It has been one year and one month since we moved into Oakwood and a lot has changed both in our lives, and in the community we live in. This summer was probably one of the busiest and more trying seasons that either of us can remember. In July, my (Gage's) mother passed away and with that we began, and as of last week, completed the process of obtaining guardianship of my step dad who has Dementia. It has been a roller coaster of emotions and it is part of the reason we haven't been able to update you until now.
In the same breath, we did have some exciting things happen in the life of the church that have allowed for a new direction in the ministry we have here at The Church at Oakwood South. First, the trailer next door to ours became available for rent and we began to see if this was a good fit for us. Our trailer is a 2 bedroom and the one next door is a 3 bedroom. The difference in it's layout would allow for each of our classes in our Monday night children's ministry, Roots, to have their own classroom. As it was now, our elementary age and preschool classes had a classroom in our living room and the 2 older kid classes had to meet either outside or we had to reserve the Hope Institute building with City of Hope Outreach because both classes were too big to share the front room. In August we finalized the lease and now are starting the process of getting everything ready to have service and Roots over at the new trailer. This will also allow a bit more freedom with the facility since it won't be shared with our family. We hope in the future to provide job training and ESL classes for the people in Oakwood in order to come along side them and create resources to help them get better jobs. As of now we do not have enough man power to accomplish this but we are hopeful that God will provide and increase our church when he is ready for us to pursue these future plans.
We also had the privilege last month to conduct a workshop at City of Hope Outreach's United For the City conference. There we got to discuss Living and Serving in an Under Resourced Community. It was a privilege to share all of what God has taught us in the past year and meet a lot of wonderful people. God used that workshop to bring another family to us to help on Monday nights, create a new fellowship with The Loghery family and their house church; Christ Church Fernwood, as well as build a relationship with a family from Mosaic that leads a youth group that will be helping us get the new trailer ready for ministry. God truly blessed our time that weekend and I can't wait for next year. You can check out the conference and listen to the great main speakers from that weekend at www.unitedforthecity.org
Also, this September, we had the joy of laying hands and sending off the Kingston family and their plant team to go and start another church in an under-resourced community on the other side of the city called Brookside. Brookside Family Church launched September 9th and are looking forward to a fruitful ministry in the months ahead. For more information about the Brookside Family church contact Brain or Erin Kingston either through Facebook, their blog, or www.cityhopeoutreach.com and see how you can help them reach the people of Brookside with the Gospel of our King Jesus.
Through much prayer and thought we have also come to the conclusion that we will not be signing on for another year of living in Oakwood. We feel that this past year was our season of incarnational ministry and that the Lord is now opening up opportunities for us to build relationships and share Jesus with the people of Oakwood by inviting them into our home and lives outside of the park. It was a very hard decision that came with a lot of prayer, struggle, and concern, but in the end we feel confident that this is the direction Jesus wants us to go. We are not certain where God is calling us to move to next in the city, but we do know at least that it will involve us eventually selling our house on Prince St. We ask that you join us in prayer as we take the next step in this journey. Even tonight, I (Gage) write this knowing I will miss random moments, like this evening, where several kids came to our trailer expecting it to be church tonight (they forgot it wasn't Monday) and started a random Duck Duck Goose game with us and felt at home in our house. It filled my heart with joy to know they think of this trailer as a safe place and I pray God will continue to use these relationships with these kids even after we move out of the park.
Thanks for all your warm feedback and prayers. Continue to follow our blog as we promise to try and get better on updating it on what God is doing in Oakwood South.
Grace and Peace,
Gage and Katie
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Dependency: The Great Danger of the Under Resourced
Pimp(v.)- to make use of, often dishonorably for one's own gain or benefit
Welfare(n.)-aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need
Dependence(n.)-the quality or state of being influenced or determined by or subject to another
Since moving to Oakwood, I (Gage) think one of the biggest things that I've been blown away by is this culture of continual dependence. It's everywhere and is a factor in almost every aspect of the daily lives of the community. Don't misunderstand me, I wasn't ignorant of the overwhelming control that dependence has in under resourced areas, but it's a completely different ball game when you experience it on "ground zero" as you attempt to do life together with your neighbors (literally). Let me give you a scenario.
