So when my life uprooted to Moody Theological Seminary (the name became official). I was totally encouraged by 95% of the people I told. Regardless of their endorsement or not, "What are you going to do after?" was almost always the follow-up question. I would reply with the ever-good: "trust God." "Follow His leading."
Today when I met for my first consultation with my new psychiatrist. I anticipated being placed in "the Christian box". Most psychiatrists i've met with since submitting to Jesus put proclaiming born-agains into a: co-dependent, ready to quit medication, unable to understand depression category. Ironically if you say you have no faith belief, most psychiatrists recommend having one. However today's evaluation was not typical. This guy is the chairman of the board of psychiatry for Sinai medical group (big group). So I had to give straight answers, I couldn't help but be nervous. Why couldn't i just go out of my way to find a Christian phychiatrist. Doctor and i hit it off, he gave me restaurant recommendations in Cicero. (you know you're in good with someone in Chicago if they give you restaurant recommendations.)
What surprised me was when he asked me "what do you want to do after school?" And without a hesitation, -as if spoken by my heart, I uttered: "Community development." It was a sort of surprise. Yes it helps that I'm reading a book about it right now that has consumed me so much that instead of a quick read, I'm taking in every word regardless of when the paper is due on it.
I am in total respect for the existing Christian community models in Chicago: Bethel Church, Lawndale Community Church, South Asian Friendship Center. They performed gentrification of neighborhoods God's way: Amazing. God turned around wasted communities through churches that pushed its functions as a church to include: Daycare, Employment agency, Medical center, Legal consultation, Housing cooperatives, moving and storage, recreation centers and more; all done "brick by brick" over multiple decades within the community itself. They didn't send people downtown to work, they generated employment within the community.
Incredible stories of Christians constantly partnering cross denominational, cross political, focusing (not on the differences) only on the injustice, and needs apparent within a specific community. All for the benefit of the poor, the alien, the widow, the orphan, the elderly, single moms, and the sick. Community development is the social elixir bringing the morally motivated together. This is the befriending of a church to an entire community through their specific needs as well. Remember if 75% of converts come to faith through friends or relatives. Isn't this a fast track for the Lord to give us all new friends?
In a way, community development is seen as a preemptive effort to avoid building homeless shelters, food banks, soup kitchens, addiction recovery clinics (not do away with them, some models include these too). In the hopes that Jesus would transform the cycle of poverty and those in need would be commissioned to work and make life happen within the locale of the community as Christ regenerates. And the broken find trust in Jesus.
So when it comes to urban ministry Moody is the cheerleader for Christian community development through collaboration. They promote this way more than church planting in my opinion. So a non-profit organization called Christian Community Development Assocaition (CCDA) based out of Chicago has documented models and practices to transform communities in Jesus' name based on past examples. They have an annual conference that is not to be missed if this is your thing.
I have been praying ever since I came to Moody about God planting a vision for His labor in my life. Can we pray about this direction, to distinguish if this is the work He has prepared for me. If so, that is would be met with collaborations even now at Moody. Maybe i could go and glean off the existing communities in Chicago today.
So quite apparently in the last weeks God has (so it seems) been stretching my heart for the unsaved. I don't ever recalling crying for anyone regarding their absence of Christ (other than myself); Or seen evangelism as an imperative to growing your faith. It so is!! And community development?? Did it just come from the sky and tug at my heart strings? We'll see. Reading all about this make the reader one giant optimist -and there's nothing wrong with that.
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