On Tuesday, our class had the privilege of being able to visit different neighborhoods throughout Spokane with the intention of observing the neighborhoods as best as we could in about an hour and a half. The group that I was in went to the East Central neighborhood. I try to get out into Spokane somewhat, but I had never been to East Central. It was really a great experience. It was definitely different than the neighborhoods I’m in most often. There were very evident signs of poverty and neglect throughout the majority of the neighborhood, with the exception of a few houses and a couple of businesses.
And that is probably what interested me the most. There was a huge Fred Meyers that stood in stark contrast to the rest of the community. There was also a very nice park that looked fairly new and in any case was well maintained. Yet the houses around the area were mostly old and somewhat neglected. Also there was the coffee shop we went into; the only local coffee shop within walking distance as we were informed by the woman at the laundry mat. It was really nice as well. Very new, with a good atmosphere and plenty of room. Definitely a place that I could see myself spending time at. But here’s the thing: there were no locals in the place. Other than our group there were two people: one had taken the bus to go to Fred Meyers and the other had a traveling suitcase. Granted this was around 10:30 am on a Tuesday, but talking to the barista it didn’t sound like this coffee shop got much business. As I said it was a great shop, but obviously they weren’t effectively catering to the people of this neighborhood.
I couldn’t help but c
ompare the church to this coffee shop to the church. I think often times we can go into a neighborhood and build a great building, promote a good atmosphere, advertise our product, and even deliver on the quality of the product. But it isn’t any good if this doesn’t translate into effectively reaching the local population. What so often happens is that we don’t take into account the area that we are trying to move into. The coffee shop stuck out like a sore thumb; any fancy, beautiful church would do the same thing. Rather than attracting people, this is much more likely to alienate the neighborhood as they see a line between their living conditions and the grandiose presentation of the church. It seems much better to follow the example of the one church building we did see in the neighborhood. Larry’s Barber Shop, a local police station, some houses, and Jacob’s Well all in the same area. They all stood together without any large differences in the buildings; they all showed the neighborhood as it is; they all just kind of blended together.
-Jeremiah
Thanks all for your comments.
Allie I really think it just completely depends on where you are at. I think it takes truly living in and honestly engaging a culture to find how to relate to it. This does not mean that you have to completely change yourself, but it does mean that you have to hang out with people. It is kinda like hanging out with friends and how similar good friends become: it just happens naturally. If we hang out in a neighborhood, we’ll start to manifest the particularities of that culture.
I completely agree, I find it difficult to believe someone from that neighborhood would give much authority to something one of us would have said seeing as we have very little idea what they’re life is like and what they go through.
I really liked the connection you made between attractional churches and an unsuccessful business that offers a great “product,” but one that people don’t use. It’s an interesting image, thanks.
What subtle changes could we make in the way we dress, the way we talk and comport ourselves to be more accessable to the people we minister to? I imagine that some of the cool kid clothes we wear at Whitworth would put someone off in a different neighborhood. We can lose opportunities to reach people before we have a chance to open our mouths.
I love the end when you talked about the blending together. Those nice places did offer a lot of nothing to the area it seems like. The stuck out like a really nice looking sore thumb. I believe that it is important to stand out, but in personality and actions not in facilities.