Neighborhood Ministries

One website I really like to visit is http://www.neighborhoodministries.org/ NM is located in urban Phoenix, AZ, and its mission is "to be the presence of Jesus Christ, sharing his life-transforming hope, love, and power among distressed families of urban Phoenix to ignite their passion for God and his Kingdom." I believe in their statements of calling...called to long-term relationships, called to holistic ministry, called to mentor indigenous leaders, called to affirm the vital role of the local church, called to community-based ministry, and called to develop church partnerships. I love the relationships and programs they have for their urban neighborhood kids...youth nights, art center, camps, job skills, and more. They're walking with these kids from early on and helping them discover their identities in Christ and the unique ways that God has made them and has called them for His Kingdom.

We recently had a gang-related killing in E. Waterloo, and I had a conversation recently with someone who said in effect that there was nothing that could be done with teenagers. "They're rebellious and they're going to act this way regardless of anything we try." The futility and flip attitude he carried was enough to take my agitation to the height of my "holy discontent" barometer.

What if we began to invest long-term in a group of these "hopeless youth"...being present, loving them, ministering holistically, sharing life and Jesus shoulder to shoulder, calling out gifts, teaching the ways of the Kingdom, mentoring them to be who they were made to be, building community and expecting mutual development for all involved? What if the answers are not solely in a bunch of independent programs and resources offered all around a city but in the formation of community and walking with people through years in the context of life? What if the best way to be repairers of broken walls and restorers of streets (Isaiah 58:2) is neither to offer more and more disconnected programs nor to give up altogether, but to develop actual relationships and genuine friendships with real people?

NM in Phoenix is one of my hero ministries. Take a tour through their website and see if you leave thinking that there's nothing we can do with our urban youth.