Background: Our church budget is structured so that the pastors don't take salary at The Church at Oakwood South. We all work outside jobs. So after rent and utilities, which are split between the church and The Jordans, 70% of the remaining funds go towards benevolence. For those unfamiliar with the term, true benevolence is coming to the aid of a person in need and providing resources for them in a way that helps the person holistically and comes along side them, not do it for them, in hopes that they won't be in this situation of need again. So a huge portion of our offering at the church goes to rental assistance, utilities, food, etc. This has become a well known thing in the community of Oakwood and so on a regular basis we get "benevolence requests" from community members. When a request is submitted, an elder from either Oakwood or Oakwood South goes and meets with the applicant to see how best we can serve this person holistically.
Scenario: Almost 100% of the time we come across a community member who's budget is tied to a government welfare check. Now, let me pause and state that there are certain situations where the person physically is unable to work for their income and needs this service to help make ends meet; Understandable. However, often times what we encounter is a family or a single mom or a young man who will request help. They are very able bodied but instead of having a job they receive a check for any number of reasons.
History: And before you rant to yourself as you read this about how this is Obama's America, you need to know your history that this system has been in place since the FDR administration (1930s-40s) in a widespread effort to bring a solution to a need they were unprepared for; The Great Depression. Unfortunately, as Dr. John Perkins states in his book With Justice For All, what was created was medicine to address the symptoms, but not a cure for the disease. Understanding that fact, this is a multi-generational issue of dependence we are dealing with. Laziness isn't always the reason they have their budget in chains. Some have never been taught how to fill out an application, learn a skill, complete an interview, etc. Some were taught at a very young age that they are "handicapped" with a number of illnesses and couldn't improve their condition even if they tried. This makes what a friend of mine shared with me the other day make way more sense. "You can't pull yourselves up by the boot straps if you don't have any boot straps."
Now back to the applicant...
This person needs help with their rent this month. This is the second request this year so by our policy we are doing financial counseling with them to see how they keep getting into this situation and what we can do to serve to (1.) not be in the same situation again (2.) have the resources necessary (education, more income, budget, etc.) to thrive and (3.) even grow into being an advocate for someone else in that same situation down the road. As we sit with this person and help them to make a budget, we are faced now with second "pimp" (see definition used at the beginning of the blog) in their lives: rent-to-owns. Not all of these establishments are bad, but some conduct business in such a way that the customer ends up paying 4x the amount for the product than it is actually worth. Now, did the store make the person buy that laptop or tv or washer, no. But, when you lack the "resource" that so many of us had and don't know how to save money, balance a checkbook, or build your credit you are forced to think that paying $50 a week for the next 2 years for a tv that you could buy at Best Buy for $250-300; and so another pimp is in their house.
I know what you're thinking, if you can't make rent you don't need a laptop. That's another blog.
Conclusion: I could go on and on about the fact that we are in a system that is built to keep people in dependence and dependence is now something left in the wills of the under resourced who are then pimped out by those who capitalize on the fact that they don't know any better. The point is this. Until we do the hard thing of putting our judgment about what we think this person's situation is like and get to know this person and realize that he or she may not even know they are in the chains of dependence, nothing will change.
Now, Christian, let me talk to you for a second. Those that are not of the household of faith can read this and think that's not really my problem. And while there are flaws with that way of thinking, we who bear the name of Christ can not do so and share in this thought. Let me remind you of what James, the brother of Jesus wrote:
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
We can't afford to think this way.
Now, Church, let me have a moment of your time. Is there room in your budget to come along side your brother in need. Is it not the fruit of a healthy, God glorifying church that there not be a needy person among you?(Acts 4:34) Or is your money tied up in overhead to the point that you can't hear the cries of the poor in the city because the speaker system, new building, etc.
Our city is in the chains of Pimp Dependence- brothers and sisters we need to come along side, build relationships and fulfill Isaiah 58:12.
Don't know where to start?
How about joining us here:
www.unitedforthecity.org
Welfare(n.)-aid in the form of money or necessities for those in need
Dependence(n.)-the quality or state of being influenced or determined by or subject to another
Since moving to Oakwood, I (Gage) think one of the biggest things that I've been blown away by is this culture of continual dependence. It's everywhere and is a factor in almost every aspect of the daily lives of the community. Don't misunderstand me, I wasn't ignorant of the overwhelming control that dependence has in under resourced areas, but it's a completely different ball game when you experience it on "ground zero" as you attempt to do life together with your neighbors (literally). Let me give you a scenario.
