Come on now…you know Chicago is the real deal. My time in the 3rd largest city in the United States was excellent…it’s quite a place. Over 3 million people live in Chicago, which enables it to be one of the most important cultural and economic centers in the world. The Windy City has some of the world’s tallest buildings and is situated right on the shore of Lake Michigan. Chicago loves it’s sports…whether it’s the Bulls, White Sox, Cubs, Bears, or Blackhawks, there are some excellent teams to root for in the city. Some of the world’s leading educational systems and programs can be found in the University of Chicago and The University of Illinois at Chicago. When I walked through downtown Chicago, I sensed an energy and excitement that I had never felt before in a city. It is truly a unique place.

I spent the majority of my time with Lawndale Community Church in the Lawndale community. This neighborhood is on the west side of the Windy City (don’t even try to mess with the west side crew) and has around 60,000 citizens…about 94% of the population is African American. The community was thriving in the early 60’s, but went on a downward spiral around 1968. It has been unable to recover since then. The story for Lawndale is very similar to many other urban neighborhoods…a lack of health care, education, employment, affordable housing, and passion has created a spirit & culture of despair, violence, and addiction in the community. I stayed in one of Lawndale Community Church’s (LCC) apartment buildings in the community. This allowed me to get first-hand experience with the neighborhood and to sense the issues that the church is struggling against.

LAWNDALE COMMUNITY CHURCH

I first learned about Lawndale Community Church from my friend Jimmy Dorrell who leads Mission Waco and pastors Church Under the Bridge in Waco, TX. When Jimmy and I were talking about my trip he told me that if I wanted to learn about urban ministry and community development, then I needed to get to Chicago and hang out with these guys. He was right. LCC has pioneered the way in developing and empowering urban communities in the United States. Over 35 years ago, Coach Wayne Gordon moved into Lawndale and started coaching & teaching at one of the high schools. Most people believe that he was the only white person living in the neighborhood at the time. Coach simply wanted to impact his players, the school, and bless the community that he lived in…he had no intention of starting a church. After a few years, several people in the community asked him to think about starting a church that would be focused on empowering people in Lawndale…and so the vision was born. The church recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Around 800 people attend the services on Sunday morning, but that number does not even begin to describe the countless lives and families that have been impacted through this church.

One of the ways that LCC has impacted the community is through the Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC). The LCHC is now over 20 years old and serves over 75,000 patients each year. The building has state-of-the-art equipment, medical technology, and excellent doctors. This non-profit is able to offer affordable health care and prescriptions to patients in the community. Affordable health care is a big issue all of over the United States, but especially in low-income neighborhoods. The LCHC is a separate non-profit from the church which allows it to receive benefits that a church cannot pursue. It also creates job opportunities for people in the community. I was very impressed and encouraged by what the LCHC is accomplishing. This ministry is creating hope and restoration in the lives of Lawndale citizens.

Another huge ministry that is happening through LCC is the Lawndale Community Development Corporation (LCDC). The LCDC is another non-profit organization that came out of the church, but this group is committed to bringing holistic revitalization to the Lawndale community through economic empowerment, housing improvements, educational enrichment, and community advocacy. This group starts after-school programs, helps to create jobs in the community, restores homes and apartments to make housing affordable, and helps to organize the citizens in the Lawndale community towards common causes. It is a pretty incredible group.

There is so much more that could be said about Lawndale Community Church. Coach helped start the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA), a grassroots networking group of churches and organizations throughout the United States who are committed to investing in urban communities. These guys are doing incredible stuff in Lawndale and they need to be studied more. I encourage anyone who is interested to check out their web site or to read about the story of the church in Coach Wayne Gordon’s book, Real Hope in Chicago.

I got to hang out with some really cool people at this group. Willette Grant (the church secretary and coordinator), Darryl Saffore (pastoral intern), Phil Jackson (pastor of tha House), Darrin Brown (assistant director of Hope House Ministry), and Theo Thompson (youth worker).

tha HOUSE

I had heard of tha House Hip Hop Church a several months ago and was impressed by what they were doing in the Chicago area…they were reaching nearly 800 urban youth every month. When I arrived at Lawndale Community Church, I discovered that tha House was connected to LCC and had been planted by LCC about 5 years ago. Pastor Phil Jackson leads tha House and is also a pastor at LCC.

