sick are healed, or lives are changed, there is an inherent goodness in loving others and treating them with the God-given dignity they deserve. Simply put, if we fail to love, we fail what matters most.

By Cliff Nellis