VineCity

Vipers Basketball Schedules!!

2012-01-20T14:42:00.001-08:00

Vine City Vipers Basketball Season is upon us (it's actually been here for 2 weeks...sorry about the delayed post)!!!

This year we’ve grown and have a team in both the 14&U and the 18&U league. The 14&U team plays its games on Monday nights and the 18&U team plays on Tuesday nights.

All of the games are held at the Atlanta Youth Academy:
2120 Forrest Park Road Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30315-6834

BIG THANKS to the Atlanta Youth Project, Larry Teem, and the volunteer refs!! Thank you SO MUCH!!!

14 & U
1/23 @ 6pm
1/30 @ 6pm
2/6 @ 6pm
2/13 @ 6pm
2/20 @ 6pm
2/27 Final Tournament
3/5 Final Tournament

18 & U
1/24 @ 6pm
1/31 @ 7pm
2/7 @ 6pm
2/14 = Final Tournament
2/21 = Final Tournament
2/28 = Final Tournament

The games are a great way to support the youth in the community and they LOVE to have their fans cheering them on!

Occupy Atlanta sets up camp outside Vine City church facing foreclosure

2012-01-13T19:43:00.000-08:00

Interesting story, does anyone know any more information about this and what is going on?

http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2012/01/12/occupy-atlanta-sets-up-camp-outside-vine-city-church-facing-foreclosure

Go Vipers!

2012-01-10T20:11:00.001-08:00

Let the season begin! Equipped with a pretty fierce cheering section (see above).

One game and One win.

I love basketball :)

Learning to be friends with a middle schooler

2012-01-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

Towards the beginning of last year (2011), I was ready to quit mentoring. I had started mentoring just a few months before that. Mason, a 7th grader at the time that lived a couple blocks from me in Vine City, asked me to be his mentor. I gave it some thought, received some counsel - it seemed like a good idea, so I accepted. However a few months later it felt like not much had been accomplished and nothing was going to be accomplished any time soon. We didn't really have spiritual conversations or talk about deep challenging things going on with him at school. One day, in my frustration, I asked him if he had any goals in mind for our mentoring relationship. He then said he didn't - which seemed like good final proof that I should let this go and move on to other things.

However, through some of the other people involved in the Trinity mentoring community I was encouraged to hang in there a little bit more, to try to let go of my sense of productivity, and try just be a friend. Maybe that's obvious advice to you - but to me that was a significant shift in perspective. All the times that I had been mentored in the past by older men (which was several times) I was pretty quick to ask questions that were eating at me.

One of the first activities after that (I think) was going to Piedmont park with him for a festival. Even though it was just the two of us, we didn't really have any big conversations. We did though spend a lot of time though going through an exhibit about Texas and watching funnel cake get made.

Over the year, we did more activities like this. We went to a museum exhibit of motorcycles, we went to a neighborhood meeting and waffle house. We went for runs and his family would invite me over for BBQ's / special events. We repaired an elderly woman's front yard together and did work on my own car together. Either it was him, me, or both of us - but things changed.

One evening I was driving him home after one of our more unusual activities together (sitting in on a Sacred Harp singers session). We had just finished making jokes about eating insects or something and he turned to me and said, "Okay, okay - I have something I want to say - this is serious." With some difficulty he tried to hold a straight face. "I really enjoy our times together and am thankful to have you as a mentor." It just pricked my heart - being a boy of few words, usually, he hadn't said anything like that before. I quickly asked him if his mom told him to say that - he said no, he meant it.

Not long ago, he and I were at Trinity's 11:30 service. He expressed to me a desire to do a focused bible study together. Later this week he and I will be sitting down to plan it out. He and I still do fun goofy activities - for sure. But we also are able to talk about spiritual matters and deeper questions too. It just took time.

As for me - I'm thankful to be Mason's mentor. He is someone roughly half my age, with a life experience and home environment that is very different from the one I have had. However, despite our differences, reflecting the diversity of God's kingdom, we're still able to be friends, have fun, and talk about the things we experience in this world.

Tuesday nights are the BEST

2011-12-17T10:44:00.001-08:00

Psalm 107:1
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

I am so thankful for all that God has done and is doing and is teaching me through this group of women... on Tuesday nights and the rest of the week!!

Diane

Fun Fall Days

2011-12-05T11:44:00.001-08:00

Fall is my favorite season. This Fall has been a very busy and exciting time. The Thanksgiving season in particular was just so great. I am so thankful for this family, community, friends, and neighbors. My heart is truly full here.

One of the things we enjoy in the neighborhood are Tuesday night Bible studies. The girls and boys meet in separate houses. It has been so exciting to learn about Christ together. Sometimes we get together outside of Bible study and do something fun. The photos below are of a fall cookie day we had a few weeks ago. It was a blast! Everyone did an amazing job on their cookies.

Check out these awesome cookie artists!

Georgia is definately a fun part of fall!

Another fun thing we enjoyed was going to Disney Princesses on Ice. Someone gave us great coupons so two neighbors and I decided we were totally up for an afternoon at Phillips Arena. One of the boys decided that the girls and I shouldn’t be allowed to go without a “bodyguard”. So he and my husband came and kept us well protected against all of the ferocious little girls in princess dresses ;). (Being there was similar to an episode of “Toddlers In Tiaras”.) Best quote when the show was over was, “Well….that wasn’t too girly. It may have even been a tiny bit manly.” It was a great day. Thank you to whomever it was that gave the coupons! And thank you to our great bodyguards for taking such good care of us.

Also, the Vine City Vipers have been getting ready for basketball season. Everyone is excited, getting jerseys and practicing. I am sure there will be more pictures of the boys’ games over the next few weeks. The girls have decided that the boys definitely need our support. They got together this weekend and had their first cheerleading practice. They have started all on their own. In the spirit of a true cheerleader, they were sensitive to support and encouraging each other and have patience for each other when it was difficult. Below is their very first cheer which they taught each other in 15 minutes! I was so impressed they are already this far. There were a few girls missing so I am sure they will also have a ton of fun cheers to add to the team! I am looking forward to a really fun Vipers season.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

This year we hosted our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving @ the Whitehouse.

We had a larger turnout than expected; but we sure loved everyone and every delicious dish that people brought :)

I was really grateful to see world's collide, overlap, and meet a bunch of new people (kids, teenagers, 20 somethings and 50 somethings).

Thanks to everyone who came out--Happy Thanksgiving

"...And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful." Colossians 3:15

Meet Laura Pritchard

2011-11-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

Meet Laura Pritchard. She and her church New Life Covenant are working on a pretty ambitious and awesome initiative in English Avenue. Currently, she is tirelessly working on starting a gym that would be open to the neighborhood and the west side area. I asked her a few questions to learn more about the gym and what she has been up to.

Q: So, Laura can you tell us a little bit about you and your background, and your church?

A: My name is Laura Ellen Pritchard. I grew up in far Southwestern Virginia where there are more cows than people! I attended the University of Virginia for both undergraduate and graduate school. While there I was the Strength and Conditioning coach for the National Championship Men’s Tennis team and Assistant Strength Coach for the other Olympic sports. I currently live on the Westside of Atlanta and work for Mission Year as a Recruiter. I am passionate about making a difference for others and fighting for justice in health.

New Life Covenant Church is a neighborhood church established in 1993 and located in English Avenue. It is made up of a diverse body of believers seeking to love God and to love neighbors, living out peace and justice in the community. www.newlifecovenantchurch.org The gym will be located in the warehouse at New Life Covenant on 575 Travis St. NW in Atlanta, Ga 30318.

Q: So word on the street is that you are starting a gym. Is that true? And what's the story? How did this all begin?

A: Hahaa! Yes, it is true. Well, it all started a few years ago when I came to Atlanta to do a year-long urban ministry program called, Mission Year. After spending a year volunteering and living in The Bluff, my life was changed. I no longer wanted to be a Division 1 Strength and Conditioning Coach; rather, I wanted to have a gym focused on training the teenagers in The Bluff. So after finishing graduate school and moving back to Atlanta, my pastor approached me to help start a gym through the after school program operating out of our church building. My neighbors had been voicing their desire to have a safe place to exercise for both their kids and themselves, so my pastor thought I could help make that desire come true.”

Q: What is the current mission and goal of the gym?

Our goal is to create a safe place that promotes physical health which in turn meets the emotional, mental and spiritual needs of the entire neighborhood. Making a New Fitness Life for …the next athlete, the single mother, the elderly, the over-weight, the kids on the corner and those looking for a place to belong.”

Q: Is the gym open? When will it be?

A: We are not currently open, but we will open this coming January 2012!”

Q: How can people get plugged in and involved in ways to support the gym?

Individuals can email me directly with specific questions: lep5a@virginia.edu

Or they can check out our Facebook page: http://cot.ag/ufIKrC as well as our current webpage: http://cot.ag/ufLYDs”

My Story of Spiritual Growth

2011-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

7 years ago, I was an awkward freshman in college. I stepped into Trinity’s dim candlelit seeming room and secured a seat on the far right hand corner—safely two seats away from any other church-goer—or worse—a possible congregant.

I was scared. I was scared of being found out—that I wasn’t a Christian—or that I wasn’t sure if I was or wasn’t. Which was worse? I couldn’t make up my mind. I was terrified that somehow “they” would find out that I didn’t belong, that I didn’t know anyone there, and had no business showing up. I mean especially if I told them what was going on in my heart , in my life, and in my mind…what a mess. They’d surely keep away when I lingered self-consciously by the coffee pot for 5 minutes—and skidding out after standing there just long enough to feel that my cover had been blown. They knew I wasn’t waiting for anyone, that I didn’t have business—personal or otherwise being there. That was my head. My very 18 year-old self-centered, scared, and skittish brain.

Needless to say, I didn’t talk to anyone at church; with the exception of a few conversations that I over-analyzed and nervously distanced myself from. I can’t explain why I was so frightened or scared, I just know that I was. I was terrified of Trinity—partly because I realized how much I loved it—how much I looked forward to it every week. The only thing I hated about Trinity, was the fact that I felt that I needed it. I needed something from which they were talking.

The first 1 ½ of attending, I wrestled with what I know now was God. Those sermons early on would move me to react with tears, heart-break, conviction, and a desire to know Jesus more. At first, I thought I could play the part, say the right things and do the right things to convince God that I was worth it. I would volunteer at a Lazarus event, I would volunteer at my University, I would do anything I could to make God happy—except spend time with him. I dealt with a heavy heart and a lot of guilt, and it all came out in a lone seat on the far right side in the far back corner of Trinity. I couldn’t dash out fast enough with my mascara stained cheeks, looking down to not make eye contact.

Why was I so troubled? Well, I can look back now and see how it was related to me frustration on why my efforts and works to ascertain faith weren’t adding up and didn’t get me to God. I knew Jesus, I knew that I needed him, I had even accepted him into my life. But after all of that, I couldn’t accept that I would never be able to do it right, to get myself clean on my own, to earn God’s love and acceptance. In other words, I didn’t get grace—I just got the part that I was messed up and needed help—a lot of it.

I was told by a someone once, that different people grasp either the fact they are a mess and in need, or the fact that they need grace and it must be given freely and cannot ever be earned. I lived in the latter and couldn’t seem to connect the dots.

God did not give up on me, though as I edged toward graduation and the completion of college I was hiding more than ever. During this time, things got worse before they got better. I was in a serious car accident and was shaken up pretty bad, my mom was helping me tie my shoes, I was living back at home watching Bravo TV during my days, a pretty serious and long term relationship ended, and I felt more alone than ever. I couldn’t do any of the activities that normally made me feel like I was connecting to God—I was frustrated and pretty broken. As I opened my Bible to pray I would try to make sense of life and come up with some profound interpretation—God was teaching me something right? But instead, the Bible felt cold in my hands and the words read like trepid text. I wish I could say that was the end of this struggle, but it was just a chapter in a life long area I am trying to grow in.

But there I was…all I could think is “This is what you get”. I never tried to build relationships at my church and now here I was needing help and struggling—what was I going to do now? The idea of telling anyone or asking for help of any kind was out of the question.

To take a few steps backward, before I had gone through the above life altering events and my plans and terms of my faith had been thwarted, I had agreed to move into Vine City with two roommates. To say the least, I was excited, nervous, and afraid of myself, and the neighborhood. I lacked direction of any kind, and would be finishing school to face the question “What now?”I moved in and was thankful to be able to throw myself into a new place and a new home. I was also very starved for social interaction with someone other than a Housewife from Orange County. I needed a community and after feeling so lonely I couldn’t continue to live life without some real community. I had to face my fear—talk to people at church.

So I did, kind of. Instead of starting in the walls of Trinity—I started on Sunset Avenue. I walked to Drew and Diane’s house that following Sunday going over in my mind how I would say hello at the door. I wanted to be cool and not be too excited because it might scare them away. I came to my first ever pancake breakfast and remember feeling the weight in my legs and adrenaline in my chest as I climbed their stairs to the door.

All I could think after coming home from church was, “That was actually really fun”. Then a few weeks later I went on some runs with Diane and we started to get to know each other. I was back peddling in my mind, “Wait, I think I have made some friends at church?!” As I went to church each Sunday with kids in my car—I found myself introducing myself to people, carrying on conversations, and I wasn’t afraid of the coffee pot anymore (at least most of the time).

At the same time, my reaction to church was changing too. The looming tears were still often there, I mean I am pretty emotional, but I experienced moments of thankfulness, gratitude, and joy. That was new to the norm of feeling constantly broken. This is not to say that all of a sudden I worked through all these emotional lows well. I still grapple with nervousness to talk to people, my brokenness, and uncertainty about the future.

In the midst of this time, I had a memorable conversation with a homelessman while I was at school. I had an extra cookie and we were sitting there enjoying our cookies with each other. Over the course of sweet bites we shared a bit about who we were and where we were from. Then he started to talk about how he felt that “Atlanta healed him”, how it was changing him as a person, and how was grateful to God for this City and a new environment. I was really moved by his words, and just felt heavy on my heart that Vine City had healed me, doing what Atlanta, had done for him.

I had planned to move to Vine City with motives and hopes to “enact justice and change”; and yet another failed effort to earn my way into a relationship with God. But in reality, I arrived there a very heart-broken and fragile person and at a low point in my faith and personal life. For me, I have received more than I have given, I have learned how to build relationships, talk to people at church and on my street, to be honest about my brokenness, but also be able to embrace joy while feeling grateful.

My faith has taken many shapes here, and right now I am in a season of immense thankfulness. Since living here I have realized that God continues to heal me through the community and relationships that he was authored and blessed me with in my life. It is in these connections that I have my people have given me advice on dating and pre-marital counseling, helped me grieve the loss of my brother, walk with me as I grappled with almost losing my faith, laugh and pray at Big Girls and Little Girls Bible Studies, visited the hospital to see newborn babies, celebrated birthdays, holidays, basketball championships, graduations, neighborhood events, and soon to be a wedding. God has used Vine City and it’s people to change me, to help me work on my life long battle to understand and accept his grace; and the courage to face up to my brokenness.

