Dog Collars and Rabbit Corpses

These Mean Streets

*Warning Serious Post on its Way*

Many others of you cannot have failed, just like me, to have been shocked by recent events on the streets of London concerning the deaths of teenage boys. The levels of violence seen over recent weeks surely will have shocked even the hardest hearts. However, the sad thing is for London read Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, many of our major cities have experienced similar problems over recent months, years.

It will sadden at least one who reads this blog to know I’m not a huge David Cameron fan, however, I read a quote today that I could not help but agree with he says “This goes beyond any one policy or any one government. I think what we need is to recognise our society is badly broken and we need to make some big changes, starting now." I find myself for once agreeing with his words if not perhaps all the sentiments I suspect that may lie behind them.

The problems we are seeing today across our cities are much bigger than individual governments or policies. I wonder how much it has to do with the nature of a keep itself to itself society. I know that often fear (and with good justification) prevents us from becoming involved, however, there becomes a stage when we need to stick our heads above the parapet and say enough is enough.

For those of us with faith are we not indeed called to this way of life. When Jesus calls us to follow him, it is a call not into a comfortable existence but rather to costly discipleship. It is not as many would have us believe all about raising our hands in the air in constant worship. Rather we are called to roll our sleeves up and get stuck in. These problems are not ones we simply can throw money at or send a couple of youth workers out in a gesture of mission. These problems exist across our society and require us to become involved with our neighbours.

I spent two years working with and worshipping with the people of Moss Side. Moss Side, Manchester famous for its own drug and gun culture, yet strangely they are not my lasting memories of the place. The lasting memories I have are of the people and their struggle to let the world know that there is life behind the headlines. That beyond the newspaper stories and human tragedy is a community struggling to live alongside one another.

Within the churches there are people who daily witness to the kingdom of God, who live that costly discipleship not afraid to engage with those around them both young and old in the hope that they can witness to another way of life. When I went to minister among them I wonder what contribution I made but have no doubt about the impact they had on me. This is not a community that is unaware of its problems or a community that is afraid of facing reality. It is however, a community sick and tired of the rhetoric and empty words delivered by politicians (now matter if for once they are right or well meant).

The problem is the very society these politicians now create, a society that we also have to blame ourselves for. A society of increasing personal wealth and greed, a society where individual status means value. A society where power equates to having a voice, a platform, a medium in which to be heard and therefore to have an opportunity to change your circumstances.

Working in the prison has brought me into contact with members of ‘The Gooch’ and ‘The Doddington’ two of Moss Sides infamous drug gangs; they have all shared the same characteristics. Just below the façade of bravado and strength lurks the fear of a small child. When a Twenty Seven year old gang member (he had done well to make it to such a grand old age) was asked “how do you live every day looking over your shoulder wondering if it will be your last” he broke down in tears and replied “you just gotta be tough”.

Have you, is this the society we have created, where kids from the age of nine or younger need to be tough and carry guns in order to be heard. I hope those of us who hear the call of God in our lives and indeed those who don’t have the courage to stand up to the way of costly discipleship and enable glimpses of how the kingdom of God could just look. When Jesus was asked what should be done to receive eternal life he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ Is this not what lies at the heart of the Christian gospel, at the heart of the Good News we are called to proclaim and live?

I want to finish this post with the story of Patsy Mckie. Patsy Mckie lives in nearby Hulme. She is a member of New Testament Church of God and chair of an organisation called Mothers Against Violence. One day in 1999 her son Dorrie left home to play basketball as usual, however he never returned. Dorrie died after having been shot three times in the chest. Whilst it would appear that he was not involved in a gang, he had through association (he lived in the area and had friends) become mixed up with the drug culture that exists in this part of South Manchester.

Patsy told me, “The Church needs to become involved with the community. Too often we become hung up about places, but it is the people that matter”.

Her belief is that the church needs to be involved in bringing about social change not just spiritual change. “In Matthew 25 Jesus tells us that when he was hungry we fed him, naked and we clothed him - the church has a responsibility to feed and cloth the young people of our community.”
Patsy continued by saying, “The Church needs to pray, support and educate these young people”. She finished by telling the story of a young man who, when asked “Why do you carry a gun?” answered, “People don’t listen to me, when I carry a gun everyone listens”.

*Post Script*
By the time I had finished writing this post and came to link the Cameron quote it had been moved, to be replaced by more news worthy stories like Celebrity BB's Danielle having got back with Teddy Sheringham, need I say more about our society and our media!

Labels: Church, Faith, Ministry, Stuff

posted by Stuart @ Friday, February 16, 2007