The Simple Way

Monday, June 25, 2007 6:48:06 AM

There is a group in Philadelphia that I admire a great deal called The Simple Way. They are ordinary radicals who try to live like Jesus did and minister in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. In 1993, I did a service project in Kensington helping clean out a crack house with an urban church to make it livable for a family. Boy, did I have an eye-opening experience. First, with the state of crack houses after they have been trashed - something I had never experienced before. Secondly, on the way out of Kensington, we had this experience: In the time that it took our van to stop at a red light and for that light to turn green again, we witnessed a group of young people descend on a parked car and strip it practically nothing. And no one seemed to blink at that other than me and the other resident assistants that went on the service project with me. Believe me that this is probably one of the poorest and most desperate areas in Philadelphia. I really appreciate the ministry of the people who live in The Simple Way and the leadership of Shane Claiborne. It is not a life that I would feel comfortable living, but I'm very thankful that there are points of light in that neighborhood that doesn't see a lot of hope. It is an insular little world in urban ministry and the people in Messiah College's Philly Campus and Eastern University usually brushed up against each other. I'm sure that Shane was influenced by Tony Campolo of Eastern University and his son Bart Campolo's Mission Year much like we were when we heard them speak at our college. I've been blessed to read some articles that he has written over the years for Sojourners and excerpts from his book The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. He is a person who definitely makes me think and always makes me remember how important it is to make a difference locally and throughout the world. On Friday morning, a 7 alarm fire in an abandoned warehouse that the City of Philadelphia left abandoned for much longer than they ever should have took down the houses and cars of seven families as well as The Simple Way's community center, a micro-business, and all of Shane's possessions. They have a lot of people who admire them and immediately started to raise money, not just for rebuilding their community center, but also to help their neighbors rebuild. I send my prayers and support to this organization. I hope that you are able to rebuild soon and continue the work that God has called you to do.