Unity

First of all, thank you so much for following the blog and praying for Philadelphia.

I'm going to give you a summary first so that you can pray if you don't have time to read everything:
1. Pray for unity among churches and Christians in Philadelphia
2. Pray for the gas explosion in Philadelphia 2 weeks ago and the survivors
3. Pray for the problem of homelessness in Philadelphia, especially throughout the winter
4. Pray for the foster children and those without homes. There are about 4,000 throughout the city

After sending out an email asking you all to pray for the city, I got an awesome response from people who know others in the city who are also praying and looking for ways to serve and invest here. It got me thinking about the idea of unity and Christians. I've been thinking a lot about the idea of urban loneliness and what it is like to move to Philadelphia for the first time and look for a Christian community. There is a great article about Urban Loneliness in NYC that you should read if you are curious about the concept: http://nymag.com/news/features/52450

1. I can speak from my own experience and say that it is difficult to move to the city and become immediately connected with others. Even when finding a church, the church is a very insular community. Each church is focused on connecting people within their congregations and working to invest in different areas of discipling and community building, but few churches communicate with each other or connect with other Christians outside of their individual congregations.

Knowing that there are so many people in the city who are devoted to prayer and service, it is my hope to see Christians connecting more regardless of church affiliation. My hope is that all of us who are committed to praying for an serving the city would find small connecting points in which we can come together in mission through prayer. I have connections to lots of churches here and each one has its own unique set of gifts. It reminds me very much of the body of Christ. We each have specific gifts that contribute toward the body just like each congregation has unique gifts that contribute toward the body. If congregations here were to partner together to love and serve the city, those gifts would be utilized in a much more meaningful way considering that there are so many others to fill in where one church lacks.

Other things I have been praying for and thinking about:

2. There was a major gas explosion two weeks ago. Here is a message that was sent out by my pastor about a survivor of that explosion:

"Hey, as you may know, last week, there was perhaps the worst gas explosion
in Philly's recent history....there was a bad gas leak and when a PGW team
was sent there, the entire house exploded....well, Gilbert, a long-time
member of Antioch--who I've lead to Christ, baptized in a creek near my
house just last summer (just me and him, upon his special request), and
who's son was murdered two summers ago--was right in the middle of the
explosion!! And while one of his co-workers died, and the rest are badly
badly burned and in intensive car, Gilbert was blown CLEAR across the street
and on fire, and in the midst of the fire! But as he just told me, like
Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego, he was on fire but suffered no burns.
Please watch the attached video, and the fire that you will see, just in
front of the PGW truck with flashing yellow lights is right where Gilbert
was blown across the street and laying in that very fire! Praise God. OUR
GOD IS THE SAME AND DOESN'T CHANGE. GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV4OZqSdP1U

However, he has been scarred by this, and sustains, of course, some deep
psychological scars--similar to a post-war syndrome. I will be spending
time with Gilbert, my heart, this week....so please remember Gilbert--and he
is also battling stage 3 or 4 cancer of the throat as well."

3. Homelessness is a major problem in Philadelphia. An estimate from Project H.O.M.E. says that there are about 4,000 homeless in the city on any given day. The majority of the homeless have some sort of mental health issue. If you've visited I'm sure you've seen a few on street corners, subways, or asking for money. It is always a question of how to love the homeless well. It is so cold during the winter, so please pray for protection for them and that we would know how to love the homeless well.

This website gives a great breakdown of the homeless demographic, why people are homeless and some solutions: http://www.projecthome.org/advocacy/facts.php

4. I am currently working in a charter high school for foster children. There are a number of different estimates out there but the number of children in foster care in Philadelphia ranges from 2,000-4,000 on any given day. Many of them are homeless or living in group homes that are often less than ideal or even unsafe.

The teens that I work with come with a number of problems. Most of them engage in high-risk behaviors and are very misinformed about safety and self-care. They also have no one to ask questions to or to learn from about these topics. Several students have come to school with concerns that they have to fight every day just to survive and protect themselves. Most of those fights happen in the homes where they are placed.