I stood in church a couple Sundays ago, compelled to write this, to write my story. The story that although sometimes I feel like a loser for living in the same city, attending the same church, and going to the same school for over 7 years—I feel blessed. Blessed to see the church grow, to see a youth group form and new kids come and be baptized. To see people have babies, to see grandparents, parents, college students, artists with tattoos and accounts with pocket squares attend our church (not to say accountants don't have tattoos).

I was listening to Kris speak that particular Sunday and was so grateful that I could hear him share that sermon, because somehow I was proud. Proud to hear him preach, to say I was a member at Trinity, proud to say that I have been able to see the church grow, change, and age—just like me.

So although, at times I feel a little self-conscious that people have seen me at such lows in life, in my adolescent 20s; and I often wish I could press the restart button a lot and go backward and erase my transgressions and foolishness from their memory, especially the times they saw me ugly cry. But on days like today, I just find myself entrenched in gratitude, hope, and confidence that God is and continues to use Trinity and community to bring healing to my life and the lives of others.

-Cheryl

Pumpkin Pageant

2011-10-26T12:13:00.001-07:00

I had a pretty great weekend. I didn't get to celebrate Halloween this year--but I did get to have my very first ever "Pumpkin pageant".

Sunday after church I asked Aalliyah if she wanted to paint pumpkins in the spirit of Halloween. She speedily replied--"Yes I do!" and then asked "Can we have a pumpkin pageant?!"

Although I didn't know what that was, I said "ok", and kind of asked myself "What did I just say yes to?" We got over to my house to join up with Tudie and Beverly.

Off we went to our "pumpkin pageant" and we ate bagel bites (Which she said was the best food she had ever had in the entire planet), apples with caramel slices, decorated Halloween cookies, and practiced our cheers in the spirit of our Pumpkin Pageant.

After too much sugar, fun cheering, and watching Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" we laughed and I drove her home. On the way back to her house all she could talk about is her Tina Turner Halloween costume and she practiced her "Proud Mary" dance as best as she could with her seat belt on.

I love Aalliyah. I love our times together and how time with her is special, hilarious, and keeps me guessing. I love calling her neighbor.

PS
If you are wondering if you just saw Eric in the background cheering and dancing...you are correct. Please do not sue us for any damages viewing his dance moves has done to your brain and if it has caused you emotional distress.

Food Day Fest

2011-10-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

Food Day in South West Atlanta
Self Guided Tour and Events
Saturday October 22

Schedule:

4pm

Patch Work City Farms Open House at Brown Middle School
Patch Work will host a pot luck Dinner featuring food from neighborhood
gardens. Learn and have input about the up coming local CSA, Farmers
Markets, Community Garden and Edible Classroom. 765 Peeples Street, Atlanta, GA 30310 Free and open to the Public

12noon-4pm

Good Shepherd Community Church will celebrate its 21st anniversary
with a community festival around Urban Farming issues. Guest will
include members of the Independent Development Trust of South Africa.
Lunch will be served featuring food from local Farmers. 445 Lawton Street, Atlanta, GA 30310 Free and open to the public

9am-4pm

Atwood Community Garden Grand Opening.
Nestled in the heart of the Beecher-Donnelly neighborhood, Atwood
Community Gardens is one of West End Atlanta's true hidden treasures.
Enjoy our walking trails, flower gardens, a variety of birds, the pleasant shade from our trees and, of course, our gardens and farm. 779 Atwood Street, Atlanta, GA 30310 $5 admission charge.

This message is provided by South West Atlanta Growers Coop (SWAGC)

Just another birthday

2011-09-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

I gave Ms. Moore a birthday card with a little girl holding a dodgeball on the front--with the inside saying "live dangerously on your birthday". Ms. Moore is one of my best friends, neighbors, and as we call each other "adoptive family".

I couldn't have imagined a better card for Ms. Moore...one that would make her laugh--but convey how bold and courageous she is--on top of her good sense of humor. I picked it up a few weeks ago in time for Ms. Moore's real 92nd birthday, but decided to hang on to it till we could all really celebrate.

The whole day was a pretty special one. When Eric and I went to pick up Ms Moore she had graciously gotten us two sweet belated birthday gifts--and we gave her the photos from our trip to Tanzania that she had liked so much.

This year Ms. Moore said she wanted something more low-key and inclusive, so she said it was a June-September birthday party. So we had two of Ms. Moore's cousins Minnie and Charles, Ms. Reese, Eric, myself, and Ms. Moore's sister, Minnerva. Plus, she picked 5 Seasons because she had been scoping it out for sometime.

As we drove to 5 Seasons, Ms. Reese couldn't stop talking about how much the west side had changed. How she barely recognized the restored buildings, new restaurants, and high-end shopping in the area. After living in Atlanta for over 30 years, she continues to admire and be surprised by all the changes that come up and surround her.

She recently moved into a new senior-high rise just east of downtown, although she loves it, she misses the neighborhood. It is a treat for her to get to come back over to the west side and see what is happening. For Ms. Moore, she prefers to stay in the neighborhood and never wants to leave. It is a scary thought to think about having to move out someday and live in a high rise away from where she knows.

When we got to 5 Seasons for dinner we sat down in the mostly vacant upstairs and tried to decipher the best thing to get on a pretty stellar menu. As we oohed and ahhed about the menu and what was best we placed our orders, we started sharing stories.

Minnie and Charles told us the story of how they met, how Charles grew up with Ms. Moore, and how on Palmetto Street every neighbor to the right of each others' house, had a key to their neighbors house. He reminisced about how beautiful the street was and how great the neighbors were.

We talked a lot about Ms. Moore's mother, Ora Lee. How she was such a strong woman. We heard stories of how Charles and Minnie met and got married, how Minerva knew that Charles was going to Marry Minnie when he let her drive the 55 Chevy, and everyone went around and gave us marital advice that their grandparents and parents had passed on to them.

Minnie said, "Always do right by you". That is what her grandmother told her, and that has worked since her and Charles said I do.

Charles teased about how the pastor who married them asked him if he was willing to pay and take care of his wife, from hair cuts to clothes. He laughed about how as a bachelor he had never thought about those types of expenses before. So he teasingly encouraged Eric to "think".

Ms. Moore laughed about when Eric first came to the house and how she prayed for us. And Ms. Reese laughingly added how she knew she needed to start looking for dresses for the wedding right away.

It was so special to hear about their family histories, hear them all remember what it was like coming up together. And also to just listen and be thought for and prayed for. I was so grateful to sit there and be welcomed into their family and be treated like a Moore. Incorporated into their family history, almost like being told of your history by your grandparents, because they want you to know where you came from.

I admire that so much about them. How much they know about their grandparents' parents, how much they know about their 2nd and 3rd cousins, and how they preserve and remind each other of where they came from and who they are, so frequently. That they all go to church together, bring plates to each other, and are up for family time--all the time.

I can't really sum-up into words how special the dinner was. How special all the times I spend with neighbors, and specifically Ms. Moore and Ms. Reese are. There is something about taking time to be in relationships with them that reminds me of the gospel, reminds me not to rush around, reminds me to enjoy, be patient, get rest and the value of peaceful humility.

As we went around the table, each person shared their birthday wish to be "happy and healthy" and Ms. Moore quietly said she wanted "Just another birthday.'"

I keep thinking about this, how momentary my wishes and requests are...how fleeting the things that I want are, and how I hope to grow and think more about the eternal and stress out less about the the next deadline, stress about wanting to see change, about what will happen in the future, and if I will catch the train on time, find a parking place, and some how "make something of myself."

I think God certainly cares about the miniscule things of daily details--but I also fee encouraged to think beyond them, to practice being grateful, and not get caught up in asking God for the new idea I had about how he could make my life easier.

Here goes nothing...

2011-09-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

(This is a message from Wink, who is partnering with Trinity Anglican Mission to provide creative writing sessions and tutoring at Kennedy Middle School)

Fall creative writing workshops are set and are quickly approaching! Mark your calendar for Wednesdays from 4 pm to 5 pm at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood, beginning on September 28.

We’re kicking off another school year at KMS, and are delighted to continue our partnership with Trinity Tutors. Over the course of a semester, 20 kids will become real-life authors, publishing their writing in Wink’s second book. (In May, we celebrated kid-penned work with an author reading extravaganza of Wink’s inaugural book, Hey, New Kid! I Used to be New Here, Too.)

But Wink needs your help! This past spring, we offered the students a one-to-one tutor-to-kid ratio, and we’d like to reach the same goal this semester. If you can’t commit to every Wednesday, but would like to pitch in, we still want you!

Interested volunteers, come to Wink’s InfoMeet on Wednesday, September 21 at Kennedy Middle School. We will gather in front of the school’s main entrance on Griffin Street at 3:45 pm (the meeting itself will last from 4 pm to 5 pm, but we will walk in together so no one gets lost, reminding you of your own first day of middle school). If you will not be able to attend Wednesday workshops but would like to volunteer in other areas, feel free to join this meeting as well.

Lastly, if you are new to Wink (or are a new Trinity Tutor), we have this very small, one-time request: We humbly ask that you make a $15 donation to cover a necessary background check. Click here to download a background check form and bring the completed form and donation to the InfoMeet.

Many, many thanks and hugs and soft warm fuzzies,

The Wink Team

Recap
We need you--writers and mathematicians alike!
Come to the InfoMeet on Wednesday, September 21 at 3:45 pm, background check and $15 in hand.
Wink Wordplay Workshops will be held every Wednesday from 4 pm to 5 pm beginning September 28 and lasting through mid-December.

Where does all this goodness happen?

John F. Kennedy Middle School
225 Griffin Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30314

WINK IS A PROJECT-BASED WRITING WORKSHOP IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THAT PARTNERS WITH TEACHERS AND KIDS TO INSTIGATE CREATIVE AND ACCURATE WRITING IN YOUNG AUTHORS.

Outdoor Movie in Washington Park this Friday!

2011-09-12T06:24:00.001-07:00

Get your popcorn ready!

"Pursuit of Happyness" will be playing this Friday night (9/16) in Washington park from 7-10pm. This is part of the “Art on the Atlanta BeltLine” and Central Atlanta Progress Extend Reach of Civil and Human Rights Film Series that is going on all September.

So, bring your families and friends and let's enjoy some community time together!

Historic Washington Park Atlanta
102 Ollie Street, NW
Atlanta, GA

~Drew

Washington Park Neighborhood Yard Sale

2011-09-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Washington ParkNeighborhood Yard Sale

Saturday, September 17th

10 am to 4 pm

Up to 14 streets of participating households

Shoppers are invited to browse our historic neighborhoodby following yard sale balloons orpicking up a yard sale map at participating households.

Come shop 'till you drop as you see our lovely homes, meet our friendly neighbors, and purchase treasures for your family!

Washington Park is located 2 miles west of downtown Atlantaand includes the Ashby MARTA station.

Please use 101 Ollie Street NW, Atlanta, 30314 as a reference point.

Canoeing 10 Miles = Quite the Adventure

2011-08-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

This summer, 6 boys, 3 adults, and our fearless leader (Ben Simms from O.W.L.S.) took on the adventure of an overnight canoeing trip down the Etowah River in Dawsonville and it was quite the experience. For most of the boys it was their first time in a canoe, but despite a few flipped canoes, they really picked it up fast and did a great job. It was awesome to see their courage in trying something new, enjoy some good laughs, and continue to have meaningful conversations about Christ.

Here are some pictures from the trip!

(We camped near the bottom of this waterfall)

(I don't what was more odd, randomly having a horse go through out campsite or the fact that the owner let the boys jump on it)

(Josh and Rodney are so intense)

(This is Junior waiting to take off...and about 15 minutes before Cash flipped their canoe by standing up to "dry off")

Here's the OWLS website and if you scroll down you'll see some more pictures from our trip!

Summer Highlight Reel

2011-08-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Drew is right--summer has been packed. I heard someone say it was August 3rd today, and I couldn't believe it.

All summer I have been meaning to post something--but between the hot days, pool times, and out of town trips it got lost in the shuffle (along with too many other things).

As I get ready for the coming fall, school starting up and the small of sharpened pencils; there are so many things I have been thankful to have been a part of this summer. Therefore, I find it fitting to give a highlight reel of some of the best moments of being in the neighborhood and with neighbors this summer.

(1) Memorial Day Weekend

We had a blast from the onset of our road trip to Barnesville, Georgia to the swimming, kayaking, playing softball, eating, more swimming, more eating. This was kind of the moment that kicked off the summer for me; when my professor Dr. Hankins (on the right with nephew Alex and partner Andy) opened an invitation for her families annual weekend celebration to Eric and Deante (see on the left); and Pookie and myself (seen below).

(2) Mason and Eric fixing Miss Moore's Wall.
Although I don't have pictures...this was one of the best moments of the summer. Miss Moore's house is one of the oldest in the neighborhood; she was born in 1919 and still lives in the same house in which she grew up. In early June, Eric and Mason got together and fixed up a wall that had collapsed in her front yard. I have yet to attend a social gathering or even go one visit with her without her sharing how much it meant to her.

(3) Ashview Heights Painting Days (Part I and Part II)
In June and then in July there were some clean up days and painting days in the neighborhood. I got to meet a lot of neighbors I had never met before; and show some TLC to some forgotten areas in the neighborhood. I felt empowered and grateful to have such great neighbors (and I also felt pretty sweaty).

(4) The Fourth of July
So Jamie, Eric, Catherine, and I celebrated not only the failure of the British Government and the tenacity of America--but Eric's birthday. We lit fireworks, sand happy birthday, went swimming, ate cupcakes, and laughed--a lot.

Granted--we had a few close calls and firework fiascos...but peppered with a good sense of humor it was a memorable occasion on our front porch; saying hello to neighbors and sharing in the love of sparklers and good times in the street.

(5) New Neighbors to Vine City/ Washington Park
Welcome to Andrea and Clay, Jamie--as well as Dan and Edward! (Soon to be Sarah and Jarrett!!! I can't wait!) Wahoo! It's totally awesome to get to learn from people that are working out what it means to love God and their neighbors in our community. Yay!

(6) Girls Bible Study and Vacation Bible School
I have learned so this summer from time at Girls Bible Study in the neighborhood. Plus, we had vacation bible school for a week through Trinity. I loved getting to know more kids and youth in the church; and work alongside of Ericka one day as she helped lead a group for VBS. I will never forget her giving me helpful tips on how to show more patience and be better with kids.

(7)National Night Out
This was one of my favorite events of the year; and one of the hottest. I attended one in DH Stanton Park supporting Vine City, Pittsburgh, Peoplestown, English Avenue, and Mechanicsville neighborhood. It was great to see all the families and kiddos running around, playing in fountains, catching up with some neighbors and meeting new folks too. Then, I went back the to the BTWCA and sat around talking till it got dark. We listened to music and ate fried fish, fried chicken...and some jambalya from one of the best cooks in our community.

So--that is just a brief recap of some things that have been going on. Not to mention God's Farm camping trip, fun walks and jogs with neighbors, and so many more.

