More Than Showing Up

From Pastor Tim’s article in the 4/13/16 Weekly Update

The East Side Neighbors Association has existed for more than decade as a community group dedicated to improving the quality of life for the residents of the east side of our borough. During my years of serving as a member of ESNA I have seen a wide variety of improvement projects undertaken and completed. As problems have come up through the years (crime, code violations, etc.), the members of ESNA have done their best to find solutions and help residents.

Attendance at the monthly meetings during the first half of 2015 averaged about 15. That all changed when a shooting took place on North East St. in the wee hours of June 24. The following month’s meeting featured attendance of more than 50 as concerned residents turned out to ask questions and receive information about the event and what was being done about it. Suggestions flew through the air like the very bullets that were being discussed. There was a buzz in the room that caused several long-time members to be greatly encouraged. It felt like a new era of community involvement and cooperation was being born.

October’s attendance was about 15. Yep, it didn’t last. Those who came out only for their own interest or to find solutions to their particular issues seemed to stop attending once the sirens died down and the yellow tape was removed. Was it other pressing matters that took them away or the fact that for the time being the problems had moved away and peace reigned once again?

There is a tendency for long-time members of any organization to view such spikes in interest with a knowing and wry smile. “Glad you’re here” is spoken but “Wonder if you’ll stay?” is thought. The lack of a sincere commitment to stay and unselfishly care about concerns not related to their own is frequently lacking in such situations. People come and then they go.

Truthfully, the same thing happens in our prayer lives. When our spiritual house is on fire we rush to the prayer gathering and expect others to be there to help pray us through our crisis. Prayer hotlines and prayer meetings are nothing more than a group of concerned Christians who have made a commitment to pray for their own needs, but . . . careful, here it comes . . . also the needs of others.

We petition God for assistance and when the answer arrives we typically fall back and become immersed in the mundane aspects of life while the Praying-by-Your-Side Neighbors Association is expected to keep grinding out prayers for one and all.

The members at ESNA welcome our neighbors with broken street lights and questions about their sewers, but what they’d really enjoy is for a greater number of them to do more than just show up when a crime has been committed. They’d really benefit from having some folks come back and take up the burden of assistance that, all too often, falls on a faithful few.

The members of the Church of Jesus Christ would likely second that motion and ask for others to show up, not just to get their issues dealt with, but to lift the needs of their brothers and sisters before God’s throne of grace.

Has the time come for you to do more than just show up?