Calgary Church – Join a movement….

Churches Respond How?

The following has more typing than solutions, but I figured the dialogue needs to start somewhere.

We have a relatively new problem in Calgary, perhaps currently the most public issue, and I'm curious to know what Calgary churches are doing to be part of a solution. Typically, our prosperous churches are found in white collar, upscale, suburban communities. These churches themselves don't always end up contributing to their immediate community as more often than not they reside just outside of target communities--sometimes in industrial areas--and spend more time putting on productions and programs rather than trying to mobilize their adherents to return to their networks. How does that play into gang problems?

To respond to the gang problems one would have to intentionally connect into its issues. That to me is way a very time consuming and dirty process. Probably so much that it becomes too 'dangerous' and 'risky' for safe churches to get connected into.

Or maybe I'm just being a cynic.

Have you heard of any communities doing anything but cowering from the bullets? Heck, I would too, but my sense is a community is big enough to rise up against violence and oppression if everyone can be united against a cause. Perhaps the leaders of such an initiative are local community churches. Why should a blockwatch or a community board be the only ones responsible for initiating change? Might I suggest churches in Calgary need to be leaders rather than reacting years later to current social issues?

So whats' the solution? People killing each other on residential streets on a daily basis. Innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire. I surmise the solution lies somewhere in confronting the problem somewhere somehow. Pushing it away, forcing it to another city, not sure those are good solutions or even possible. Rather, investing into the people who get drawn into the feeding issues of gang life, capturing young kids who are written off before the age of 12, providing more alternatives for youth to busy themselves during the nights, *you fill in the blanks*, etc.

These aren't even good ideas, but at least talking about it is a start. The basic thoughts I shared are probably unpopular since it involves a commitment to people, people who have names and families. People who may even be longing for lasting connection into something that is more real than gangbanging and crack. People who have problems that would take years to work through.

So that's the problem and I barely suggested a solution, and I'm trying to figure out a response to I'm personally doing more than typing. Somebody needs to take leadership on this broad issue, even if the prospects for an easy victory aren't good.