photo by Patrick Geltinger
It’s Friday, which means it’s time to hand out our second official O.J. Award — given to someone (or someones) doing special things in Jesus’ name with precious little attention or fanfare (for a more detailed explanation of the award — and why it’s apparently named after a breakfast beverage — click here).
It’s a purely arbitrary honor, of course, because you and I know that thousands of churches and countless Christians deserve an O.J. of their very own. But we can only honor these deserving folks one at a time. And this week’s virtual glass of sunshiney goodness goes to …
Wesley United Methodist Church in Fresno, Calif. According to a story I ran across on the United Methodist Web site, Wesley has been practicing what congregants call “radical hospitality” to a Fresno’s El Dorado Park neighborhood — a poor, crime-ridden area called “Sin City” by the locals.
The church’s ministry, though, is far from radical. Wesley simply opens its doors to El Dorado’s children (parents are welcome to come, too) every Thursday night, where church members and the kids share a family-style dinner together, full of food and laughter and meaningful talk.
“Oftentimes in their homes, their parents aren’t having those kinds of conversations with them,” church volunteer Meme Biek told Barry Simmons, who authored a story on Wesley’s community dinners. “Here, they’re learning how to visit, they’re getting along and the adults are interested in them, which builds that confidence.”
Simmons says that, several years ago, Wesley congregants — most of whom are apparently middle-class — considered moving their church to a more prosperous, more stable section of town. Many churches do just that, you know: A sad truth about American Christianity is that the nation’s poorest neighborhoods — urban regions that would seem to need a guiding light the most — are often woefully underserved when it comes to places of worship. But Wesley opted to stick it out.
Now, some members say they’re seeing changes in El Dorado Park: Vandalism is down. Courtesy is up. Kids are getting some quality mentorship from church volunteers. And all that seems pretty deserving of an O.J. Award.
Do you know of anyone who you think deserves an O.J.? If so, let me know, either by commenting down below or by sending an e-mail to pabodyparts@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
