I went to the ghetto Rite Aid drugstore in Arlington this morning. Outside, the building was a bit run down and a few shabbily dressed Hispanic immigrants hung around; inside an imposing figure wearing a badge marked “security” stood in the corner with his arms folded across his chest and a stern face that wouldn’t crack a smile. After returning my item, I left and got into my car to drive away. As I exited the parking lot, I noticed a number of Hispanic men standing around, sitting on crates, waiting for someone to come by and offer them cheap, under the table, day labor. I drove on, feeling uncertain and unable to offer any meaningful help. A few hundred yards away I noticed a church with a huge sign posted in its front yard broadcasting “English Lessons” at a certain time each week. This, I think, is what the gospel is all about. This, I think, is the kind of church activity at which Jesus must smile.
“ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."
-Jesus, Luke 4:16-22
Perhaps I should go to the ghetto Rite Aid more often.
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I wonder what other kinds of services the church could offer to those men and their families beyond language lessons. "To set at liberty those who are oppressed..." What about hiring those men to do jobs at the church? What about providing free food for them and their families? What about providing a place for them to sleep at night? Yes, teaching them English may help in the long term, prepare the men for jobs that can provide more security for their families, but if they aren't sure they will have the money to feed their children, could they take the time to attend the ESL class?
i like all these connections.
but it's with mixed emotions i see hispanic folks mow the lawn down at the local megachurch. yea, it's a needed job. but i think i can meaningfully extrapolate (from my time on staff) that no other relationship exists there... because, well... ministering to hispanic families, vice AOL executives, is a poor business model. (and i can almost guarantee all the workers have their green cards because the church is more scared of a lawsuit than anything i can think of).
I’ve seen the same thing happen to the professional audio community – and that church is not alone in totally screwing more than one friend of mine... in the name of being good stewards of their resources i guess... they just missed the fact they're being a dick for jesus because they think ministry only happens on the stage when the lights come on.
ministry without a business model - with pure motives - without undue influence from the dollar - is a systematic solution to be found???
wow... quite the rant from both Kriss and Pete... yet, I wonder how much somebody might be fighting to just get that first step out of the "church comfort zone" that it took to put up that sign. There may be a real story there. I think I might like to go find out. :) Could be something we've been longing to do on the GNU team to reach out to our Hispanic bros. Where is this church, Jen?
That's a good point too. Sometimes I shoot so far for the stars I miss the light that is shining in the here and now. Ben challenges me on that a lot and after discussing this with him, I see that perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to the work it's taken to put together that ESL class.
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