The Psychological Impact of Violence?
Last night, we had the opportunity to share about The Boston Project's Neighborhood Youth Ministries with a missions committee from a new church family in a suburban community. Their children's ministry has partnered with us in multiple, mutually beneficial ways over the past 10 months and we are excited about the future.
However, during our 25 minute presentation (of which 10 minutes was a video), Katie Rice and I were surprised by the number of times we mentioned acts of violence in our community. It was like we were affirming all their potential fears about urban areas while at the same time inviting their families to come and serve with us (how conflicting?). What was shocking in our post-meeting reflection was the fact that we mentally arrived at the church wanting to talk about all the great work that God is doing in our neighborhood. We truly believe Jesus is transforming lives.
Yet, why do we so easily talk about the violence and struggle so much more to talk about the good in Dorchester? It is like our minds are pre-programmed to instinctively talk about the threats. Is the violence epidemic impacting or greater still defining the lives of our young people and us as well? Does all the media coverage (and even this blog entry) reaffirm a negative mental model of urban life? Why do our commentaries on life in Dorchester ping pong so much between good and evil?
Driving home about two blocks from our house last night, we were detoured by Boston Police due to a homicide shooting. Whether we like it or not, we are being impacted by the epidemic of violence in our neighborhood. Sharing the story of how God is at work in Dorchester needs to be truthful and include our personal and community struggles. Although media coverage may be lopsided, we should not allow our sharing of this unfolding journey be one-sided. I believe God (and hopefully our church supporters) understand and affirm our struggles and greater yet, the present and eternal victories.
