Jeff Delp's Blog
An Evening in the Neighborhood / Mar 11, 01:27 PM
Spring is in the air. The temps are starting to rise above 60, day light savings time has made evenings long, and people are starting to be outside a little more. We love spring time in our neighborhood and hence we decided to take advantage of it and take a stroll to the park. Going to the park has become more enjoyable since our son has been born because he absolutely loves to swing, so it is a time that we look forward to as a family.
When we got the park this evening, there were about 7-8 young men playing basketball. By all inclinations, the game was pretty subdued and it appeared as if they were just minded their own business and enjoying some recreation. While we were swinging with our son, we saw a neighbor walking his dog and we struck up a conversation. He began to tell us of his plans to change the park and asked if we would be willing to have some input. He began to tell us that he hoped to get rid of the basketball court and turn the park into a tennis center (mind you I see people playing basketball almost everyday and I have never seen anyone play tennis there). According to this neighbor, the basketball court draws the “undesirables” and causes a commotion.
Evidently, this particular week and the previous weekend had seen some incidents involving some fights and some other trouble at this particular park. This neighbor warned us of this before we ended our conversation. My wife and I didn’t worry about it too much, and just continued to enjoy our evening with our son. A few minutes later a police officer showed up to the park. After about 5 minutes of talking with the young men playing basketball, the officer came over to my wife and I. He asked if we knew one of the gentlemen playing basketball and we said no. He then warned us that gun fire had been reported in the park within the last half hour and we should be careful. We thanked the police officer for the information but told him that we had been in the park during that time, and that there was no gunfire while we had been there. He went on to warn us that trouble had been reported repeatedly at the park, especially in the early afternoon when the adjacent high school lets out. He again warned us to be careful and that we should think about not coming to the park during that time. Again, we thanked him for his advice, but advised him that we would most likely be coming to the park during that time.
You see, while I believe in a level of being smart and not putting yourself in dangerous and stupid situations, I also believe that half of the problems that occur in neighborhoods likes ours and those that Mission Year serves are precisely because people are not out. We are told as a society that we should be afraid of our surroundings and therefore we should stay within the comfort of our secure homes. But while those of us that could bring a positive influence to the streets stay indoors, we leave those that seek to do harm the freedom to do what they want. I don’t believe that the police officer should have told us to stay away from the park because it was dangerous. I believe that the police officer should have asked us to get as many people as we can to come to the park during all hours of the day so that the park would be safer. To me, that is taking a burden off of the police, and making life better for everyone.
As a follower of Christ, the question becomes, what does God call us to do in these situations. Do we make a decision to go to the park based on what is best for us and our family? Our do we make a decision to go to the park based on what is best for the neighborhood. In trying to follow the great commandment, to love god with all of my heart, and to love my neighbor as myself, I believe that I need to make my decision to go the park based on what is best for the neighborhood because ultimately, that is what is best for both myself and my community. I am loving myself, my community, and my God. If I choose to stay indoors, I neglect the part of God’s commandment to love my neighbor as myself. To me, that is counter to what Christ calls us to as Christians.
This evening is exactly what Mission Year is about. You are constantly going to be told to be careful and to be safe from friends, family, pastors, people in your church during Mission Year, and your City Director during Mission Year. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. All of those people care deeply about you and that is good. But as you spend time in your community, you will begin to learn (again, assuming basic levels of not being stupid) that the more and more you are out and about, the safer you will feel, and the safer your neighborhood will be, not only for yourself, but for your whole community. You will be ministering by being a presence in your community, and that is exactly what Mission Year is, a ministry of presence.
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