**Plus there were quite a few more personal highlights:

(1) Finishing my M.A in Applied Anthropology on faith-motivated neighboring in west Atlanta! (I will be continuing research and presenting key findings at this years CCDA as part of a panel this October--so excited about that!)

Cheryl Case, 2011, Strategic Neighbors and “Beloved Community” Development in West Atlanta Neighborhoods. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/anthro_theses/55

Cheryl Case, 2011, Appendix E: Recommendations for Strategic Neighbors. Strategic Neighbors and “Beloved Community” Development in West Atlanta Neighborhoods, pp. 143-148.

and (2) Getting engaged to Eric! Pretty exciting stuff :)

I would love to hear from more people about the highlights of their summer and what God has been doing. For me, I think it has certainly been a season of blessing and one that I am very grateful for.

Updates...coming soon!

2011-08-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, there has been a SERIOUS disconnect between the crazy busy happenings in Vine City this summer and the amount of blog posts to document/communicate what God is doing!

Soooooooooo, this post is not actually going to share anything, but is a promise that there are some awesome posts in the pipeline! Be on the lookout....

A Thank You Note...

2011-06-03T07:34:00.000-07:00

Beverly Easterling, the Kennedy Middle School teacher sponsor for our after-school tutoring program, asked me to share the following thank you note addressed to all of the Trinity tutors...

Dear Trinity Tutors,

This long overdue note will hopefully convey to you how grateful I am for the time and energy you put into the Kennedy Middle School students this past year. The weekly tutoring programs’ impact will last much longer than you think and I hope that you’ll continue to invest in the lives of KMS students next year!

The opportunity you created for practice and remediation proved to be a HUGE success! At 5pm each week the kids left with a better basic skills foundation that translated directly to their classroom performance and made learning on a daily basis more accessible. Most of the kids you tutored passed the math and reading sections of the CRCT and that is no small feat!!! It’s an amazing testament to the work you guys did that the cycle of historically failing standardized tests was broken for a good majority of students. Completing high school will not be an option without these skills and each of you helped to make their path to success much more possible.

I could go on and on about the impact you guys had on their academic achievement but that is only one part of the gift you freely gave them each time you visited. The kiddos that regularly attended the tutoring sessions are more emotionally and socially healthy because of you. It is rare that they get one-on-one attention and I’d bet that most of them don’t have an adult in their life that invests and dialogues with them. You became more than a tutor---you were a mentor and a friend! You’ve tackled fickle middle school personalities and my frazzled antics with ease---and for that you should feel super proud!

Most importantly, you showed us Jesus. Even if you came each week and they didn’t learn a lick of anything, it would have been worth it! Your patience with their attitudes or their cognitive delays was such an encouragement to me and an act of love towards them. They felt more safe and cared about during that one hour than the previous seven of that day. This year has been the hardest in my life and each week your coming was a reminder of how the Lord is faithful and full of mercy. There is nothing KMS did to deserve y’alls love and what a tangible example of the grace He extends to us it was to me! Thank you for being a part of bringing His kingdom here on earth.

Many, many thanks,

Beverly Easterling

Camping Supplies???

2011-05-31T12:44:00.000-07:00

A bunch of the youth in Vine City are headed on an overnight camping/canoeing trip at the end of June and we are in need of camping supplies! Do you have any extra camping stuff that you would be willing to donate?

We're looking for folding chairs, sleeping bags, camping plates/utensils, rain jackets, sleeping pads, and anything else you might think of.

Thanks so much!!

Email me if you have donations

~Drew

He couldn’t lift a hammer, but he rebuilt a neighborhood

2011-05-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this obituary today of Allan Tibbels. He did not pass away in the last month, but actually last year.

Let me give you the back story about why this story is relevant to me and to really anyone who has been asking how to love God, a neighborhood, and people.

Over the past year, since Drew and Diane lent me To Live in Peace, the story of an inner city Baltimore neighborhood church--New Song Community. Then last September I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Chicago and had a serendipitous momentary meeting with Kevin, a young man who grew up in Sandtown, who attends New Song and works for their chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Kevin showed me the pictures in his wallet of his beautiful six kids, and told me he was from Baltimore. Immediately, I had to ask him about my one of my favorite shows "The Wire" an old HBO series on the inner city of Baltimore. We laughed, like me, he said he loved the show, but assured me that HBO made things look rougher at times (though they were rough) than they were.

Though I love "The Wire", this was not the main point of our conversation that resonated with me.

Kevin then started talking about Sandtown--his home, where he grew up, and where he would continue to grow up his children. He loves his neighborhood and explained "its what I know" and he likes his job where he gets to work with his hands.

He then started to tear up a bit and then shook it off, as he shared a little about his faith and his recently deceased mentor, Alan Tibbels. He shared how much his relationship with Alan had meant to him. Since then, I come across stories and talks about Alan and usually read about what his life was like...I am fascinated and encouraged by his faith and what God has done through his life and since his passing.

Normally, I will read these articles on Alan Tibbels and/or Sandtown and find myself personally challenged and inspired about God's heart for people. I wish I had something profound to say about God's special heart for the poor, the city, for justice, and for neighborhoods...but today I feel like it is more simple than that.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/26/magazine/2010lives.html

--Cheryl

"HEY, NEW KID! I used to be New Here, Too!!"

2011-05-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Black preacher: Why I forgave George Wallace

2011-05-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a good and interesting article about faith and reconciliation in the news.

Black preacher: Why I forgave George Wallace

By Wayne Drash, CNN

Tuscaloosa, Alabama (CNN) - I had always heard the stories of Alabama Gov. George Wallace asking for forgiveness from the African-American community for his racist ways.

Yet I had never quite believed it, even if I had read accounts about it. The images of him standing at the door at the University of Alabama to prevent two black students from entering had been seared into my mind.

And so it was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon the Rev. Kelvin Croom amid the destruction left by Tuscaloosa’s recent tornado. The Croom family has been a pillar of the African-American community here for the last five decades.

Croom's father, the late Rev. Sylvester Croom Sr., founded College Hill Baptist Church and served as chaplain for the University of Alabama’s football teams under the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant and two other coaches. The elder Croom has been recognized as one of the state's 40 pioneers of civil rights.

In the heart of tornado-ravaged Bama Nation, a new battle cry: ‘Let go! Let God!’

College Hill Baptist, where the younger Croom now preaches, sustained heavy damage. While volunteers rummaged through the debris, he talked to me and my CNN colleague Sarah Hoye outside his church. He told us this story....

Full Story

Upcoming Book Signing at Kennedy Middle School!

2011-05-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

Through our partnership with an incredible new local non-profit, (W)ink, the students who attend after-school tutoring at Kennedy Middle School have written an amazing book full of letters! The book is currently being professionally bound and we'll have a book signing party on May 18th at the middle school... mark your calendars!

Recently, Jessica Haberkern sat down with Jeff Guy for an interview that was published on the Trinity Anglican Mission website. I thought I would pass it along to whoever's interested in learning more about (W)ink!

http://www.trinityanglicanmission.org/stories

Cornhole Tourney 2011

2011-05-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

It was a fight to the finish, but Jovante "JJ" Sims and Ryan Harry took the Cornhole Championship. They were later adorned with specialty medals, crafted by Caleb Starr with the finest scotch tape, white crisp computer paper, and recycled medals that were no longer wanted.

The final match was a classic, girls versus boys. Catherine "the intimidator" Grisso (former semi-pro Guatemalan Cornhole champ) and Cheryl "Just In" Case fought a good fight...but despite phenomenal coaching by Vivi Sims (She cheered against her own brother--testifying to how vicious this rivalry really was); and after three straight 3 pointers by Ryan Harry and pure tenacity from JJ Sims...it was over.

Okay...Sunday was super fun! It was the 2nd Annual Vine City Cornhole Tourney--there were corn dogs and a lot of other food and stuff that did not have corn as a main ingredient or in their names. Plus, there was a birthday cake for Drew's b-day. However, sadly Diane tripped and fell and dropped the cake (psych Anna and Diane while presenting the b-day cake, gave him the best present of all, a cake face...they turned on him and pushed in his face...I think it was Anna's idea...it was hilarious!)

I had a ton of fun! I can't say anything more or less than that! :)
So enjoy these pictures!

Booker T. Washington High grad Deonte Bridges' Valedictorian speech

2011-04-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

BTW High School Valedictorian speech Spring 2010--Can't wait to hear this year's!
Thanks Lauren Farnum for sharing :)

Spring Training Georgia Style

2011-04-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2011. That was the day that Desean and Buddha kept reminding me of. "Yeah Jarrett, we're going to see the Georgia Bulldogs!" Georgia had it's annual G-day festivities and spring football scrimmage two Saturdays ago and we headed to Athens to be a part of the fun. The fun started though Waaaayyyyy before we ever got to Athens.

Desean, Buddha (Dontavius), Jimmy (Laquatta's boyfriend, and all around "good guy") and Josh (Desean and Buddha's older brother) were all on hand ready to go when I arrived at their house, on the south side of Atlanta, early Saturday morning. We had about a 2 hour drive with traffic to get to Athens, and given the zombie like state they're normally in on Sunday mornings, I thought it was be a quiet drive with the occasional conversation between Jimmy and Josh. The kids would obviously be asleep. NOPE! From the second we got on Langford Parkway, the alphabet game started. This game is quite simple, you just have to find signs, license plates, buildings, really anything that has a letter on it and try to go all the way from A to Z. Easy enough, but we quickly had to make a rule, (games like this inherently don't have rules built in), because Buddha "magically" kept seeing Q's and X's and Z's that no one else could find, and that none of us saw either. They were usually, as he shouted, "OVER THERE, OVER THERE, DID YOU SEE THAT CAR GOING THE OTHER WAY (at 80 mph) YEAH I SAW A "Q" ON ITS LICENSE PLATE!" So the game had to be tweaked so that, first: everyone in the car had to see it, and second: you could only use one object one time. That helped that round of the game last until Norcross, (by the way, we had already gone through about 4 rounds from their house, to the dome). Then it was time to start the number game; again, much like the alphabet game, but as we all know, the number series doesn't have an end....... yeah.

So eventually we got to Athens. I think all of our arithmetic had gotten a little better too. I was surprised when we got to Athens at just how peaceful it was. Of course I'm used to 90,000+ screaming rednecks in Tuscaloosa just for a spring game, but non the less, it seemed too quiet. We easily found a place to park, and began walking to Sanford Stadium. I guess most of the people parked somewhere else, because the peace was soon interrupted by the thunderous sound of the fight song of the Republic, but in these parts, simply known as "Glory!" The band was playing, the crowd was being lead to cheer by the cheerleaders, and I could see the kids really getting excited. I think it was the atmosphere for Desean and Buddha, and the cheerleaders for Josh, but none the less, they were all excited.

After a quick lunch at the student cafeteria, we entered Sanford Stadium. As soon as we walked in, the kids had this look on their face that I knew very well. I've seen the look every Sunday when we walk into church and they see the bagels and hot chocolate. It was that questioning look in their eyes to see if they can do something: (get a bagel, get some hot chocolate, walk down to the field...). I didn't say anything at first, and just started walking down towards the field. It didn't take long until I was the one lagging behind.

When we got up to the fabled "hedges," the kids were looking up and down the field, scanning to see if they saw their star! For the next 2 hours, in between the scrimmage, the halftime events, Matt Stafford's appearance, and the Alumni signing autographs, all I kept hearing was "Is that him? I think that's him! Jarrett I think we should go see if that's him. Yeah, that's him,.... I think.... Yeah That's A.J. Green!"

We could have driven to Athens, sat in a hot trailer park and watched the flies; but if A.J. Green was there, they would have been happy. I don't know if we ever "really" saw A.J. but I know we had a great time, with 43,000 other Georgia fans!

Side Note: Of course we had to play the alphabet game ALL the way back too!

Ron Sider asks: Are you in danger of neglecting evangelism in your passion for social justice?

2011-04-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

I found this article today and felt like it was valuable to share. In this article, Ron Sider answer four questions, but this was one is: Are you in danger of neglecting evangelism in your passion for social justice?
I have put the entire article on this page, but if you would like to read it and the other questions...click on the Title it will send you to the link on Relevant Magazine. Enjoy :)

An Open Letter to This Generation, Pt. 1

Monday, 14 March 2011, by Ron Sider

Many would consider Dr. Ron Sider the father of the modern Christian social justice movement. He released his seminal book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, in 1977 after observing racism and poverty in inner-city Philadelphia. Since then, Sider has written nearly two dozen books and more than 100 articles on social injustice and biblical discipleship, including Completely Pro-Life, which ushered in a new “holistic” thinking on what it means to affirm life in areas beyond abortion opposition, such as capital punishment, nuclear weapons and severe poverty. Here, Sider considers his legacy and the legacy of his peers as he challenges a new generation of “young, radical evangelists” in how they approach justice, relativism, marriage and homosexuality. He offers four questions, the answers to which he believes will inform Christianity in the 21st century. The first question is presented below, and the other three will follow tomorrow and Wednesday.

Ron Sider asks: Are you in danger of neglecting evangelism in your passion for social justice?

For a long time, people called me a “young evangelical.” Actually, the adjectives were sometimes less gracious: “radical,” or “leftist” or “Marxist.” (My response to the “Marxist” label was simple: “I’m a Mennonite farm boy, for Pete’s sake. Have you ever met a Mennonite farmer who wants the government to own his land?”)

So I used to be a “radical, young evangelical.” But I was born in 1939, so, however reluctantly, I have long since had to abandon the label “young.” Hence this open letter to a younger generation, many of whom are 40 years younger than I am.

I have no desire to lecture you or “set you straight.” I have enormous appreciation for this generation. Forty years ago, when some of my friends and I started talking about social justice, racial justice, God’s special concern for the poor, and holistic mission that combined evangelism and social action, we were considered radical.

Much is different today. Not all older Christians “get it,” but you younger ones certainly do. A special concern for the poor and oppressed is part of your DNA. Caring for creation and transcending racial prejudice is simply who you are. You cannot imagine an evangelism that only cares about people’s “souls.” You just assume, without any need for argument, that biblical Christians should love the whole person the way Jesus did, offering both spiritual and material transformation. You want to engage the whole culture—art, music, literature, politics—rather than withdraw into some isolated ghetto. For all of this and much more, I shout, “Hallelujah!”

But there are four areas where I would love to have a dialogue. I have four questions I would like to ask you to ponder. Do you care as much about inviting non-Christians to embrace Christ as Savior and Lord as you do about social justice? As you understand, thanks in part to postmodernism, that every person’s thinking is limited by his/her specific location in space and time, are you in danger of abandoning an affirmation of moral and intellectual truth? Will you do a better job than my generation of keeping your marriage vows? As you rightly seek to respect the dignity and rights of gay/lesbian people, have you considered carefully the Church’s millennia-long teaching on homosexuality?

I won’t lecture you on these topics. Every generation of Christians must seek again to discern what biblical revelation means for their own time and place. All I ask is that you do that in dialogue with the whole Church—the Church of the earlier centuries, the worldwide Church today and, yes, those of us who are now “older evangelicals.” We will pray fervently for you as you do that and be most grateful when you seek us out for dialogue.

