Earlier this summer I had the opportunity to travel to Harrisburg, PA with a group of Junior High Youth from our church. We met up with youth from four other congregations at Harrisburg, First Church of the Brethren for three days of work and witness as part of a workcamp sponsored by our denomination. My experiences there helped me see my work and witness here in Roanoke with new eyes.
Harrisburg, First Church of the Brethren is located in the South Allison Hill neighborhood of the city. They have been in the same location since 1905 and have watched the neighborhood be born and very nearly die around them. This neighborhood sits just across the Susquehanna River from downtown Harrisburg, and when the church was planted was open country! Its first development as a suburb of downtown was as a wealthy neighborhood for the residents of Harrisburg; the houses are often large, not unlike parts of Campbell Avenue in Roanoke.
Over the years, however, this urban neighborhood has seen the decline and blight that is common to inner-city neighborhoods. On a surface level, the South Allison Hill neighborhood is not a nice place to live. There is trash in the streets. The row houses are in varying states of disrepair, with broken windows and graffiti on the walls. It is common to see burned out houses in the midst of several where people still live. There is very little in Roanoke that compares to the poverty of this neighborhood; I was often reminded of some third-world neighborhoods I have visited. In many ways, it is fair to say that Harrisburg Church of the Brethren is in the midst of an ugly urban setting.
And yet…. Upon closer examination there is beauty in this place. The South Allison Hill neighborhood is one of the more ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the United States. If you want ethnic food, it can be found there in abundance. (In fact, my one regret from this trip is not making it back to a Hispanic restaurant for a goat taco!) The children that we met on the sidewalk in front of the church were just kids on their bikes, no different from a scene in front of my house in Roanoke on any given day.
But the most beautiful part of this place is the Harrisburg congregation and the fantastic ministry that they sponsor. The Brethren Housing Association has purchased many houses around the church; on their particular block they own all but one of the homes, and have acquired a few around the corner and one across the street. The work of Brethren Community Ministries gives the church a very public face in this neighborhood, as they provide a Tuesday-evening Children’s church; a variety of computer-literacy classes; a food pantry; and a program that teaches middle school students the tools of peacemaking and how to de-escalate violence around them.
I am still processing what I learned from this experience, and will be for some time. Here is what I would say today…
First, our cities are in need of a Savior. As followers of Jesus, our commission is to go and make disciples, introducing people to the peace-loving, reconciliation-making, soul-saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. But as we do this, we must escape the dualistic language of our day that can only see persons and issues as “either/or.” Gospel ministry is fundamentally a spiritual matter. But it is also a social matter. Becoming a follower of Jesus ought to make a noticeable difference in the lives of those baptized.
Second, the city will be only be redeemed in the manner of Jesus: one person at a time. Let’s set our judgments aside for a bit. It’s not enough to look at people who are in poverty; or people who are making what we would consider to be destructive choices, and say to them, “if you would just do right, you wouldn’t be in the circumstances you’re in.” I am a huge advocate for personal responsibility, but we dare not oversimplify transformation. The church has a tremendous opportunity to raise up urban mission workers who can serve as mentors; walking with people for a period of time. It will be tough work and not all will succeed. But it is essential.
Third, urban congregations must be safe places for sinners. At a recent conference, I hear author Philip Yancey offer this challenge: “Are our congregations safe places for sinners?” If the people who pass by on our sidewalks were to walk into our worship, would they be welcome? Will all kinds of people with all kinds of struggles and challenges find our church a safe and welcoming place? It’s a tough question, isn’t it?
When I returned to the church after this trip, I found this quote in a report from a recent Brethren conference: “We live in perhaps the most crucial age of history since the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus….Our job is enormous. This is not a time to twiddle our thumbs. This is a time to pray” (Roger Peugh, a longtime missionary in Germany now teaching missions at Grace College and Seminary, a school of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Church.) Nowhere is this more true than in the city.
Tim Harvey is the senior pastor at Central Church of the Brethren in Roanoke. Visit them on the web at www.centralbrethren.org