I am constantly encouraging others and my own heart to celebrate our ethnic distinctions and to rejoice in the God who created variety because it is through that variety that God pursues his glory. My calling to the poor and poverty does not discriminate. Therefore, I want to see local expressions of the church within their contexts.
Bonhoeffer, Piper, MLK and Kuyper have been very influential in my understanding of how to engage multiple ethnic groups within poverty situations. When I read how Christ created within himself one new man because of the cross, it fuels me to look beyond the skin and love the soul made in the image of God.
What is City of Hope Outreach and how is it connected to the church?
The City of Hope Outreach (CoHO) is a 501c3 nonprofit I launched in 2009 as a response to many of the social needs I was observing. The mission is to promote holistic renewal in under-resourced communities with a gospel foundation. The focus of the nonprofit is education, homelessness and community building. We offer a CoHO Academy, which educates children and offers English as a Second Language for adults.
Our Hope Community Center offers laundry facilities and an emergency shelter. The emergency shelter was a response to the need to provide immediate shelter for the homeless because no such facility in our city exists. Our connection to the church involves employing some church members and working with the local churches inside and outside the trailer parks to engage locally with as much zeal as they do overseas. My goal is to mobilize the local church to engage in the lives of the poor on a very relational level beyond the occasional service project.
What have you learned from ministering to low-income whites?
I have learned that their struggles and sins are no different than any other ethnic group. Low-income whites want to have a better life for themselves and their children. Some of my closest friends within the community do not look like me, but the time spent with them and listening to their lives has secured a level of respect that allows me opportunities to speak the Word of life to them. I desire for the poor—regardless of their ethnicity—to see, hear and experience the power of the Gospel across every aspect of their lives.
How might more works like The Church at Oakwood and City of Hope Outreach get started?
I have implemented a strategy in which the nonprofit plows the ground into new communities and then works to see new local churches established right behind the nonprofit work. I have found this approach relieves some burden so that church planters can focus on understanding the spiritual issues confronting people in the community.
I would encourage a brother wanting to engage in low-income areas to begin with simply being present, building friendships, and from there a strong understanding of the context will develop. If someone wants more in-depth mentoring on this, I am more than willing to listen and advise.
How can people support your ministry?
People can visit our church website and the nonprofit website to learn more about what we seek to accomplish in the city of Conway.