Background: Our church budget is structured so that the pastors don't take salary at The Church at Oakwood South. We all work outside jobs. So after rent and utilities, which are split between the church and The Jordans, 70% of the remaining funds go towards benevolence. For those unfamiliar with the term, true benevolence is coming to the aid of a person in need and providing resources for them in a way that helps the person holistically and comes along side them, not do it for them, in hopes that they won't be in this situation of need again. So a huge portion of our offering at the church goes to rental assistance, utilities, food, etc. This has become a well known thing in the community of Oakwood and so on a regular basis we get "benevolence requests" from community members. When a request is submitted, an elder from either Oakwood or Oakwood South goes and meets with the applicant to see how best we can serve this person holistically.
Scenario: Almost 100% of the time we come across a community member who's budget is tied to a government welfare check. Now, let me pause and state that there are certain situations where the person physically is unable to work for their income and needs this service to help make ends meet; Understandable. However, often times what we encounter is a family or a single mom or a young man who will request help. They are very able bodied but instead of having a job they receive a check for any number of reasons.
History: And before you rant to yourself as you read this about how this is Obama's America, you need to know your history that this system has been in place since the FDR administration (1930s-40s) in a widespread effort to bring a solution to a need they were unprepared for; The Great Depression. Unfortunately, as Dr. John Perkins states in his book With Justice For All, what was created was medicine to address the symptoms, but not a cure for the disease. Understanding that fact, this is a multi-generational issue of dependence we are dealing with. Laziness isn't always the reason they have their budget in chains. Some have never been taught how to fill out an application, learn a skill, complete an interview, etc. Some were taught at a very young age that they are "handicapped" with a number of illnesses and couldn't improve their condition even if they tried. This makes what a friend of mine shared with me the other day make way more sense. "You can't pull yourselves up by the boot straps if you don't have any boot straps."
Now back to the applicant...
This person needs help with their rent this month. This is the second request this year so by our policy we are doing financial counseling with them to see how they keep getting into this situation and what we can do to serve to (1.) not be in the same situation again (2.) have the resources necessary (education, more income, budget, etc.) to thrive and (3.) even grow into being an advocate for someone else in that same situation down the road. As we sit with this person and help them to make a budget, we are faced now with second "pimp" (see definition used at the beginning of the blog) in their lives: rent-to-owns. Not all of these establishments are bad, but some conduct business in such a way that the customer ends up paying 4x the amount for the product than it is actually worth. Now, did the store make the person buy that laptop or tv or washer, no. But, when you lack the "resource" that so many of us had and don't know how to save money, balance a checkbook, or build your credit you are forced to think that paying $50 a week for the next 2 years for a tv that you could buy at Best Buy for $250-300; and so another pimp is in their house.
I know what you're thinking, if you can't make rent you don't need a laptop. That's another blog.
Conclusion: I could go on and on about the fact that we are in a system that is built to keep people in dependence and dependence is now something left in the wills of the under resourced who are then pimped out by those who capitalize on the fact that they don't know any better. The point is this. Until we do the hard thing of putting our judgment about what we think this person's situation is like and get to know this person and realize that he or she may not even know they are in the chains of dependence, nothing will change.
Now, Christian, let me talk to you for a second. Those that are not of the household of faith can read this and think that's not really my problem. And while there are flaws with that way of thinking, we who bear the name of Christ can not do so and share in this thought. Let me remind you of what James, the brother of Jesus wrote:
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
We can't afford to think this way.
Now, Church, let me have a moment of your time. Is there room in your budget to come along side your brother in need. Is it not the fruit of a healthy, God glorifying church that there not be a needy person among you?(Acts 4:34) Or is your money tied up in overhead to the point that you can't hear the cries of the poor in the city because the speaker system, new building, etc.
Our city is in the chains of Pimp Dependence- brothers and sisters we need to come along side, build relationships and fulfill Isaiah 58:12.
Don't know where to start?
How about joining us here:
www.unitedforthecity.org
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