"The hands of the Almighty are often found at the end of our own arms."-AnonymousIn this deep mid-Winter where cold and want surround, where pantries go without needed volunteers and children cry for absent parents, we find our place. "Send me," the hymn demands, but the army has yet to materialize. In truth, all we can send is ourselves. So to all whose Christmas was warm and comfortable, know you are needed. Do not allow God's hands to be idle. Every one of us has work to do. Find a place where God's hands can use your arms to bless someone in need and through this work, may you find God's special blessing in New Year!Unite Indy is connecting those who can help with those who are missionaries in our own city. Join us in this important work.God Bless,Jim"...With God, all things are possible" - Matthew 19:26
"My momma didn't send me to school to learn. She sent me to school to eat. I watched as people passed on their way to church as I dug through garbage cans for food."-Kevin BrownKevin Brown was born to a 15-year old girl and lived in an unheated hovel. His mother would have him sit on a milk crate with a "table" of a cardboard box in front of him an say "God will provide." But most of the time Kevin starved. "I would eat paper," he said, "and I'd eat dirt and try to imagine it was food. At night I would dream of eating."Against all odds, Kevin is now successful. He has dual master's degrees and is a teacher. But tears run down his cheeks and he can barely speak of the days when he could feel his stomach eating itself every day.We are all the hands and feet of Christ and there are Kevins all around us. In neighborhoods where poverty is rampant the church has the demanding and difficult burden of caring for those in need. Let us never pass...
"We are not called to sameness. We are called to oneness."-Jason Pettyaka "Propaganda"When I was invited to speak at Q Commons, a Christian think tank event held this month on the subject of "Healing a Divided Nation," I was blessed to hear the words of Jason Petty. He is a hip-hop artist from Los Angeles who grew up as the only black child in first, a Mexican neighborhood, and then an all-white suburb.Jason knows more on a personal level about functioning in a world of cultural and racial disconnect than most people on earth and the one thing he claims is that through Christ we are truly one.Here in Indianapolis, one of the 100+ cities where Jason's talk was heard, we at UNITE INDY are working to demonstrate the oneness that Paul wrote about in Colossians. We are not the same, we have different cultures, we are different colors, and we may not even share a language. But through Christ we can be and should be one people.Yours in Christ,...
"The prevailing methodology of urban ministry is that the very people we are called to serve are required to provide the support for the ones who serve them regardless of the fact that they themselves are in need"-Rev. John GirtonChrist Missionary Baptist ChurchPastor Girton's inner-city mission field has challenges similar to those in third world countries, but he and urban pastors like him do not receive support like those with similar challenges who work on foreign soil.Where are we if we lose these men of God because they cannot feed their families for lack of support? This pastor has a dizzying schedule of service, yet spends a month each year in a tent at 30th and Martin Luther King, Jr., interacting with the homeless, the drug addicted, and the needy, all with the support of his congregation which gives all it can, but still cannot afford the leadership they have or the needed roof repair on their historic church.At UNITE INDY we...
While you guys up on the Northside in your gated communities are talking, houses are on fire down here."-Rev. Dr. Darryl WebsterEmmanuel Missionary Baptist ChurchThose words pierced my heart. It wasn't good enough to just talk about the problems of multi-generational poverty, sky-high unemployment, poor education, drugs, mental health issues and more while people in our urban core were suffering. I knew that God was speaking to me through Darryl, so it was time to step out of my comfort zone and for Nancy and me to jump in to do our part in the effort to transform our city.At UNITE INDY we're working every day to undergird our city's urban ministries, because they need our support now more than ever. Our city can be a shining light to the rest of the country.Yours in Christ,Jim"...With God, all things are possible" - Matthew 19:26