Let me explain my four questions.

Are you in danger of neglecting evangelism in your passion for social justice?

You know how much I affirm your commitment to justice for the poor and your rejection of an evangelism that focuses only on the “soul” and neglects peoples’ material needs. I have spent much of my life arguing on biblical grounds for precisely these concerns. But I have also watched some Christian “social activists” lose their concern for evangelism.

Evangelism and social action are inseparable. They are two sides of the same coin. But they are not identical. Working for economic development in poor communities or structural change to end systemic oppression is not the same thing as inviting persons who do not now confess Christ to embrace Him as Lord and Savior. If we only do social action and never say we do it because of Christ, our good deeds only point to ourselves and make us look good.

The Bible clearly teaches that persons are both material and spiritual beings. Scripture and human experience show sin is personal and social; social brokenness (including poverty) results both from wrong personal choices and unjust structures. If we only work at half the problem, we only produce half a solution. People need both personal faith in Christ that transforms their values and very person, and material, structural transformation that brings new socioeconomic opportunities. That is why holistic evangelical community development programs that truly combine evangelism and social action (think of John Perkins and the Christian Community Development Association) work better now in this life.

But persons are made for far more than a good life here on earth for 60 or 100 years. Every person is invited to live forever with the living God. Jesus died so whoever believes in Him may have a better life now and life eternal.

Two other biblical truths are crucial. Jesus is the only way to salvation, and those who continue to reject Christ depart eternally from the living God. I know my generation has sometimes said these things in harsh, insensitive ways. Too often we have failed to say with the Bible that God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9).

But if the Bible is our norm, we dare not neglect its teaching that people are lost without Christ (Ephesians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:9). Jesus (certainly the most amazing teacher of love the world has ever known) says more about eternal separation from the living God than anyone else in the Bible (Matthew 25:41; Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50; Matthew 18:8). Surely, if Jesus is true God as well as true man, we cannot act as if He did not know what He was talking about.

Instead, we should embrace His claim that He is the way, the truth and the life; “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV). For as Peter said at Pentecost, there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12).

Of course there are tough questions about things like those who have never heard or eternal punishment. (I wrestle with those in the chapter on evangelism in my Good News and Good Works: A Theology for the Whole Gospel.) But for most of Church history, Christians have believed and taught the biblical affirmation that apart from Christ, people are lost eternally. Those parts of the modern church that have abandoned these truths have declined disastrously.

So, gently but clearly, I ask you to wrestle with the question: Do you care as much about lovingly inviting non-Christians to embrace the Savior as you do about social justice? Is there any danger that this generation of Christian social activists will repeat the one-sidedness of the old social gospel and neglect evangelism? Will this generation of young Christians spend as much time, money and effort praying and strategizing about how to winsomely invite non-Christians to come to Christ as you do working for social justice?

Full article

Final post from Vine City Tutor Courtney Carter

2011-04-12T07:10:00.000-07:00

How have you grown as a tutor and as a Christian?

As a tutor, I've learned a lot. Mainly, I've found that different kids learn in different ways. Some kids really need to be pushed while others are eager to exceed the expectations I set for them. I usually work with the same student each week and she needs to be pushed more than some of the other kids (her attention seems shorter and she can always think of something she'd rather be doing, like talking!), so I've had to become comfortable being somewhat of a disciplinary figure to her. I have slowly become comfortable in telling her when it is time to talk/play vs. time to get serious and get some work done. In general though - with any student I work with - I have learned to take the lead, set the expectation, explain/teach techniques for memorization of the material, give praise along the way (when it's deserved), and when to push them to think harder. I am still learning new techniques and approaches as each week passes and I suppose it's something I will constantly become better at.

I have also grown as a Christian in fun and unexpected ways. I am less judgmental of people in general and more cognizant that many people's circumstances are much harder than mine. I have also learned that serving with my time brings me more satisfaction and personal/spiritual growth than I could have imagined. I run a small business from home and although it is very difficult for me to stop working in the middle of my day on Wednesdays (to drop whatever I am doing for clients, etc), I have in fact managed to deal with those effects on my job. Those clients are still there when I get home in the evenings and the world didn't come crashing down when I walked away from the computer for a few hours! What I gained from sacrificing my time far outweighs the time I actually lost. I feel closer to God when I am walking back to my car at the end of a tutoring session. I feel like I did something positive, something selfless, something to bring glory to Him. I feel like He is using me to be a positive influence in someone else's life, and I am happy to labor for Him in this way.

As you look ahead, what keeps you coming back each week? What do you look forward to?

I want to become a better tutor each week, adding more and more to my student's life. I hope that she will score better on tests because of the extra study time we are doing and that she will start to see that learning/school is (or can be, with the right attitude) quite fun and rewarding.I had a zest for learning when I was a teenager, and I hope to instill that in her a bit. Ms. Easterling (the Kennedy teacher who hosts tutoring) told me that my student recently said she was only willing to come to tutoring sessions "because she had an awesome tutor." Hearing that made me even more motivated to show up for her each week and to see how else I can be a role model to her.

God has planted this seed in me and now He is watering it and I am starting to sprout a little. I can't wait to grow even more and see what beautiful fruit is yielded from this experience, both for myself and certainly for the student. I would ultimately like to become comfortable enough with her that I feel ready for the next step, which could be mentoring instead of just tutoring. One step at a time. ;)

:) Courtney

Community Meeting about Proposed Football Stadium

2011-04-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

If you can make it, this would be an awesome opportunity to hear more about the proposed Open-Air NFL stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. Obviously, this could have a major impact (both positive and negative), so let's try and come together as a neighborhood to listen and voice any concerns/suggestions we may have.

Vine City Vipers Banquet

2011-03-27T21:44:00.000-07:00

Pinky, Deaquan's mom, raised money and organized a banquet so that we could celebrate the Vine City Vipers tonight. She did an amazing job. The players' families and some of their other biggest fans all came together to eat, laugh, and honor these boys and what God is doing in their lives. We all had a great time... here are some pictures!!

We had a feast...

Rashaard's mom, Melissa, even made us some fancy punch...

Each of the boys got individual awards for what was uniquely AWESOME about each of them...

An example of why one of Raymond's awards was "best smile"

The boys honored their coaches, Justin and Josh!

Thanks to Coach Josh for his leadership and patience!
Of course there had to be a whiffleball game in the backyard after this...
CJ makes a pretty awesome pitcher...

Huge thanks to Pinky for organizing all of this. She has been an amazing mom for 14 years and amazing friend to me for 6 of those years. (and maybe she would make an amazing future mother-in-law for Anna? I mean, look at how cute Micario is!)

Diane

2nd (in a series of 3) Post from Courtney Carter about Tutoring!

2011-03-23T06:18:00.001-07:00

Starting earlier this fall, there has been a group of committed volunteers from Trinity Anglican Mission tutoring at Kennedy Middle School, which is located right in the heart of Vine City. Under the leadership of teacher Beverly Easterling, tutors work alongside students in a "Basic Skills Bootcamp." These tutoring sessions allow the students to focus on improving their basic math and language arts skills under the guidance of 1-on-1 tutoring. In an effort to share about what God is doing through these tutoring sessions, we've asked one of our most committed tutors, Courtney Carter, to answer a series of 5 questions for the blog. This is her second post (of three) and you can view her first post here.

Describe a typical Wednesday afternoon for us.

We usually start the day by playing a game for about 10 minutes... just to give the kids a much-needed break after being in class all day long. The games are a lot of fun and usually involve some form of teamwork. After that, each tutor pairs up with one student to get started on the actual tutoring. Some tutors have developed a relationship with a particular student and work with the same student each week. Other tutors may work with a different student each week... it just depends. For me personally, one student "chose" me and told me she wanted me to be her tutor every week, so that's what I do! Typically we are helping the kids do worksheets that involve either math or grammar. There is a chart that tracks the kids' progress and they are allowed to color in the chart each time they complete a worksheet, so they are usually in a race to fill in the chart at the end of each day. Words of encouragement and high-5s from the tutors also help to keep the kids motivated to succeed. We take our time on the worksheets, making sure that the kids are understanding the material and that they could provide their own answers on a test later. Also, the one-on-one attention is specifically what some of these kids need in order to improve, so the way we go about engaging with the kids is just as important as learning the answers to the worksheets. I find that my student seems more satisfied after a tutoring session if she had a chance to talk to me about her day or to learn something new about me (she always has lots of questions about what it's like to be married, etc.). So, I try hard to keep her focused on the task at hand, but also to allow some time for conversation and connection in between. The session lasts for one hour, which is over with in what seems to be a blink of an eye. Then the following week we pick up where we left off.

Tell us one of your favorite stories

One day my student and I had just begun a new worksheet. She mumbled the directions as she read them aloud and seemed disgruntled as we began to work on the first problem. She was distracted and wanted to chit chat more than she wanted to work. I told her we needed to stay focused for about 20 minutes and try to get at least half of the worksheet done and then we could take a break for a few minutes. She said she didn't feel like doing the worksheet and wanted to know if instead she could teach me what she had learned in class earlier that day (how to find the surface area of a rectangular box). I asked the teacher if that was OK and she said yes. So, I handed the student a pencil and told her we could get started on the lesson. Eyebrows raised, she grabbed my hand and shoved the pencil back my way and exclaimed, "YOU have to do the writing... you are the one who needs to learn the material!" I was cracking up laughing inside and decided to indulge her. She started explaining the different sides to the box (top, bottom, sides) and was trying to show me how to add them all up, but I could tell that she was leaving out an important piece of information... the formula. I asked her, "What about a formula? Isn't there some sort of formula I need?" With sass in her voice she explained, "Duh, look on the board, OK?!! That's where the formulas are written!" (as if I should know that already). I could tell that she was playing attitude role reversal and wanted to punish me, for the lack of a better word, for not being prepared in class... a lecture she has likely heard from her own teachers in the past. The whole situation had me laughing and in that moment I began to enjoy her company even more than before and realized that she was forming a bond with me (she would have never acted that silly or open on the first day). We went through the rest of the lesson and she was enthusiastic to be the teacher for once and I enjoyed playing along. I went home with a new memory of how to find the surface area of a box and a cylinder, and she went home with a new enthusiasm for learning. Or, at least I like to think so!

Just what Neighbors do

2011-03-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

...it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy."--Wendell Berry

It was 8am, I missed the first call. Although I wasn't asleep, it didn't make a difference. At first I thought it was a little of character for her to call me so early...but honestly, it's not.
On the contrary, Miss Reese just calls me whenever. Most days I realize how significant that is and how special our relationship is that she can call me without thinking about it being "okay".
I like that...most days.
But there is still something about an 8am call that makes me feel uncomfortable and becoming instantly out of sorts.

I called her back, ring ring, and her scratchy voice picked up the phone. She was sick. I listened and talked to her to calm her down a bit. She needed some medicine. So, I ran to the store and started picking up the things she needed.

This wasn't an unordinary event, it had become a pretty regular thing to run to the store, ask her if she needs anything, pick something up while I am there. But for some reason my heart was just up and down. It was early, I didn't want to. But on the other hand, she was sick and as an older woman it wasn't just a small cough...she did need medicine.

An internal battle ensued while I went down the aisle to pick out her things. Sadly this too is pretty ordinary, when I feel a tangible conflict within the Holy Spirit and with my sin. I called to double check the list because Miss Reese is particular, as she says "I loves my brands".
I drove over to her house after that, continuing to pray the same thing as I walked through the aisles. God please help me love Miss Reese, because today although I have no reason to "not want to" think for her and love her as a friend...I can't do it without you. I can't love my neighbors on my own, I need your help. I also prayed a series of selfish prayers, God please make this go okay, make it be short and sweet, etc.

I pulled up to her little brick house and she came to the door. She was sick, and when I saw her face and heard her stuff up nose and scratchy throat I worked my way through the door through a narrow doorway and into the kitchen. We poured her some juice and we chatted for just a bit. She didn't like the cough drops I got because they were store-brand...but I explained that was all they had in the flavor she wanted. She kind of smiled at herself for over reacting about the cough drops, but "I love my brands" she said slyly.

I was about to leave and she slipped me an envelope to cover some of the costs. This was not usual. There was nothing normal or routine about her next words. She just shared her heart that though she didn't have much, this is what she did have, and wanted to give. She started to say how thankful she was for me, and my skin kind of crawled inside me. I had just spent the morning half-heartedly in the store picking up items, disgruntled. Now she was thanking me.

All I could think was to go back to the prayer I said in the store, that I can't love my neighbor's without God's mercy, without the cross of Christ, my works are insufficient, especially when I do them with frustration stored in my heart.
As I left, I realized I could bask in her warm compliments...but in reality they didn't belong to me. So, I said "This is what being neighbors is about, i didn't do anything special, or something I could have done without her being my neighbor, and God working in my life."

She just nodded to me that she agreed, "Cherrie that''s right, that's what being friends and good neighbors do. That's just what neighbors do." As I stepped away her words seemed to follow me out the door, I realized that she had tested that relationship to see how good of friends or neighbors we really were. Needless to say, I didn't not know I would step away seeing how authentic our relationship is and how she cares for me (she made me an egg and cheese and jelly sandwich on wheat bread to add an extra thanks...and yes it was strangely delicious :) ).

I am thankful for Miss Reese, she unknowingly shows me reflect the Christ's mercy on me.

Special blog post.... from Kennedy tutor Courtney Carter!

2011-03-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Starting earlier this fall, there has been a group of committed volunteers from Trinity Anglican Mission tutoring at Kennedy Middle School, which is located right in the heart of Vine City. Under the leadership of teacher Beverly Easterling, tutors work alongside students in a "Basic Skills Bootcamp." These tutoring sessions allow the students to focus on improving their basic math and language arts skills under the guidance of 1-on-1 tutoring. In an effort to share about what God is doing through these tutoring sessions, we've asked one of our most committed tutors, Courtney Carter, to answer a series of 5 questions for the blog. She has responded to the first question in this blog post and we will post the rest of her responses the following two Mondays.

What was your initial motivation for getting involved in tutoring at Kennedy? Did you have any initial fears or excitement?

When I first heard that a tutoring program was being started, I was instantly interested. My husband and I had become members at Trinity just a few months prior and were trying to figure out what area we could serve the church and/or the community. So, when I heard about the tutoring program, I automatically knew this was an area I wanted to be involved in. Later, after attending the information meeting about Kennedy's background and understanding on a deeper level what obstacles they are facing, I became even more motivated to serve and couldn't wait for the first session to start.

My initial excitement pertained to trying something new (never having tutored before), learning what it really means to serve others, and the thought of providing special one-on-one attention to a kid who may need some extra encouragement. After tutoring for a couple of weeks, it dawned on me that these kids face a unique set of challenges unlike anything I was used to. Some of the kids come from extremely tough backgrounds causing them to face an uphill battle with much of their life. These tough backgrounds lead to the fact that they simply do not have all the tools needed to really succeed in school. When that hit me, it was much easier to understand how these obstacles can really stand in the way of these kids' success and happiness... unless something is done to improve the situation. Thankfully, there are some great teachers over at Kennedy that we can come alongside. As tutors, we get the chance to help fill in a gap and provide some one-on-one attention to hopefully catch these kids up. That is where my initial excitement/motivation stemmed from.

