Today, I read a letter to the editor in the local paper written by someone in our congregation.  The article is here.  I responded in the comments section on the paper’s website. 

It seems that residents of Warren and the Mahoning Valley do not feel good about their/our community, on the whole.  With the rust-belt economics and issues of crime and social dysfunctions, it seems that few have a positive outlook on the area.  Survival and holding on to what little is left seems to be the name of the game for many people.  Hope seems to be in short supply.  Community-bashing seems to take the place of positive social action. 

Nevertheless, in her article, Ms. Fishel offers us a contrasting perspective that I welcome.  She seems to suggest that if we spend less time being mad or sad (or even scared) about how things are, and choose to take positive steps toward good leadership in government, education, family and business, then we may be able to turn things around.  She herself seems willing to be a part of the solution.  This is very commendable.  But I think there is a bit more.

God wants to bring his people abundant life - even here and now.  As we engage ourselves in following in his ways, we will find ourselves truly breaking out of being “part of the problem” and becoming “part of the solution.”  For until God directs our lives, we end up dealing with all the same issues and power structures the last group of well-meaning folks dealt with, until we get back to where we started.  Only lives transformed by the power of God have the potential to really make substantive changes in the core issues at work here. 

I would encourage members of our community to enagage in walking the neighborhoods and praying for them.  It gives a very different perspective than when we stay in our cars and off certain streets.  And people come to God through it.  As they do, we see neighborhoods become alive again.  Shall we begin?