WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER by Bob Lupton

Taken from Bob Lupton’s Theirs is the Kingdom

Gray hair bushing out beneath her knit cap, she appeared to be her late fifties. With one hand she tightly held a large purse that looked like a shopping bag; with the other she knocked persistently on the church door. She was visible through the security glass as the pastor and I walked down the hall, our early morning meeting on homelessness still fresh on our minds.

The pastor greeted her with as much compassion as possible for a busy urban leader running late for his next meeting. “Are you her for clo–?”

“No, no!” the woman interrupted him before he finished his sentence. Her countenance fell. “I’m here to help sort clothes.” But the damage was already done. The spirit that moved this woman to spend her energy helping to clothe other was wounded. A simple error. Understandable. Unwitting. Irreversible.

“It is more blessed to give that to receive,” said Jesus. But for this woman the blessedness of rising early to give others was marred by her identification as a recipient. Her face reflected the hurt of lost self-esteem.

Receiving is a humbling matter. It implies neediness. It categorizes one as being worse off that the giver. Perhaps this is why we tend to reserve ourselves the more blessed position.

It recent months I have been troubled by the lack of authentic reconciliation between the haves and the have-nots in our inner-city congregation. The woman in the knit cap may be showing me where our difficulty lies.

I came to the city to serve those in need. I have resources and abilities to clothe the ill-clad, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless. These are good works that our Lord requires us. And there is blessedness in this kind of giving. But there is also power that allows me to retain control. My position as a helper protects me from the humiliation of appearing to the permanent role of recipient.

When my goal is to change people, I subtly communicate: something is wrong with you; I am okay. You are ignorant; I am enlightened. You are wrong; I am right. If our relationship is defined as healer to patient, I must remain strong and you must remain sick for our interaction to continue. People don’t go to doctors when they are well.

The process of “curing,” then, cannot serve long as the basis for a relationship that is life producing for both parties. Small wonder that we who have come to the city to “save” the poor find it difficult to enter into true community with those we think needy.

“It takes every one of us to make His body complete, for we each have a different work to do. So we belong to each other, and each needs all the others” (Romans 12:4-5).

I need the poor? For what? The question exposes my blindness. I see them as weak ones to be rescued, not as bearers of the treasures of the kingdom. The dominance of my giving over shadow and stifles the rich endowments the Creator has invested in those I consider destitute. I overlook what our Lord say clearly when he proclaimed the poor to be especially blessed because theirs is the kingdom of God (Luck 6:20). I selectively ignore the truth that monied, empowered, and learned ones enter his kingdom with enormous difficulty.

The community into which Christ invites us is one of interdependence. We are called to mutual sharing and the discovery of gifts Christ has concealed in the unlikeliest among us. And to those who consider themselves leaders, our Lord offers humility—the salvation of the proud that comes from learning to receive form the least, who are the greatest in the kingdom.

Trash

Trash.  No one loves looking at trash and our neighbors are no exception.  We’ve recently had an increase of “dumping” in our neighborhoods.  People will bring large items like mattresses, couches, and other pieces of furniture and dump them in the alleys and the street.  This issue started coming up in our NAC meetings as neighbors became more and more tired of their streets being used as trash sites.  In mid-February neighbors in Shalimar and Center started mapping the large items around their neighborhood.  They wanted to see exactly how many items were dumped and where so they could do the same thing in a few months to see if they’ve been successful.  Neighbors are motivated to work together to ensure their street is clean and free of large and small items being dumped.  Students from Mika’s Step Up program will also be participating over Spring Break in the cleanup campaign.  This is a project that benefits everyone in the community and we’re looking forward to keeping our streets clean.

By Effy Sanchez

Effy has been working with Mika since 2004, she is currently a Neighborhood Advisor for Shalimar and Maple.

Fun Facts about Costa Mesa…Did you know?

Costa Mesa may have been incorporated in 1953 but it was named in 1920.  At the time, the town was called Harper and often got confused with Haperville that was just up the road.  The residents wanted a name that better described what the area was like, so they held a contest and offered a prize of $25 to the person who came up with the best name.  Miss Alice Plumer won the contest with the name “Costa Mesa” meaning “coastal tableland.” On July 16, 1920 we officially became Costa Mesa.

In addition to naming the town, Miss Plumer was involved with the park district.  She later sold her 10 acre piece of land to the county and was used to create Lion’s Park and the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center.  Plumer St. can also be found across from Lion’s Park between Anaheim and Pomona.

For more fun facts about Costa Mesa visit the Costa Mesa Historical Society website or stop by for a visit!