My initial fear was mainly that I would have forgotten how to do these math problems or grammar exercises, and that I would be a failure as a tutor because I wasn't being helpful enough to the kids! The funny thing is that my fear became a reality, and it still creeps up on me most every week that I tutor. For example, I recently was tutoring a girl and she was working on a math worksheet involving median, mean, mode, and range. As soon as I saw the worksheet, inside my head I was like, "Aaaaahhhhh!! I don't remember the difference! What do I do? What do I do???" I was of course familiar with the terminology and I knew it involved finding the average, but I couldn't remember the specific difference between range and mean, etc. I got up and asked the real teacher for a refresher, and within like 8 seconds she helped me to remember how to solve the problem. It was so NOT a big deal that I felt silly for ever having feared / worried about it in the first place. Honestly, every week or two I still encounter a worksheet that I need a refresher on, but I am always able to find an answer quickly (from the teacher or another tutor) and can then move forward with the student. Problem solved, no biggee.

OK, that's it for now. More tutoring Q/A to come next week. Check back soon!

Thank You and Lent

2011-03-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

My husband and I brought a new little boy to church with us this week. He is in the fourth grade. It was his first time in Sunday School and he was a little nervous. Everyone went out of their way to greet him and he warmed up pretty quickly. After Sunday School we asked him how he liked his class and what he learned. He said he loved it! He said that he had to do some thinking because next week he had to write down something he was going to give up for God (meaning Lent). I told him what I was giving up just to give him an example. He didn’t seem to like what I was giving up so much so I went on to explain that he could give up things like candy, soda, games, etc... He looked at me with a pretty focused look and I could tell that he was realizing this “giving up” experience could be more difficult than he first thought. Finally, a light went off and his whole demeanor changed. He exclaimed, “I know! I am giving up all vegetables!!!” I have a feeling that his mom is going to wonder what kind of church she let her son go to where they encourage giving up healthy things.

Thank you to all the great Sunday School and Youth Group teachers who go out of their way to make the kids we bring feel so welcome every week. We know that they are listening to what you say intently because of all the conversations we have on the way home. I wish that you could hear some of those conversations. You would know that God is using you to work in their lives and they are growing. We appreciate everything that you do more than you know.

If you missed it, here's more from the Vipers Highlight reel

2011-03-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

Vipers win the Championship!!!

2011-03-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

In a decisive 46-31 victory last night, the Vine City Vipers won the U-14 AYP championship title!! They played great, worked together as a team and showed how far they have come since going 0-6 last season.

A BIG THANKS to all the parents and friends who came out to support the Vipers! They couldn't have done it without you!

From left to right: (back row) Coach Josh, Junior, CJ, Jovonte, Raymond, Coach Justin, (front row) Rausahn, Deonte, Rashaard, Jeff, and Deaquan

FYI: We're going to celebrate together with a banquet on March 27th at 6pm. Pinky Bryant, our official Team Mom, is helping to get this organized so we can honor the boys and celebrate their great season!

PLAYOFFS?!?!

2011-02-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

The Vine City Vipers play their first playoff game (double-elimination round robin) tomorrow night at 7pm at the Atlanta Youth Academy!

They would love to have your support!

PS: I can't say the word practice without thinking about Jim Mora. ( Let's hope this isn't what Josh looks/sounds like after the game!)

Hector Black Part II:

2011-02-07T06:11:00.001-08:00

So a few weeks ago I shared that I had become friends with Hector Black (on facebook). So my journey began to make our friendship a real one, and come out to his Nursery and Farm in Cookesville, TN. I love history, adventure, storytelling, and Vine City...so this was a great excuse to connect with one of the first strategic neighbors (faith-motivated neighbors), and if not the first, one of the first in Vine City. Hector Black lived in the neighborhood 1965-1967ish, and had a farm near Rockmart, GA for 9 years where many old neighbors would come and stay for extended periods, including their adopted daughter Patricia.
(Note: Historical Post, a little longer than usual)

In initial move to Vine City began with Fannie Lou Hammer. She had come to Pennsylvania, where they lived, and spoke their Christian community (The Bruderhof)and shared about the Civil Rights Movement in 1965. Black was moved by what her presence and long story short, he, Susie (his wife) and his three daughters (Annie, Aggie, and Rose) packed up a trailer and came to Atlanta.

Once arrived, Hector looked for work. He quickly found a job with a tutoring program in the neighborhood run by the Quakers. He had always hung out with Quakers, though he wasn't officially considered a Quaker. When he got the job in the tutoring program, he felt in order to truly understand the situation of the kids and families he had to live in the neighborhood. He said, "I knew it couldn't be a 9-5 job, we had to be there, we had to be neighbors to truly understand".

The first year they moved from their trailer to a nice home on Electric Avenue. Although there are no houses there today, before the end of the first year he felt it was a barrier to building relationships to having such a "middle class home". So, they moved into a smaller home in need of some TLC on Magnolia. He lived a 2 block stretch between Northside Drive and Vine Street. He said that once he and his family moved in, there was no hostility from the neighbors or feeling like "other". Instead, they felt welcome and it was only outsiders that were critical of his presence.
This would create a multifaceted tension about their role in the neighborhood: on one hand it involved leaving the neighborhood to go to Quaker meetings and going to Bible Studies in extravagant homes in Druid Hills that made him feel guilty. On the other hand, when he was in the neighborhood there was so much need, the housing conditions were heart-wrenching, the chronic evictions, the inequality, it was as he described "angering".
But surrounding that all was also the issue of race and the racial politics of the time. For Black, he was a white man, whose child went to an integrated nursery school with Dr. King's youngest daughter. He had close relationships with his neighbors on their street and throughout the community; but there were outside forces that influenced their living in Vine City.
While living there he participated in the Civil Rights Movement, the Poor People's Campaign, participated in the organization of the Vine City Civic Council, and protested to get the kids a playground in the neighborhood (they blocked off their street from Northside to Vine Street, protesting that the kids had nowhere to play).

(1966: After the protest, this is the swing set they got)

First, there were people from the City of Atlanta, white slumlords, groups, politicans, that asked him to "quiet down" and not shake things up. Black was arrested for participating in organizing a rent-strike at the Markham St. Apartments. Second, there was SNCC and other African American groups that were involved in Civil Rights, and diverting from Martin Luther King's "Beloved Community" for "Black Power". In particular, Stokely Carmichael sent a car around the neighborhood with speakers saying; "where is your white jesus now?", and antagonized him living in the Black community.

Black was quick to explain, "They had a lot of good points and reasons to be angry, most of the slumlords were white and were the cause of a lot their struggle and pain". In addition, historically Black Power arose as a movement for economic and political power in the Black community. Although Dr. King was not a proponent of the slogan, he did understand where it was coming from, the need for empowerment and the transformation of socio-economic-political structures. In 1967's Chaos or Community?, he suggests that it is exchanging a white power structure for a black power structure is not the answer.

However, in the end SNCC would kick out Julian Bond, John Lewis, and all it's white member, as well as protest Hector Black's presence in the neighborhood.
But it was a twisted atmosphere. Hector revealed he got his FBI file, all 75 pages and there were informers that he knew giving information about his activities. He explained that a man came to his door one time and said "Let's burn the SNCC office down!" and a crowd built up behind them to go burn the offices. He called his friend from the Quakers and together they came and calmed people down, adverting the disaster and pending riot; however, he later learned this man was a paid informant. He was only trying to get Hector to start the fire or encourage the crowd, so he would leave the neighborhood.

As he reflects on it now, "It was a wasted effort, they could have spent money elsewhere, we were harmless".

When I read this all and heard him speak, I have to remember: these were tense times. Although my heart strings love the story of Civil Rights and a mass social movement, it was not just a story instead these were real riots, brokenness, and pain in Atlanta and all it's neighborhoods. People were, "tired of being sick and tired" (Fannie Lou Hammer), but it wasn't the Civil Rights Movement from my 5th grade textbook.

Over the course of my interview with him, there were so many stories. Too many for just this one blog post. But if I could share just a few I would share: (1) his love for the neighborhood and the people there, (2) what he would change or do differently, and then finally (3) Patricia and how his family has stayed connected to Vine City from Tennessee.

(Vine City, 1966)

When Hector would talk about the neighborhood he would lean back, tilt his head up, with his hands folded, and gaze upward at the ceiling, smiling. Each story he told was laced with a bitter truth, but it was side-by-side an overwhelming joy. He would say, "Wow, they were just incredible time, incredible people". The stories of chronic evictions and the terrible housing conditions, were told alongside the neighborhood policy that who ever was evicted had a place to stay that night; no matter how cramped the other houses were. He said, "Someone always took them in". Black himself started a Thriftstore that took donated clothes and sold them for 25 cents or a $1.00. All the money it made then went to the eviction fund, so who ever needed the money to not get evicted could use that money for their rent. But, he said "They almost always paid it back. They knew, if they didn't, it meant it wasn't going to be there for the next person, who was going to get evicted".

(Evictions 1966, Vine City)

The Black family loved the neighborhood, each one of it spoke of it fondly, but also honestly. It was a rough but beautiful place. This was evident, as Hector was going through photos and memories of their lives, he pulled out a big Mother's Day card. It was a card for Susie, and Rose said "From one of mother's many children". Susie tried to teach a cooking class, sewing and embroidery to many of the girls--whether they took to it or not, they seemed to love her. And the girls became like sisters with many of the neighborhood kids, always playing, having people stay, having people in and out. They teased themselves that all these years they have only had one only family dinner, and it was in a bedroom.

(Susie Black, Vine City) (Rose Black, Aggie Black, Vine City)

(Annie Black, Vine City)

When I did ask Hector if he would have done anything differently he said two things. First, he said "I had a lot of prejudices". As he explained these were not issues or white or black, but they were class related. He laughed at himself for his ideas that "Matrin Luther King Jr. was too middle class". He said "We knew each other a little,like he knew me and I knew him, but I didn't know he lived there when we moved in". However, there were even divisions within the neighborhood based on class, "Sunset (where MLK lived) was like 10 blocks away, and they were middle class and we were poor. He said, if he could do it again he would just be more open minded and more open to talking.

He explained the rent-strike which led to his arrest. He said, "When I showed up to the apartment there were two police officers there saying you can't cross. They said, "If you step on the property we will arrest you". I said, "you can't do that this is public property". And they said, "you cross this line and we will arrest you". So I went and ran and called a friend and told them what I was about to do, came back, and crossed the line. Sure enough, the did arrest me". He said, "If I could do it over, I would try to talk to the landlord. I mean, when I learned about the housing conditions they just made me so angry...but today I would have talked to him and tried to listen first". Then he took some quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., "Turning your oppressor into your friend...you know you can take a gun and shoot a hateful man, but that can't kill hate. Violence begets violence, and hate begets hate. But what you can say is that violence stops here with me".
He tied this into his own life now, where is avidly opposed to the death penalty but has chosen to sit down and listen and now is friends with a woman who fights passionately for the death penalty in Tennessee. He says now, he would just try to talk and listen first instead of being prejudice: thinking he knows what that other person will say or do, or what that person was like.

Secondly, he said this is also rooted to prejudices, but that he would talk to city officials, listen to people, call the housing authorities, and work with the middle class and elites that he held in contempt. He would call them and try to work with them, instead of letting his prejudices rule.

I appreciated his raw honesty, and felt encouraged and convicted by my own prejudices. I too often think, "Why call the city official?", "Why call up the Housing Authority?"--instead of thinking "Why not?". But often times, I think about spending time with my neighbors and not thinking about how to address problems/asset/needs at both the micro and macro level. These were good words of wisdom for me.

Hector explained, the hardest parts of living there as the tensions of "becoming more at home in one place, and less at home in another". The more he felt apart of Vine City, the less welcome he felt outside of it. At the same time, there was little to no change, suffering, struggle, and he said "I began to get bitter, and it was affecting my personal life". With the pressure from SNCC, and burnout and bitterness growing, the Black's chose to leave the neighborhood in 1967.

When they were getting ready to go, there were two neighborhood girls that had virtually become a part of their family: Trish and Seal. They were sisters and they asked if they could come to, their mother said it was okay and they came north back to Pennsylvania, where Hector would go to Pendel Hill a Quaker School. After a few months-to-a-year, they then returned to Georgia. This time to Rockmart. They found a farm out there and had their own nursery, Trish stayed with them, however Seal went back to Atlanta. But, they would come into the city, see neighbors, people would come and stay for awhile at the farm, and later on after 9 years of farming in Georgia, they moved the operation to Tennessee.

Patricia is their adopted daughter and she majored in Library Sciences and got her M.A. at Fisk University, in TN. She moved back to Atlanta and did work with the Emmaus House in Summerhill, but worked at the library reading to children and teaching them a love for books. Trish, as they described her was never late, very good at sewing, always working on a project for them or someone else. She seemed like someone I would want to have known, and had as a friend.
But as they shared her story, it was a memory. Patricia had been murdered over 10 years ago here in Atlanta by a burglar. Since 2000, Hector and Susie have kept correspondence with their daughter's killer and have continued to speak about truth, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

As we sat around the table he discussed the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in South Africa, and the work that is being done in Rwanda. It inspires him, and he loves to hear about global news (he prefers Google News as his best source). In particular, it has inspired him as he becomes more active in prison-fellowships, visiting a group of 9 men on death row every month, advocating against the death penalty, and him and his wife writing Patricia's killer, Ivan Simpson letters. Last year they went to visit him with a few of their friends from Atlanta's Door Community. They both expressed that it was both hard and emotional, however it was very healing. He said, "If I can't forgive it keeps me in prison too". They have walked through a journey of forgiveness, which they now have for him; and now send cards and letters, while planning perhaps their next visit.

Like their stories of Vine City, this too is a grim and dark story, but laced with a joy and a beauty within the sadness.

The Black's have lived an enormous life, and after visiting them, I realized how much life they had lived and how the 2 1/2 years in Vine City was just a small sliver of all their lives. However, it seems like this little neighborhood has seeped into all of them, shifting the trajectory of their lives: all of it's joys, pains, and hurts.

I am thankful to the Blacks for sharing their hearts, lives, and home with me. I could write much more on them and the times and other stories we shared; but this is the beginning of a new relationship--or perhaps it is just part of being a neighbor?

Vine City Granola Inc.

2011-02-06T05:57:00.000-08:00

I hate to say it, but I was surprised when Deante said he liked granola. Actually, I think he said he loved it. So when it came time for Christmas, he wanted to make some for his whole family for Christmas gifts. So, Jerome, Deante, Erica all came over to make Christmas Granola.
Each of us had special jobs and Deante showed us how his grandmother taught him how to make granola, before she passed away. You take frozen fruit and bake it into the granola...it's really delicious.
But we baked a lot of it and bagged it up, tied ribbons around it, and had gifts for each person in their family...plus a few bags To: Deante, From: Santa.