The system is slow and employees are spread thin and there are far too few foster parents who are willing to care for these children. A great website for resources about foster care is: http://www.casaphiladelphia.org/

Thank you so much for your concern around these issues. Thanks for praying and please continue to!

Welcome

Welcome Friends!

Thanks for your interest in Philadelphia and your commitment to pray for the city. I'd like to give you a little background on my journey and about what prompted this blog.

If you know me, you probably know that I've always had a strong heart connection with this city. My parents were both born and raised just outside of the city, so most of my family still lives nearby. I've been visiting the city regularly since birth and something about it captured my heart from a very young age. When I was young, I would get really upset and cry and tell my mom, "I just want to go home!" When she asked me what I was talking about (being that we were in my actual home) I would always respond, "I mean Philadelphia!"

Fast forward to post-college. Upon graduating from Penn State it was clear to me that I was called to live in and love the city. I took my teaching degree into a job in North Philadelphia in the Hispanic district. I was surrounded by some wonderful people and the Lord was doing some great things, but unfortunately things didn't work out for me. After two years filled with lots of struggle, the Lord called me back to State College.

In State College, the Lord worked hard on my heart. He did some incredible things in my time there, but at the end of two more years, I was definitely called back to the city. I am currently pursuing my Master's degree in Philly and living near my school. Even though my primary occupation is "student," I have been very convicted that I've been called here to live missionally.

If you have done any type of mission work or ministry, I'm sure some things come to mind when I talk about living "missionally." From my perspective, when you are doing missions or ministry, your perspective is very different. You are very aware of your role. You are constantly sensitive to the needs around you, you are aware that you are constantly representing Christ and are very intentional about the way that you interact with all people. You are constantly on the lookout for the needs around you and for the role that you can play in filling those needs. Most of all, you are always acting as a servant. The field is not about you and your needs but instead about the people that you came to serve. Think Jesus. I certainly don't have this down and am wrestling with embracing this life each day, but hopefully I'll get it right every once in a while.

There are a few things that have my attention while I am here:
1) Prayer: I'm currently reading Genesis and one of the first things that the Lord asks Abraham to do after establishing his covenant with Abraham is ask him to prayer walk that land that he has promised Abraham and his descendants. I am really new here so I want to be listening first before I act. I want to learn about the Lords heart for the city and be sensitive to the Lord's move here. Part of that is prayer walking my streets, learning about my neighborhood, and allowing myself to know the Lord's heart for this city.

2) Short-term service projects: In November a number of friends from State College came to do the first of hopefully many more service weekends here. We worked to pack boxes of Thanksgiving dinners for families in need in South Philly. After that we spent time in a domestic violence shelter for women and children. We decorated Thanksgiving boxes with them and then stuffed the boxes with goodies for the holiday. Hopefully this becomes a long term relationship.

3) Connecting with other believers: Thanks to my time in Philly before and connections I made in State College and elsewhere, I've been able to connect with a number of Christians in leadership who are committed to serving throughout the city. It is my hope that some day there will be opportunities for Christians all over the city to come together and pray and serve regardless of their church affiliation. I hope that Christians will become unified here and work together to fight the great need and poverty throughout the city.

My plan (which I hope is not too ambitious) is to update the blog weekly with the needs that I see here and the things that the Lord is putting on my heart to pray for. I hope that you can commit to pray for my time in Philadelphia, for the city, and for the needs that I share with you. As a start, here are a few requests that I have to start:

1. Pray that I continue to pursue the Lord and that which he has called me to. Pray that I seek the Lord in humility to become a woman after his heart.

2. Pray for the families in the domestic violence shelter whom we have started a relationship with.

3. Pray for the many homeless in the city and those without heat this winter.

4. There was a 5 alarm fire recently in an apartment complex near my house. More than 90 people have been displaced. Please pray that their needs are met and that the community comes together to serve them and that God would be glorified through this tragedy.

5. Pray for the Christians in the city. Pray that we would all be able to find fellowship with other believers and that we would really be able to connect with an know the Lord here. Pray against complacency in a city where the needs can be overwhelming.

Thanks for your commitment.

KS