Tha House has services on Saturday nights every other week. Unfortunately, I was in Lawndale during the in-between week, so I didn’t get to attend one of the services. It is a hip hop church, which has become a more common trend in the past 10-15 years. Many urban churches have chosen to integrate several aspect of hip hop – rap music, clothing style, and dance into their church services because it connects with that culture. Phil Jackson is able to communicate into a culture because he understands the messages that are being sent by hip hop…some are healthy & empowering, while other messages are not. Tha House exists to reveal the beauty of Christ and to empower teenagers in the Lawndale community to become followers of Jesus.

One of the coolest things that’s going to happen in the next year or so is a project called The Firehouse Community Arts Center. Tha House recently purchased an old abandoned firehouse in the community and is going to restore it and make it into a teen art studio. There’s going to be music lessons, art groups, dance teams, and culinary sessions that empower teenagers in the community to pursue their dreams. The Firehouse Community Arts Center is another community development project that is seeking to challenge young people and give them opportunities that they do not currently have. I am very excited to see how this progresses.

Phil Jackson is an incredible man. He spent a ton of time with me, showing me around the community and just hanging out. I am very grateful for the time I spent with this man.

NORTHERN SEMINARY

Northern Seminary is located in Lombard, which is a suburb west of Chicago. The seminary has existed for nearly 90 years with its roots in the American Baptist denomination. Northern is a relatively small seminary with around 150-200 students. I was encouraged to find that the seminary has a strong emphasis on urban studies and ministering in a postmodern society. Several of the students that I met and spent time with were on some sort of scholarship, which allows them to focus more on pursuing studies and serving in some sort of local ministry. Another aspect of the seminary that I was impressed and encouraged by was their desire for their students to gain practical experience and skills in different ministerial areas. The class schedules are created so that each student will have large amounts of time to devote to a local congregation or ministry. This, in my opinion, is a very healthy aspect and needs to be more common in seminaries.

I had a campus visit during my time in Chicago where I toured the campus, sat in on 2 classes, and had dinner with one of the professors. There are some really sharp and encouraging people working at Northern. I got to be real close with one of the students…a fella by the name of Paul Rollett. Paul has a deep heart for serving in rough urban communities, so we hit it off. He is currently volunteering at a Franciscan homeless shelter in Chicago. I was deeply encouraged by his heart and passion. I imagine that Paul and I will be connecting in the future.

I sense that Northern Seminary is equipping people to serve and impact the world. They have great scholarships so the financial aspect is not a big problem and they emphasize both academic and practical learning. If you are looking at seminary I encourage you to check these folk out!

My time at Northern Seminary was great. I got to hang with Dr. David Fitch, Dr. Bob Price, Dr. Karen Walker-Freeburg, and Paul Rollett. I’m so thankful for their time and the perspective that they had to offer.

A few key things that I learned & sensed during my time in Chicago…

• The importance of developing non-profit organizations that will bless and empower communities. This is one of the things that drives Lawndale Community Church. A church that builds these types of organizations and business’ is a church that has the community’s best interests in mind. Jobs are created, communities are empowered, and restoration begins to occur.

• I was reminded of how much I love living in urban neighborhoods. There is something in me that comes alive when I am in communities that have great needs and where people want to see change happen.

• The impact that mentoring others can make. Coach Wayne Gordon has placed a high value on mentoring people and it is clear that people’s lives have been changed because this man invested deeply in them and dreamed bigger dreams for them than they dreamed for themselves. His example drives me to pour into others and to have someone invest in me.

To end this reflection I’ll leave you with an anonymous Chinese poem that has deeply influenced Coach Wayne Gordon and the vision for Lawndale Community Church.

Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have:
But of the best leaders
When their task is accomplished
Their work is done
The people will remark
“We have done it ourselves.”

May it be so…peace be with you…