OUR INNER CITY OUTREACH

Inner city ministry was something that I wasn’t searching for; in a sense, it found me. It started when my wife and I moved in with my brother. It was a temporary move, so we could find a place to live. My brother lived in a rough part of town. Most of the buildings were unkempt and crime was a daily occurrence. It took a little time to get used to it; waking up in the night to gunfire was not a comforting situation. One of the main reasons my brother chose to live in this rough location was to join an outreach ministry. This was something I admired and was curious about as well. The vision to love your neighbor and love your community attracted me. It wasn’t long before my wife and I fell in love with the people of the neighborhood. We began to feel God calling us to pour into the hurting people that surrounded us. What opened my eyes is the understanding that you can love and care for someone, but only God can truly change that person. I discovered depending on my fellow believer was vital to living in a challenging area. It’s a common occurrence that one of us would awaken in the middle of the night to pray. Then we’d be informed the next morning there was an attempted break-in to one of our friends’ apartments. The whole experience is eye-opening. My wife and I decided to stay in the inner city with the outreach group. The heart of Christ’s teaching is love, and if we have His love, then we ought to share it. Every day, I have the opportunity to walk out of my home and make a difference to the people around me. I love my community, and I love my family of believers. We pray for one mind and heart as we reach out the arms of Christ to our broken neighborhood.