Our immediate neighborhood is our principal mission field; however, before we can expect to see a spiritual transformation in the fabric of the broader community, we must engage individuals with the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. In other words, we must meet people and develop relationships with them that make a beeline for the Cross. Here are a few of these relational intersections. We won't provide real names for the sake of their privacy, but God intimately knows them by name and has numbered every hair on their heads. Please pray with us that the Holy Spirit would use our faithful witness of Jesus to provoke their radical pursuit of Him.

Missionaries in Maywood

Every mission team we host in Maywood has the privilege of performing a very special work. Missionaries pick up neighborhood refuse. It's funny how every time we do this, someone will step out and ask, "What are you all doing?" This becomes the perfect opportunity to tell them that we are Do-Gooders! NO WAY! We make a beeline for the Cross and share with them about the love of Christ which motivates us to serve and love our neighbors.

Since March 2008, we have hosted no less than 14 mission teams. Mission teams who came alongside us in Maywood helped us meet and survey neighbors, pray with them, and clean-up trash in surrounding streets, alleys, and even parks. They help us run Vacation Bible Schools, Backyard Bible Clubs, Sportscamps, and more! In 2010, they will also serve with construction projects. We desire to involve Christians in ministries that establish compelling platforms win the opportunity to share the love of Jesus which saves souls. Again, authenticity and relevancy were the rules of engagement. Meaningful contacts are made with children and adults.

Good Works that Invite Praise and Indictment

We have seen lukewarm and even cold receptions turn warm not because of our charismatic personalities, but because our ministry and mission activity is appreciated as valuable - relevant to the needs of the community. In Spring 2009, the students and administration of the Solex College  welcomed us onto their campus as their first student organization. In the summer, the Maywood Park District welcomed  and partnered with us to host Vacation Bible Schools and Sportscamps in local parks. In Fall 2009, the president's office of Triton College invited John to sit on her Community Relations Committee. 

During one of our VBS-Sprotscamps, we received numerous accolades and words of appreciation from passerbys and neighbors. Our work has made the news in an area newspaper, and praised by community advocates. Even long after events such as these have come and gone, people remember the ministry we do and its benefits to the community. 

Still, our work also invites indictment. Recently, one person affirmed our work out in the community, but then added, "The other churches in this town ought to be ashamed of themselves!" We suppose she was referring to the several other parks that laid bare and empty all summer.  Maybe, she was referring to the countless young people who go completely unreached by any church.  Perhaps she was referring to the vast majority of Maywood congregations that seem to rarely engage the cracks in their own sidewalks let alone the brokenness of their neighbors.

We receive commendations as a vote for "missionally-minded" varieties of ministry which take the salt and light of the Gospel out into the infection and darkness of the streets.

The Criminal Who Is Our Neighbor

Maywood has more than her fair share of lawlessness. It is embodied in the drug dealer, the gangbanger, the dirty cop, the corrupt politician, the evil undershepherd of God's flock, the burglar, the prostitute, the sexual predator, etc., etc., etc. They are regular people, fallen in their sin; therefore, we strive to bring the saving truth of our compassionate God by presenting His Son. Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone laid for the everlasting benefit of all who will trust Him and stand upon Him. Yet, we pray that Jesus will prove to be both a gracious Savior and a fearsome Judge. May those who love unrighteousness and lawlessness, may those who continue to hate good and promulgate evil, may these find Christ to be the Stone that falls upon them, crushes them, and brings complete ruin!

Along with the saints of old, we boldly pray their imprecatory prayers for God's swift and fearsome judgment! To those who have made it their business to harm, oppress, entangle, seduce, enslave, trip up, and distress the sons and daughters of righteousness, we pray with the Psalmists:

• Psalm 55:15 - Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave.
• Psalm 58:6 - O God, break the teeth in their mouths.
• Psalm 69:28 - May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
• Psalm 109:9 - May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
• Psalm 137:9 - How blessed will be the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

Or as Jesus pointedly asserts:

• Matthew 18:6 - But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

However, we also pray that the Holy Spirit will convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment, so that these might repent for the glory of God, and know the transcendent joy of communing with the Savior.

Our Neighborhood's Kids

We've seen 59 professions of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior since we came to Maywood! The vast majority of these professions have occurred among young people. While we continue Backyard Bible Club (BBC) meetings, we're still hard-pressed to find local adult volunteers. Our ministry and service to our neighbors has not gone unnoticed as numerous people have commended us for our service to neighborhood. We can do no less than redirect their effusions of praise to the Father in heaven.

With our second summer having come and gone, we' praise God for the opportunity of even broader outreaches to children and their families. This past summer we took the Gospel to the municipal parks! Please pray for our continuing ministry; please pray for Maywood's children and their families. Pray that our expressions of Jesus' love for them will yield greater harvests and that the outreach to kids will translate into four things: (1) the broader community's more positive regard for the Church of Jesus, (2) the authentic and relevant participation of neighbors (especially adults) in Kingdom ministry, (3) additional gatherings and groups - Bible studies, prayer meeting, and worship services, and (4) most importantly, the greatness of Jesus in the hearts of men and women.

Community Organizations in Maywood

Assembled are men and women from all walks of life who are relevantly engaged in addressing the needs of the village. These are not people who are satisfied with talking and complaining about the issues  while sitting around the coffee table. These are courageous citizens who have committed themselves to being actively involved in the solutions to Maywood's woes. John is privileged to sit on the Board of the Maywood Community Organization, serve as the Chairperson of its Crime Committee, and is a member of its Education Committee.


The Local Block Club

In the past, we surveyed neighbors about the possibility of starting a block club. As part of our "good neighbor platform" we are attempting to create opportunities in which people can actively serve their community. It was during this time that we discovered that there already is a club that serves this area. So rather than creating a redundant new organization, we have joined existing ones.

The current members of our block club have been at it for at least five years and their impact is visible. Each comes with his or her own motivation: safety and security, beautification, increased property values, etc.; however, we will come with an appreciation for all of these different concerns, but ultimately, our motive is to see individuals and the community transformed by the Gospel of Jesus and the authentic and relevant manifestation of the Bride.