So, every couple weeks or so...Deante will come up to me and ask when are we going to make granola again. Most of the time, other kids look at him and then me, and are like-"You call your granny "Gran Ola'?"

But once he explains how good it is...they are in. So, Mason, Andrew, and Deante joined Eric and I for the afternoon of warm January weather. We played ultimate frisbee in front of the high school. Deante and I, "Thunderous" verses Eric, Mason, and Andrew, "The Cougars". Miss Lou just watched us and we gifted her with some of our tasty granola. When the boys came up and introduced themselves to her, she just glowed and smiled. She was so charmed and giddy to meet some of the young people in the neighborhood.

She told me how much she enjoyed just seeing people playing outside.

With one run to the store, for milk, this time we ate it like cereal.
Sure enough when we were wrapping things up, Deante was like, when can we do this again...play frisbee, make granola, tomorrow?
I said I had to work, but that we would make granola again soon enough--and as for frisbee, he just wanted me to be on his team again because we put a hurting on Eric, Mason, and Andrew's team...that's right it was 2 on 3.

Hector Black | StoryCorps

2011-02-04T19:43:00.000-08:00

So...I am in Cookesville...with Jamie and Eric. We are at Hector and Susie Black's home; and they have been nice enough to host us for the night.
Recap, it has been a full day...road trippping, and eating, tea drinking, the best bread in the world, and some wild surprises, including some human acrobatics. It was a party.
Hector and Susie were so kind to sit down with us and tell us about Vine City, as well as the rest of the family and friends, in 1965. In particular, sharing his humorous stories...from introducing himself to the elementary school principle named Mr. White--and he said, well I am Mr. Black. What made this humorous to both men, is that Mr. White was black and Mr. Black was white; and Mr. Black had just moved into the then segregated Vine City neighborhood with his wife and 2 daughters. All they could do, was laugh.

As we talked, looked at photos and learned about his different stories: from organic farming, to civil rights, to neighboring, and his family--we were just really thankful for the 6 hours of straight conversation, and their openness.
We can't share it all now, but as we get ready for tomorrow, and more questions and stories, plus errands, and delicious home-made greek yogurt, and well...I am sure there will be equally more surprises.
For more info on Hector Black, check out the following links:
Jet 1996: Hector Black and MLK Jr. in Vine City
Hector Black | StoryCorps
In Vine City, Black Is White

We will be able to share more, from the first strategic neighbors of Vine City soon.

There have to be some good jokes out there...

2011-02-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

So, I have been brainstorming jokes about tutoring...first I started off thinking this has to be easy....I mean Tudor vs. Tutor, clearly some Anglican and/ or British humor. Plus, some gassy humor...I mean it is a great word; made for childish humor and puns...so here goes...(read at your own risk, probably not that funny)

Q: Why did Marty (worship pastor at Trinity) start playing the trumpet?
A: He just wanted to be a tooter so bad, he couldn't wait till Wednesday.

Q: Why did Drew eat beans before After-school tutoring on Wednesday?
A: He thought they would make him a stronger tutor.

Good News, the photos of last weeks tutoring with Kennedy are just a lot better than these jokes. Thanks to everyone who keeps coming week after week! It was great to hear from the staff members, meeting more teachers who are just excited and thankful for your presence. Plus, the kids were just having an awesome time, it's a beautiful thing being apart of our church.

New VC Vipers Schedule

2011-01-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

The league amended our schedule...here's the updated version:

Tue 2/1/2011 6:00 PM Vine City vs Uplift AYA Gym
Tue 2/8/2011 7:00 PM AYA vs Vine City AYA Gym
Tues 2/15/2011 Playoffs (time: TBD)
Tues 2/22/2011 Playoffs (time: TBD)
Tue 3/1/2010 Championship

Thanks to all the supporters!

What was Vine City like in 1966?

2011-01-27T10:00:00.000-08:00

If you can't tell in the picture, from left to right it is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Corretta Scott King, and two other residents walking the streets of Vine City on February, 1 1966. Accessed: http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/news/slideshow/Remembering-the-Rev-Martin-Luther-King-Jr-2561.php#photo-13

You may be asking a few questions about the details of this picture, and what the meaning of it is, and why it is on the Vine City blog today. Note: Since it is about history this post is a little longer than normal.

(1) Why is Martin Luther King Jr. walking the streets of Vine City in 1966?
Well, to start with he lived in Atlanta, but had only lived in Vine City for a year at the time. He and is family moved in from the 4th Ward in 1965. But specifically on this day he was walking the neighborhood after his attention had been drawn to the neighborhoods slums; in particular, the Markham St. apartments. During a cold spell in January 18 people died and froze to death in the neighborhood slums. King and other activist attention had been drawn to the neighborhood slums by various neighborhood local advocates from the Vine City Civic Council that had initiated a rent strike and were fighting slumlords that were profiteering off of housing 5 families in an apartment room for gouged rates, in unsafe housing units with no heat.
On this particular day, the women to the far right are holding signs protesting the arrest of community resident, activist, and organizer Hector Black. Black had been instrumental in organizing the rent strike, advocating for living wage, rent control and renters rights. Later, King would bail Black out of prison, and he took over the rent strike and further organized it with other civil rights leaders of the time.
(2) So, who is Hector Black?
Well, I have two answers here. First, he was a Vine City neighborhood resident from 1965-1968, a community activist, graduated from Harvard as a social anthropologist. He was a Quaker, pacifist, and Gandhian-non-violent-pacifist-Christian, and move to the neighborhood because he was working as part of a tutoring program. Second, he was the first strategic neighbor, living out his faith by moving into the neighborhood. (for further definition of a strategic neighbor)

(3) So, why do I think this is an important part of Vine City's history--and the story of God's presence in the neighborhood?
Well...where do I begin. When I first looked into moving into Vine City in 2006, before I even prayed about it, I Googled it. I don't think this is the purest example of relying on Christ in my decision-making, but it led to further sparking my curiosity about the neighborhood I felt He had placed on my heart.

I found these facts about Hector Black and his faith-motivation when excavating my own heart and the history of the neighborhood, as I felt God leading me to the neighborhood. I think I came here thinking I was going to be a part of some monumental social change, till I found that was really pretentious, so I got humble and decided this neighborhood just needed good neighbors that could be available and present, caring about the neighborhood and wanting to be apart of cultivating community within it's geographic boundaries.

Little did I know, Vine City had a rich legacy of strategic neighbors, i.e Hector Black and even Dr. King. I mean, I didn't really realize it, but Dr. King was a strategic neighbor and I don't think that is something that I really knew about him, how his attention was first drawn to Vine City, and how it was critical to him living out his faith and pursuits of social justice.

(4) So what do I mean by this "Dr. King was a strategic neighbor" ?
King's attention was captured by the impoverishment in Chicago and seeking to live out his faith and views of social justice; he moved up there and was beaten, had bottles thrown at him, and so he moved back down to Atlanta. King felt the pressure by others, his father in particular to move to the suburbs where it was "safe". But he didnt, he chose the city because he wanted to be engaged in relationships in the city and with the poor, working class of Atlanta.
In 1966, he had his attention captured again--this time by Vine City and the Markham St. apartments. He organized a full on rent strike and then a year later he moved into the neighborhood. I always imagined him living in Vine City and it being this glorious place, like a halo around the head of saints in pictures; but instead the roads weren't even paved until after 1966--the neighborhood had pockets of middle class affluence in the African American community; but also severe poverty interwoven.
His son Dexter recounts in his auto-biography "Growing up King" that Vine City was for "plain folk" and that after his father's death in 1968 it began to turn into the "hood"--experiencing crime, violence, etc. While the flight of African American middle class families began due to increasing violence and crime, the King family continued to live there.
This is the place where King developed and lived out one of his most famous ideas and lived realities "Beloved Community". That was what all the struggles for social justice were about, living in relationship with each other, where God's peace and presence was among us through the relationships that we had with each other.

(5) So how is this relevant today?
Well for me it is critical because it shows me that me efforts to love God and my neighbor as apart of the Beloved Community here doesn't mean the neighborhood being all middle class, with perfect sidewalks and fresh coats of paint on all the houses, instead it means being a good neighbor and loving people the way that God loves me and gave his only son for me.
Also, I am in a long-line of predecessors that have done pretty amazing things; which is encouraging in spirit and deflating of ego. This is good medicine, so to speak. I mean, not even to mention Jesus--just within the neighborhood there have and are a lot people that are living out their faith and meeting people where they are. I am no Dr. King and I am no Hector Black (though he accepted my friend request on facebook! :) He is 86 and lives in Nashville, TN as an organic farmer now).

But of all of this, this is relevant to me because looking back at this photo, the story of Hector Black, MLK Jr, Jesus...I am blown away by their faith and trust that they had in God--but when it came to seeking his will, there was a cost. For Jesus, it was death on a cross; for Hector Black it was being mocked by Stokely Carmichael (he called him "white jesus"), being arrested for trespassing for passing out blankets, and being asked to leave the neighborhood in 1968-9 by SNCC. For Martin Luther King Jr., inside of the social justice world there were a lot of people against him because of his faithful convictions; and in side of the faith there were a lot of people against him for his radical politics and opinions--he too died living out his faith.

When I think about this stuff, I just feel overwhelmed and want to find a way to awkwardly change the subject. But, if I hang with it there are two sides to the coin. First, the heads up side is that, I don't want to over-dramatize being a neighbor. I will be honest, most days I just get up, go to school, work on my writing, and I just get to hang out with my friends and meet new people. This is not hard, its a privilege, and a ton of fun--I am not a martyr I wouldn't do anything else--except maybe own my own island in Key West and lay out on the beach all day.

But, on the tails side, there are these hard parts when I have to gut check my faith and say that I choose to believe God is sovereign and present in this suffering. I cannot deny or ignore the hard parts of living in the neighborhood. It is hard to witness a prostitute getting dropped off on the corner by a Lincoln Navigator outside my house, it is hard to see teddy bears on the street corner commemorating the latest murder victim on my way to the dentist, it is hard to listen and be speechlessly silent when a kid say they pray the shooting will stop, and sometimes God answers and it stops, and other times it doesn't and God doesn't answer. This is when it is hard--this is when I get discouraged.

And it is in those moments I come back to reality that the neighborhood has never been solely impoverished or solely affluent, it has always been a mix of both. Despite my warm and fuzzy feelings about the time of civil rights in the neighborhood, my vision of community and neighborhood is deeply flawed and inaccurate. However, there is something that was different than, and that is presence of the body of Christ and the church. I stand as a link in a chain, a long chain and rich legacy of Dr. King, Hector Black, Helen Howard, and other faith-motivated neighbors that prayed for the neighborhood, and sought to simply love God and learn what it means to love their neighbors.

So as I seek to live out my faith in tangible ways, I see these neighbors as saints. What they knew better than I, was that being the hands and feet of Jesus wasn't bound by class, race, or income; they knew what it was to be simply present, never seeing themselves as an individual but as part of a community--the church--the body of Christ. This was God's heart for the neighborhood, and through his saving grace, this is my heart for my neighbor.

This week this quote by Henri Nouwen has really summed up for me, he calls it "the ministry of presence":

“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems.
My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.”

– Henri Nouwen

This February 1st, I am going to just take an extra lap around the neighborhood, not with any answers or solutions racing through my mind--but just being present. Thank you Jesus for your mercy and being present with us.

Cheryl

Want more info on Hector Black and Vine City in 1966?--shoot me an email, i'd be happy to provide my bibliography.

Vine City Vipers: Game 2

2011-01-25T20:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the winning streak is over at one game. The Vipers lost a hard-fought battle 31-23, but they played well, hustled, and their attitudes were great!

Here's a few pictures from the game...thanks to all of the fans for coming out!

What a great crew of fans! They got there EARLY for those close seats!

Such concentration at the free throw line!

Deaquan and his biggest fan!

Fear the Vipers!

Sending this one in for the front cover of Sports Illustrated!

NEWSFLASH: The VC Vipers have a game tomorrow @ 8pm!!

2011-01-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

One of the teams in the league had to drop out (I think they may have gotten wind of how tough the Vipers are), so we are going to have a game tomorrow night at 8pm.

We'd love to have your support!

Here's the address:
2120 Forrest Park Road Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30315-6834

GO VIPERS!

~Drew

VINE CITY VIPERS WON A GAME!!!!

2011-01-18T18:32:00.000-08:00

If you don't really understand why this is so exciting, let me give you a bit of background.

Last year, not only did we not WIN a single game, we didn't even ever have a LEAD in a single game. Well, I take that back. We had the lead ONCE when Jovonte got us 5 points for memorizing the Bible verse for the week. (although this seemed like a really legalistic way to go about encouraging the boys to memorize scripture, it was exciting to have the lead for about 45 seconds!) Most of the games last year ended in tears or fights or meltdowns for one reason or another. It was pretty miserable at times.

Well, let me just tell you about tonight.

These boys were awesome. They worked together as a team. They made shots. They got rebounds. (it may have helped that most of them grew about 6 inches since last year) They intercepted passes.

But even more than that, their attitudes were completely different. These boys are growing. (in more than just inches) Tonight, God reminded me that He is alive and at work. He is committed to teaching us more about His grace and His mercy shown to us through Christ, and He is committed to changing us with that love. He is teaching these boys to love each other the way He has loved them.

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."
Ephesians 4:31-32

Don't get me wrong, we still all see a good bit of each other's sin around here. It's pretty ugly. But Jesus has paid for it, and He is redeeming our hearts and transforming the way this community cares for each other. I love watching it. Praise be to God!

AND WAY TO GO, VIPERS!!!!!!

Diane

Ps. Some game footage

Vine City: Wednesday Morning Running Club

2011-01-17T05:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a little window into our Wednesday Morning Running Club that we started in the fall. The jog around the neighborhood was usually followed by a little breakfast before school. A great way to kick off the day!

Hopefully we'll start back up again soon when it gets a little warmer!!

Snow Day Entertainment

2011-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

An entire week off of school leaves a lot of time for goofing off... on snow day number 4, we were getting a little desperate for entertainment. Deonta thought he could beat me in a typing contest...

We had decided that whoever lost would have to be tied up in knots inside his red sweatshirt. Well, look who lost...

To make him feel a little better about his defeat, we tried to feed him a cookie through the hole in his sweatshirt...

Better luck next time, Deonta. Hope all those cookie crumbs came out in the washing machine!!

Diane

VC Vipers Game Cancelled

2011-01-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

As you might expect, we are not going to be playing the Vine City Vipers basketball game tonight. We'll let you know when it gets rescheduled!

Also, if you are interested in helping us out with fundraising by buying an amazing jersey or hoodie...check out this previous post:

Make sure and be on the lookout for the upcoming video from our Wednesday Morning Running Club!!

Top Reasons to Live in the Neighborhood

2011-01-10T16:49:00.001-08:00

It's snowing and all your neighbors can just walk over...no such thing as being snowed and stranded.