You Count by Crissy Brooks

Printed in the Daily Pilot, March 9, 2011

A View From The Mesa:

Matthew 6 reminds us that we all count

Last week, one of my neighbors came to my office with her eviction notice in hand.

It was a pretty straightforward situation. She had to go.

“But we did so much work on our apartment,” she told me as she launched into a long list of improvements she and her husband had made, including new flooring and crown molding.

“It doesn’t count,” I said. “The work you did doesn’t matter. You have to go.”

Later that evening, my own words haunted me, and I felt ashamed that I told someone who had worked hard and cared to be responsible that she didn’t count. That her work didn’t matter. My neighbor had come looking for affirmation and I blew it.

As I opened the Bible the next day, I was struck by the words of Jesus in Matthew 6, “… and you count …”

In the passage, Jesus talks about how if God cares for the birds, how much more he must care for us. Now, you don’t have to agree with my theology, but you can imagine how convicted and inspired I was to have those words leap off the page at me that morning.

You count. What you do matters.

Last week, at the Costa Mesa City Council meeting, a packed house of folks listened to the questions, comments and strong opinions about the effort to outsource city services.

As we were wrapping up around midnight, one city employee got up to say how the most disheartening part of the whole process was not necessarily losing his job, but feeling discarded and cast aside.

He felt like he doesn’t count, that his work doesn’t matter.

I already blew it once, and I do not want to repeat the mistake of treating my neighbors disrespectfully and without dignity. It was shared at the meeting that the average length of service of our city employees is 12 years.

Whether or not you agree with outsourcing city services, I think we can agree that those who serve us matter. Their work counts and this time of uncertainty seemed like a good time to tell them that.

Whether folks end up losing their jobs in six months, we can take this opportunity to affirm what they have done for our city over the years.

Our city employees want to know that the service and time they have put into our city matter. And residents who take the time and energy to read reports and come out to engage in our local process at council meetings also want to know that it matters.

After two hours of listening to one another, and many people exercising their privilege to speak out, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer basically told us in his closing remarks that the wrong people were in the room. We didn’t count.

And then he said to us collectively, “I know that you did not mean what you said.” What you say and do and know doesn’t matter.

Undoubtedly, I disagree, and here’s what I’m proposing: Let’s write a note of appreciation to our city employees.

This talk of massive layoffs is affecting all the city employees, not just those in the targeted departments. It is around 400 people, so it will take a group effort.

Employees’ names are not listed individually, so if you know someone write to him or her directly. If you do not know someone personally, write a general note of appreciation and e-mail it to me at Crissy@mikacdc.org. I will compile them all and send them to individual employees.

If you don’t know what to say, simply tell them, “You count. What you do matters.”

Let’s be the kind of community that respects each other’s work and honors our dignity as human beings. I am going to start with the Animal Control team. They have picked up my crazy dog on numerous occasions, and I appreciate them.

I am a big fan of the handwritten note, so I am going to go that route. How great would it be if we get enough people writing to thank all of our city staff! Will you show your appreciation?

Fellow Costa Mesans, you count. Your voices and work matters. It matters that we live in a place where bright residents with knowledge, experience and expertise bring that forth to serve our city. Whether we agree or not, you count, and your work for our community matters.

Someone does notice.

CRISSY BROOKS, a lifelong Costa Mesa resident, is the executive director and co-founder of MIKA. She lives on the city’s Westside and is active in community service. She can be reached at crissy@mikacdc.org.

Why I Volunteer

By Alexis Billings

Step up has been an amazing experience for me this semester. Firstly, it was a cross-cultural experience as I am Caucasian and all of the families in the program are Hispanic. It has been very moving to share a common goal and common beliefs with people of a different cultural background. Since I do not speak Spanish fluently, many of the kids have had to translate for me while I communicate with their parents. I am constantly amazed by the kids’ ability and willingness to do this. They are all very patient with me. I love seeing the kids learn and understand new concepts. There is nothing more satisfying then when I explain a concept to a child and they say, “I get it!”  I have also had fun learning their names and grade levels, and getting to know them and their families. I have seen some great progress in some of their reading levels and math skills, even if I have only been around for one semester. The words from God that the kids personally receive during devotional time always amaze me. As much as I sometimes think that they are not paying attention, the Lord puts profound things on their hearts. I am moved by the connection with God that some of them have. I also love the amigos and volunteers who have been working at the centers this semester. Their willingness to serve is a gift from God. Times when I have been sick or having a bad day, they willingly pick up the slack and move forward with the kids.