Welcome to The Windy City, The City of Broad Shoulders, The City on the Lake. No matter what you call it these days Chicago is trouble. The murder capital of the United States, which has been nicknamed Chi-raq because there are more Americans killed here on a daily basis than there are in Iraq, is in need of the one thing that changes everything. Love.
I grew up forty minutes outside of this city and have the honor to give back to this city as a project leader this summer. Kristen Albritton and I will be leading trips for Encounter here in Chicago all summer. We’ll be working alongside our contact, Pastor Rob Belfort, of New Life Pilsen Church in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago all summer.
Pastor Rob is a man who is determined to make a difference in this neighborhood, God drew him to it, and he wants to do his best for the King of Kings. Walking around during the day it’s hard to believe that this is a dangerous neighborhood. People are out walking their dogs, playing with their kids in the parks, buying groceries, hardly the Dodge City that my mind had imagined.
Pastor assures us that the danger is real, but then reminds us that God is bigger. God is bigger. He’s bigger than the fear, the danger and my imagination. God bridges gaps that we think can’t be crossed. After all what could a red-headed white girl from the western suburbs possibly have to say to a Hispanic woman with three kids from the South West Side? But God is bigger than gaps.
We are excited to see how God bridges gaps with our first group. A group of around sixty students, we’re thankful for their leaders and the leaders that AIM is sending to help us. We know that we’re going to see God in action on the streets and in the church, but we’re also going to see the one thing that Chicago needs desperately come, if even for a short time it’s impact is lasting; love.