Social Justice and Faith

2011-01-10T10:59:00.001-08:00

Hmm....maybe it is the snow, but being inside has got me thinking that I wish I could have a beer and a deep conversation in a cozy pub. However, I am settling for my comforter, my bed, next to a window seat of "Atlanta Snowmagedon 2011"--it's pretty scenic.

But here's the deal...question.

In surveying with my current research study on Faith in the Neighborhood, I have found most people describe their pursuit of justice from a faith-based perspective with the term “social justice”. So, I have a question….What does Social Justice look like and what does that mean exactly?

So, in lieu of a cozy pub...what's the deal. What does that mean from for you, and/or from a faith-motivated perspective.

Drew Henley's 5 Questions

2011-01-08T21:57:00.000-08:00

Check out the neighborhood's own Drew Henley on the Trinity website sharing his thoughts and experiences in Vine City.

http://www.trinityanglicanmission.org/stories

Word, well said Drew...well said.

Vine City Vipers Schedule

2011-01-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

It's another year, and that's right...it means it's time for another year of some vicious Viper's B-ball. So here's the scoop: Games this year will be on Tuesdays and are going to be something you don't want to miss. We start games this Tuesday at the Atlanta Youth Academy at 7pm and we'd love for any and all supporters to come out.

Side Note: We'll be selling jerseys again for the fans, but we're going to do it as a fundraiser this year. Jersey's will be: $20 each and we're also going to sell Hooded Sweatshirts for $30 bucks, with the VC Vipers logo on it (It's a steal). If you want a jersey or a hoodie: email aphenley@gmail.com

Official Atlanta Youth Project 2011 League Schedule
Vipers Games
Week Date Time Home Team Away Team Field
1 Tue 1/11/2011 7:00 PM Vine City vs. Bible Way @ AYA Gym

2 Tue 1/18/2011 7:00 PM AYA vs. Vine City @ AYA Gym

3 Tue 2/1/2011 8:00 PM Beulah vs. Vine City @ AYA Gym

5 Tue 2/8/2011 7:00 PM Vine City vs. Uplift @ AYA Gym

6 Tues 2/15/2011
7 Tues 2/22/2011
8 Tue 3/1/2010 Championship

Christmas Party

2010-12-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

The weekly boys Bible study group graciously decided to include females and the rest of the neighborhood in on their Christmas party. (this was very nice of them- usually on Tuesday nights during their Bible study, Anna and I will make the cookies but then go sit in the other room and pretend we can't hear them.. haha) The party was pretty exciting. The kids and adults both brought gifts for an intense white elephant gift exchange (there were even lottery tickets involved!), and thanks to Eric's Eagle Scout skills, there was even a small fire in our backyard for roasting marshmallows. SO thank you boys, for letting us come. It has been a beautiful thing to get to eavesdrop from the other room as you all grow in Christ for the last few years, but the smores were awfully tasty!

-Diane

Here were some of the MOST exciting gifts from the white elephant exchange:

Vine Cit gets a Walmart | ajc.com

2010-12-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

So, the old Publix will now be an experimental Walmart.
Check out the article, what do you think?

Vine City warms to Walmart on cold day | ajc.com

Also, this article from Creative loafing goes into more depth about the neighborhood.

http://clatl.com/atlanta/wal-mart-and-prince-charles-give-vine-city-a-boost/Content?oid=2515713

Christmas Charity?

2010-12-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

Anybody have any thoughts on this article?

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/mission/features/23651-christmas-charity-isnt-the-answer

I felt like it was a well-written and thoughtful article about how, as Christians, we are called to so much more than simple charity. Instead, let us follow the example of Christ and, through the grace found in the Cross, seek true justice in the context of relationships.

~Drew Henley

A Fire at KIPP WAYS

2010-12-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/huge-fire-guts-atlanta-772165.html

KIPP WAYS is a free college prep charter school located in Vine City which serves 5th-8th grade. Apart from being a highly successful school, it is also an integral part of the neighborhood and community of Vine City.

Here's an email wejavascript:void(0) received this morning from a staff member at Kipp WAYS,

"There were no kids, families, or staff in the building, so everyone is physically fine. We are getting alot of community support, but it is going to be quite the rebuilding process! If you could pray specifically for the following things:

1. The kids - they are 5-8th graders, so this is a big blow to them emotionally
2. Clean-up and repair
3. Security - if we don't have a tight security plan, the building will be vandalized"

Please join us in prayer

~Drew Henley

A welcoming intro to pancakes

2010-12-05T19:58:00.000-08:00

If you are new to this blog, then you may not be familiar with pancakes. For you, here is a little introduction to our weekly gathering on Sunday mornings. Feel free to come by!

And, if you are not new to pancakes, then maybe you can find this still a little entertaining.

Basically, every Sunday starting around 10 am we gather at Drew and Diane's home on Sunset Ave. Around 11 we will pull out from there and head to church. Everyone is welcome - kids, neighbors, and folks that don't live nearby but are interested in the neighborhood. It is a good time of being together, laughing, and catching up.
- Eric

ps. Today (Monday the 6th) is our video hostess's birthday!!! Please wish a happy birthday to the charming and wonderful Vilencia.

Pancakes Outtakes

Halloween pictures

2010-11-29T20:30:00.000-08:00

While going through some files over Thanksgiving I came across these and had to post them. They're a little old, but still good.

'Be Thankful to Him and bless His name'

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

A few minutes before our neighborhood thanksgiving began, Beverly turned around and made us of the chalkboard we had painted on our basement door. She wrote, "Be thankful to Him and bless His name".
The gathering this evening came from a new neighbor and my roommate Laura, to host a Thanksgiving dinner at our house.

It had seemed as early as midweek God really had his hand on our dinner; providing a gift of a free 9 lbs. ham as our main course, plus 2 side dishes! But that was nothing compared to the final spread of potluck dishes, food, everything we could possibly need. The kitchen was humming since Friday night, whipping up muffins, cookies, and pre-dinner prep. I was excited for our evening, and my stomach was growling.

( Note: This was mostly because, I was trying to wait to eat my weight in stuffing, ham, and pumpkin muffins by having a a small breakfast at 10am that morning. Needless to say, I was ready to eat.)

The kids from the neighborhood showed up first and started to help us string lights, set up the chairs and the last minute touches. After about 30 people showed up, Drew led us in prayer. As we started to gather in a circle to hold hands, I assured Nicki a new friend as of the past few minutes that my hands were only wet because I just washed them in the kitchen. She laughed, pulling her hand away, only to bring it back and place it in mine. We giggled, she stood to my right and Heather a good friend from Trinity stood to my left. We were in the hallway and the circle spread out into the family room to the front door and back around. I stood there and thought for a minute, this is exactly what our gathering was about; before we ate, I just felt full.

As people filed through the line, there was ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, cornbread pudding and souffle, sweet potato souffle, chips and salsa, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese (which was eaten until there was absolutely nothing left), salad, cauliflower casserole and then the entire dessert section. Despite all the food we had, almost everything got eaten or packed up into to go plates.
As I mingled through the crowd and met people for the first time, talked to neighbors, told stories, and joked with kids. I went from the kitchen to the porch, sat and watched football, got refills, made plates, and time flew by so fast. Normally at these parties I can easily speak and talk to different folks. But tonight, I was just overwhelmed with gratitude. I didn't know what to say, or how to use my words to describe our evening. Diane came back into the kitchen and said, "When can we do this again!?"--that seemed to be the only logical thought I could agree with and/or formulate all night. It was just fun, it was delicious, and it was worship.

Last week I had a conversation with some wiser women at Trinity and we were discussing how to incorporate liturgy into daily life. After they first talked about this, I have to admit I had no idea what they were really talking about. I kind of shook my head yes and thought "I have no idea what we are talking about!" But after a few days of reflecting, I started to re-examine what my understanding of liturgy even was.
To me, it had always been tradition, rituals, and to be frank, sounded rather dull. However, when I looked up the real meaning (which I probably could have been more humble and just asked the women at my church), in Greek meant public and service/citizenship. The core of what liturgy is supposed to be, is not just traditions and services, but services from the heart that are a response to God and equal worship. Basically, the point is to begin to understand that worshiping God has more to do with your heart, less to do with the action and traditions. This doesn't mean to throw out traditions or sacraments, but actually the opposite. Instead these traditions are opportunities to respond to God and worship him in tangible ways.
Okay, but this is stretch for my me. I have heard it and said it a million times, that service and actions are worship. But, most people (including myself) today think only about singing as worship. It is so deeply ingrained in us, even when we are conscious of this, it is hard to change and see everything from taking the trash out, running errands, loving our neighbors, eating, and work itself as worship too. Why is this so hard to understand? To live in and to think about my daily routine as the most consistent and powerful way to worship God?

Perhaps that is what bring me back to my old understanding of liturgy as so boring or mundane. The daily routine is great and all, but it doesn't feel as adventurous or as exhilarated as I want to feel; or how I want to feel when I spend to time with the Lord.

I don't think I have an answer for working out my own ideas of how the mundane and everdayness of life is worship. But I do know that while Thanksgiving is a typical holiday, normal, and traditional, at the same time what happened as we celebrated together in our neighborhood was far from normal, typical, or mundane. Instead it was exhilarating, it was affirming, I felt so close to God that I could barely speak--maybe I should have sung?
This Thanksgiving, though it didn't have all the decorations or finely planned details, it was a tradition transformed into to service and love for God as worship.

I still don't really understand liturgy, but I think I am starting too.
I think this is what liturgy and loving God in the everyday is supposed to look like.

Depending on how you were to look at our dinner and gathering, you might say it met the physical needs of hunger and nutrition, to get the right amount of calories for the day. One could say it was the social need, to be together, that humans cannot live in isolation and traditions and holidays are essential to being human. While I don't dispute those ideas, I know that we didn't just throw a party to express ourselves and build community, nor was it done with the intention of getting in and getting out of a soup kitchen line or cafeteria. Instead, it was about loving God and loving people, worshiping, being thankful, and glorifying Him.

Religious people are 'better neighbors'

2010-11-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

This article was forward to be, and I thought it was really interesting. What do you think?

Religious people are 'better neighbors'

One great gift of faith is the cultivation of communities. So becoming a good neighbor isn't so much about what you believe, but how you live.

By David Campbell and Robert Putnam

Is religion toxic or a tonic for our nation's civic life? The question often inspires passion, and vitriol, on both sides. Professional atheists like Christopher Hitchens argue that "religion poisons everything," while advocates for religion, like Glenn Beck, see faith in God as the antidote to all that ails America.

To understand religion's role in America today, we have spent the last five years exhaustively examining the many ways that religion affects American society, from our families to our politics to our communities. We have done so with what we believe to be the most comprehensive survey of religion in America ever done, supplemented by every other source of relevant data we could find. The result is our new book, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. Our objective is not to take sides on religion, but only to report what the data say.

The data provide fodder for both sides. On the one hand, religious Americans are somewhat less tolerant of free speech and dissent. As just one example, in our survey we asked Americans whether someone should be allowed to give a speech defending Osama bin Laden or al-Qaeda. While most Americans said yes, we are indeed a tolerant people, religious Americans were slightly less likely to say so. The same pattern is true for many other measures of tolerance: While, in general, Americans are quite tolerant, religious Americans are less tolerant than their secular neighbors. Furthermore, the "tolerance edge" among secular Americans cannot be explained away by some other attribute that they share. Statistically, we have accounted for every imaginable way that religious and secular Americans differ from one another. When we do so, the story stays the same.

However, on the other side of the ledger, religious people are also "better neighbors" than their secular counterparts. No matter the civic activity, being more religious means being more involved. Take, for example, volunteer work. Compared with people who never attend worship services, those who attend weekly are more likely to volunteer in religious activities (no surprise there), but also for secular causes. The differences between religious and secular Americans can be dramatic. Forty percent of worship-attending Americans volunteer regularly to help the poor and elderly, compared with 15% of Americans who never attend services. Frequent-attenders are also more likely than the never-attenders to volunteer for school and youth programs (36% vs. 15%), a neighborhood or civic group (26% vs. 13%), and for health care (21% vs. 13%). The same is true for philanthropic giving; religious Americans give more money to secular causes than do secular Americans. And the list goes on, as it is true for good deeds such as helping someone find a job, donating blood, and spending time with someone who is feeling blue.

Furthermore, the "religious edge" holds up for organized forms of community involvement: membership in organizations, working to solve community problems, attending local meetings, voting in local elections, and working for social or political reform. On this last point, it is not just that religious people are advocating for right-leaning causes, although many are. Religious liberals are actually more likely to be community activists than are religious conservatives.

As with tolerance, we wondered whether religious people's do-gooderism is owing to something else about them. Maybe it is because women are more religious than men, and women are better neighbors. Or maybe it is because religious people are older, and so on. Again, the results hold steady even when we account for these potential counter-explanations. In fact, the numbers we report above already adjust for the demographic differences between religious and secular Americans.

Interestingly, one's particular flavor of religion, being a Baptist, a Buddhist, or anything else, makes no difference in these results. In fact, even people who claim no religious affiliation but still attend worship services occasionally are more civically involved than those who never attend at all.

One might think, as did we, that religious people do good because of what they hear from the pulpit. After all, the world's religions all teach a version of the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would be treated. Perhaps stories like the Good Samaritan inspire good citizens. Or perhaps good deeds are motivated by a desire to go to heaven. Or maybe people want to avoid the punishment of God's judgment for not being nice.

However, it turns out that religious beliefs, of any kind, do not affect any form of civicness. We examined the possible impact of 25 different religious beliefs on civic behavior, and none explains religious Americans' good neighborliness.

What, then, does explain why religious Americans are good citizens? The answer lies not in their beliefs but their friends. Specifically, having friends at church (or synagogue, temple, mosque, etc.) fosters neighborliness. While having more friends is, for civic purposes, better than having fewer friends, what matters most is having friends within a religious congregation. And the type of congregation does not matter. Friends found in Catholic parishes, Jewish synagogues, Protestant churches, Mormon wards, and every other type of religious grouping, all produce the same civic effect. Even people who are not very religious experience a civic boost if they are enmeshed in a religious social network. (Think of religious skeptics who have befriended members of their believing spouses' congregations.)

What is it about friends-at-church that fosters good citizenship? It could be that requests to get involved carry more moral weight when they come from someone you know through your congregation rather than work or your bowling team. Or perhaps religious congregations simply foster peer pressure to do good. At this point, we do not know the precise magic civic ingredient in religious friendships.

Not knowing exactly how religious friendships foster good neighborliness thus leaves open the possibility that the same sort of effect could be found in secular organizations. But they would probably have to resemble religious congregations or close-knit communities with shared morals and values. Currently, though, such groups are few and far between. (Communes might qualify, for example.)

So, does religion help or harm our civic life? The answer is a little of both. Religion means less tolerance but more neighborliness. And the reason for that neighborliness is not found in what religions teach but in the communities they form.

All of this should give both religion's fans and foes food for thought.

David E. Campbell is an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. Robert D. Putnam is professor of public policy at Harvard University. They are co-authors of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us.

SWAG Conference

2010-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Favorite neighborhood urban agriculture cooperative Southwest Atlanta Growers is hosting their first conference to talk about what they are doing along with faith-based and secular partnership.
Come on out and support the growers and if you would like to hear more about urban agriculture, food, health, nutrition, and justice--be ready to hear some innovative ideas.

From where does my help come from?

2010-11-13T08:40:00.000-08:00

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

If we’re honest, as beautiful as life is, it can also be dreadfully difficult. Relationships are sometimes confusing, ministry can be frustrating, structural injustices can seem overwhelming, dreams sometimes feel unattainable, and the Atlanta Hawks aren’t nearly as good as their 6-0 start made us think they are! I don’t mean to come across as a Donny Downer, but part of our calling as Christians to grow into maturity includes dealing honestly with our world and honestly with ourselves.

If we are brave enough to be honest, we are usually left with three options: despair, avoidance, or crying out to the Lord. Whether we are from the inner-city, the suburbs, or the other side of the world, we are only left with these three options. Of these three options, most of us choose avoidance. When we face the reality of brokenness, we cowardly choose our drug of choice to alleviate the pain that comes from confronting the brokenness in our lives and this world. We are habitual "users" of looking to entertainment to avoid pain, working harder to “earn” grace, a love of ourselves (personal favorite), pleasure seeking by means such as sexual deviance, or using bitterness to blame-shift.

BUT, we have a third option other than despair or avoidance. Through Christ, we have hope. Like the Psalmist says in Psalm 121:1-2 “From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” True help and true hope come from the Lord and I pray that as a community (local and beyond) we would recognize this. The Psalmist goes on to recognize that this true help applies to our current needs and our eternal needs. He states in Psalm 121:8,

“The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth

and forevermore.”

So, I pray that we would cry out to the Lord for help and look to His eternal hand for our daily bread. I pray that as we realize and rest in the reality that true help comes from the Lord, we would share this hope with our brothers and sisters. Hopefully we, as Christians, would point them to the Cross of Christ and share the hope that comes through Christ’s willingness to be punished for the sin of his people. I pray this hope would be shared as we talk to youth about two murders that have happened in Vine City in the last month, as we come alongside rough family situations, and as I personally repent of a lack of patience and love.

Christ have mercy.

~Drew Henley

Thrashers domination

2010-11-12T09:39:00.000-08:00

So, for how long do you think two boys could hoop, holler, bounce around, and laugh?

From my experience last night, at least two hours.

Jonathan Malmin, myself, Mason and Andrew (the last being the two boys) went to an Atlanta Thrashers game Thursday. I expected us to have a fairly good time, but we had a blast.

About 15 minutes or so into the game we decided to walk down to the bottom of the steps and look at the players at field level. Just after we got down there, a man offered us several empty seats to sit in. "The whole row is mine, feel free to stay there," he said. Front row, mid-court, right beside the dug-out. It was awesome! And, I clearly don't know any hockey terminology.

From our earlier vantage point we had seen a puck fly into that same row, so we knew they were especially good seats. Players and pucks crashed into the walls right in front of us. The boys yelled at almost everyone that skated past and interacted with a few. For the record, yes Andrew did get some attention from a few of the cheerleaders, particularly several good fist pounds.

I don't really have any real profound thoughts to share about this. I guess - kids seem to have the ability to find fun in areas we adults don't usually pay attention to - Mason and Andrew said "ice cold b-ier" about 100 times that night mimicking the vendors. Anyway, we all had a great time and the Thrashers stomped the Minnesota Wild, 5-1.

- Eric

African American Film Festival going on in Atlanta now

2010-11-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

First, by the way, don’t miss the post below “the ways of white folks.”

I don’t know much about African American film – or better put, the dialogue about race relations or race-related experiences that has taken place through film, but I am hoping to learn more very soon. “School Daze” directed by Spike Lee (which is actually set on the border of Vine City) is on the top of my to-watch-next list.

Starting this morning and going through the end of the weekend there is a film festival going on in Atlanta related to this (“BronzeLens”). For more information you can visit http://www.bronzelensfilmfestival.com

Right now, I’m planning on going to a screening/discussion on Friday night of a documentary on HIV/AIDS in Washington DC titled “The Other City" (www.theothercity.com). There is event information on facebook here. I love the tagline “In every city, there’s another city.”

- Eric

(disclosure: i do work for an organization affiliated with hosting the event, but I do not believe that has notably affected this post or my views on the event.)

the ways of white folks

2010-10-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

After dinner with some of the kids, one of the girls and I did some math problems. She had just learned division, and together we shared our acronyms for the order of operations: "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally"...then listed off parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction. I couldn't believe I remembered that.

She started to show us her math problems and what she was learning in school. In a motion to go downstairs and join the others, we walked by the table...and she stopped. Her hand graced the cover of a thick hard cover book. I asked, "Do you know who that is?"..."No"..."It's W.E.B. (we said together) Dubois"...she quieted her voice unsure of how to treat the "s". I tried to explain who he was, but she moved to the next book too quickly. This one was paper back, cream colored with another face. Her eyebrows arched and she asked "Why does it have such a weird title?" I kind of laughed, thinking I guess this is a weird title, especially out of context.We were at the Eric, Danny, Gunnar, and Josh's house--I think it was Danny's copy of Langston Hughes' s The Ways of White Folks.

She wasn't sure what that was about, but it made her uncomfortable. She picked this one up and looked up with a face full of questions. "What does this phrase mean? What is this book about?" I assured it it was not a manual for acting or being white, the rules of conduct, or a guide like this one. I was sad she didn't know who these great writers were, and felt I couldn't just pass on a chance to even briefly introduce their names and ideas. I just decided to pick it up and see where our conversation went. I started off explaining that Langston Hughes was an African American writer and poet, and the book was a compilation of short stories about the world through the eyes of an African American man in the 20s and 30s.

A flash of my own experience reading it popped into my head. I too had past by this book, like her, I was struck by the title and randomly picked up a few years ago. It was challenging to read, confronting racial issues that I often want to push aside as only from the past. After picking it up I couldn't put it down, I grew to love it. The style of his writing it hypnotic, and delicious. He gives the words flavor, with texture, and creates a rhythm and melody of his own; like it was meant to read out aloud, shouted, or sung.

Still questioning, she wanted to know more, and we sat on a bony feeling futon, trying to get comfortable we leaned in close and she opened it up. She began to read the first page and after getting to a word she didn't know said "I will read until the end of this paragraph...then you...because that's a lot!" I smiled, she was right and there were a lot of new words, and certainly one's we didn't use in our conversations. As she sounded out the words, we got to a word she didn't know--"Negro". Her head was angle-set on my shoulder and she looked up at my chin--"What is that?"

I kind of swallowed in my throat, okay...

We talked about the history of the word and how the author was using it to talk about the times. At the time in the 1920s and 30s, even later through the 60s and early 70s. I explained that even though it was the "normal" way to talk about or to African Americans then, the word was meant to make African Americans feel less than and unequal to whites--though it was never true. She said, "I never heard that word before", she turned her eyes back to the page. The next line she read started with the word, "nig..." She caught herself, stopping and looking up surprised, "Why is he using that word!?" She had heard this one before, she didn't have to sound it out or think about it, but knew it was wrong, and out of place.

She closed the book and asked, "Why were white people so mean to black people?" Perplexed her question ended in a huff. I asked her for her opinion, she shook her head, shrugged her shoulders..."I don't know".

I told her honestly, that there were a lot of reasons, that I like her I didn't fully know, but that I could give her some of my thoughts, historical, and biblical information. She said, "It goes back to slavery right?" I said, yes a lot of it does. "You know Harriet Tubman, did she start the underground railroad?" I smiled, the image of her photograph from my grade school textbook came to mind--"Yes, but a lot of other people too...like Fredrick Dougl.." She blurted out, "I love Fredrick Douglas!" I smiled, I did too...in 3rd grade I did a report on him and a flood of facts and stories I had though I forgot emerged. She took over, explaining she loved Fredrick Douglas and he was her favorite because we was a writer and fought against slavery. She threw in more facts, figures, years, and historical information...including new things she was learning at school about the silk road and merchants. This led to a rabbit trail of history, life, family...She came back to her question again, "So why were white folks, so mean?"

This time however, she wasn't asking me, but was thinking it over herself. She didn't conclude her thought, but assured me that she didn't think I was mean because I was white and she was black. We went back to the book for a minute, but she wasn't interested in sitting still anymore. I closed the book and explained who Langston Hughes was, a great American poet,writer, and thinker. He himself was African American and wrote about the relationships between whites and blacks, and the inequalities of everyday life between them. We kept talking and after every other word, was "Why?" Our conversation spiraled into talking about her family: her mom, friends, and brother... we talked about her and her family for a bit, till she said "My brother likes Hamburgers, but I don't...I like spaghetti...but he doesn't. Isn't that funny?!" I could help but laugh a bit about how meandering and full our conversation had been.

We got up and I motioned to take her home. School was in the morning for both of us, and she was excited. I was thankful for that. Her passion for knowledge and learning was infectious to be around. Her curiosity, wanting to ask questions, be asked questions, think about history, the world, and to learn. Not once, did she censor herself or spare a detail about what this all meant for her.

I can't lie and say I was not intimidated by our conversation. An eleven year old had me shaking in my boots. I was scared from the beginning, to even open up that book with her. I knew the book was full of controversial issues, racism, everyday life, inequalities, and words we shouldn't think or ever say. However, did it mean, she should never know how Langston Hughes was or W.E.B. Dubois, because they were honest about what it was like to be black and American? This was a tough situation for me to discern. One side of me wanted to engage with history and her curiosity. The other wanted to censor and avoid the controversy, marking it inappropriate.

So, how do we talk about the truth, whether in the past or the present when it is hard, ugly, an uncomfortable? Did I do the right thing? Part of me feels embarrassed for picking up the book, that it was really stupid. The other part is excited that we got to talk about real stuff, and stop tip-toeing around being "appropriate".

On a personal level, it was good medicine for me to hear a young African American girl ask me why, verbally grapple with question for race that were both new and strangely familiar to her, and teach me through her thoughts and questions. It was exciting to even read a few lines of Langston Hughes together, build our relationship beyond things we are supposed to talk about and the ones we are not supposed to talk about.

This week, I have been unable to stop thinking about the looks, the curiosity, and the honest questioning of my little neighbor.

Extreme Whiffle Ball

2010-10-25T19:36:00.000-07:00

Beautiful weather, hot dogs, jump ropes and extreme whiffle ball happened this past Sunday at Kennedy Middle school with a combination of neighbors, new faces and church members. Enjoy the pictures!

Vine City story in the AJC

2010-10-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

Following the frustratingly short treatment on violence in the neighborhood a few weeks ago, it was great to see a more thorough article about the neighborhood and the challenges it faces.

If you have a few minutes, its worth reading through (I think).
http://www.ajc.com/business/vine-city-targeted-for-689003.html

Early on, the article quotes a police officer: "You’ve got a lot of hard-working, working-class people in these apartments around here,” he said. “What the neighborhood needs is more attention, that’s all.” First on that, I think we, and every neighborhood, to grow genuinely healthier needs a lot spiritually, other than just attention. And while it irks me to affirm a parking cop checking meters on MLK (those meters really frustrate me), I do agree the neighborhood could benefit from some more attention, so it was good to see some non-negative thoughtful coverage in the paper.

- Eric

Atlanta Streets Alive

2010-10-18T08:16:00.000-07:00

Andrew said the longest he has ever run is 2 hours. I turned around in my seat, jaw open, and said "No way". He nodded his head incessantly and smiled, admitting that well...it was kind of true. Mason said he has run from house, to somewhere he doesn't know, and he didn't know how long it took...but it was fun.

We've talked about running together before and today was the perfect day. Atlanta Streets Alive closed Edgewood Ave. down from Peachtree to Boulevard (ah-hem...it was really Randolph St., I thought it was Boulevard and the boys smirked and collectively corrected me). Regardless, it was the weather and the opportunity to run down the center of the street, zig-zag to my hearts desire, and not have to worry about cars or broken sidewalks.
So we drove down and started our jog with the idea we would run 6 miles. However, this didn't actually happen...instead it was something better.

Within 2 minutes we were kind of walking, not because we were tired, but came across a relay race. Andrew and Mason's eyes got big and came to a dead stop, overcome with the instinctual desire to race. After two turns, it ended in a tie, and we walk to ran, walk ran, walk ran down the street.
How often do you stumble on a techno circus with hula hoops in downtown? This was our next stop. There were jugglers and hula hoops just laying in the street. We tried to hula hoop and were quickly shown up by a little girl, no more than 6, who had four hula hoops going around her waist. She smiled and laughed as the hula hoops slid off of Mason and Andrew's skinny bodies. We walked jogged and then raced to the top of the hill. Met with music and dancing all around us, Eric said he would treat us to popsicles. We stood in the park, and I reveled in the moment.

Normally Woodruff Park feels like a prison. I walk by a lot in my day to day, and the mood is always somber and cold. Filled with Preacher's yelling fire and brimstone, poor and homeless men and women stand and sit all clustered together, students, business men and women rush through. Feet brisk, heads down.

But today it was free. With Michael Jackson blaring, many of the faces I usually see as a blur in transit, were now dancing and the center of attention. I couldn't help but smile, linger and stay a little longer. There was no rush today. The crowd was cheering and I wished for that joy and freedom to stay. There on the parks edge were two friends, Katherine and Todd. Standing side by side they agreed; there was so much freedom you couldn't pull your eyes away. Katherine lifted up her hand and pointed, "That man in the blue, is reeeaallly good". I watched him as he danced...she was right, he was.

With are popsicles in tote, I asked Mason and Andrew if they knew any good jokes. They said they didn't. As we walked to the car we began to correct this and make up our own ( this is secretly what I wanted all along). Then Eric started telling some jokes, but it was really Andrew who got the last laugh. In attempt to tell a good joke, Eric asked: "What do you call it when Eric tells a joke?"--after a pause and silence--Andrew said "Not funny!!!" With his popsicle mustache he couldn't contain himself, and we all burst into laughter. I think Eric was shooting for "Hyst-Eric-al"...but I am only guessing. (Note: the punchline was actually flopsicle--he was trying to make a pun...Andrew was right).

In Eric's defense, none of our jokes were not really that funny. But watching each other get to the last part of their popsicles and try to save the last bite before it fell off the stick and hit the ground was. Like dominos: Mason's, Mine, Andrew's, then Eric's. Eric claims it was only me and Andrew, but I beg to differ.

We said we would race to the end, but ended up walk running to the car; it was just in time to see all the street performers pack up their stuff and head home. The barricades were broken down, and a police motorcycle rode by us saying "Cars will now be on the street". We moved to the sidewalks. The freedom was over, back to hopping over stoop and stair steps, broken glass, broken sidewalk blocks, and trash. "When will the streets be open again?" Andrew asked. With an image of the Woodruff Park dance party in my mind, all I could say is that I didn't know...but, I wish they'd be open more.

What does God say about you?

2010-10-15T15:37:00.001-07:00

Interesting news article on what our beliefs in God say about our politics relationships, and social practices....what do you think?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-10-07-1Agod07_CV_N.htm