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Overcoming Violence with Hope

October 15, 2014
Men study the Bible in the basement of Coit church.

Men study the Bible in the basement of Coit church.

Chris Meehan

It was a trial by fire.

I had hardly been ordained a commissioned pastor at Coit Community Church last year when the pastor, Jerome Burton, suggested we should apply for a Sustaining Congregational Excellence (SCE) Health & Renewal (HR) grant.

I took a deep breath and asked what would we spend the money on if we got the grant.

We talked some more and involved a few others, such as elder William LuGrand, in the process. We decided that, because our church is in a tough, inner-city neighborhood, we ought to examine the issue of urban violence.

We were awarded the grant. Not only that, once it was clear we had got it, the pastor told me to oversee it with the help of a few men such as LuGrand.

I’ve never been good at administration and I already had a full-time job as a writer here at the CRC, but when the Lord is calling you answer.

The Beginning

Grant in hand, we started making plans. Soon I realized that tackling violence would be hard. What would be our focus? It’s a sprawling topic.

But before going deeper, what is a SCE-HR grant?

It’s an opportunity for smaller CRC churches to engage in a project that is specific to their ministry context. SCE grants are funded by Ministry Shares.

Last year, some 27 grants were given, and the projects involved everything from church renewal to outreach to the homeless of Los Angeles to a community garden.

Last year, some 27 grants were given. The projects involved everything from church renewal to outreach to the homeless of Los Angeles to a community garden.

“By design, HR grants allow churches to dream, to think outside the box, and to work on a project that is a good fit for their ministry,” says Lis Van Harten, program director of SCE.

“The result is wonderfully diverse projects sharing a common focus of fostering congregational health and/or impacting the community.”

Addressing the Issue

As I said,  we took on violence — a complex issue that involves many personal and social elements. We decided to begin with an academic approach, thinking we would bring in experts and speakers on the subject.

For instance, we held a pancake breakfast at which a mother whose son was murdered spoke and at which the local chief of police detectives made a plea for people to step forward if they know who perpetrated a crime. Too many people stay silent, unwilling to get involved, he said.

Then an area filmmaker who specializes in making documentaries about unsolved murders spoke, leading us through a discussion on reasons why so many of us seek to ignore violence, simply turning our heads when it erupts in our homes, in our neighborhoods, on our streets, and even in our hearts.

But it was the men who met weekly for the Bible study, led by LuGrand, and a meal in the basement of our church — Coit Community Church — that brought the issue right out there.

But it was the men who met weekly for the Bible study, led by LuGrand, and a meal in the basement of our church — Coit Community Church — that brought the issue right out there.

They couldn’t help it.

Violence was not academic to them. It was raw and close to the bone, like a fire, hot to the touch.

From the very start, we talked about it. Older men and younger men were part of our group that has come together as a result of the SCE grant.

Telling the Stories

We talked about a former church member who was sentenced to life in prison for murder. Later, one of our members decided to make weekly visits to this man, bringing our well-wishes, cards and prayers. We realized that even criminals are God’s image bearers and must not be ignored.

One of our members one night unburdened himself, describing terrible things that led to him spending more than 20 years behind bars. He also talked about doing time and how only in prison did he meet God through Scripture.

Late one night one of the men in our group was injured in street violence. When he got out of the hospital, he returned to speak to us about the incident and express his grief over it. He wasn’t sure why it happened, he said, but he knew he shouldn’t have been in that neighborhood at that time.

Another man talked about the recent, very painful death of a loved one. Still another spoke about being stabbed and rendered homeless. Another described his experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq. His stories made us realize that war is rotten and death so wretchedly final on the battlefield.

The former soldier, and others, also talked throughout about new and eternal life found in Christ. This was the main focus as the stories unfolded, one after the other, week after week.

Comfort came to us all from the Bible and from the fellowship. The food I cooked probably helped as well.

Venturing Out

At one point, our Bible study group took a day-long trip to the African American Museum in Detroit.

The visit there showed us the tale of slavery, from the jungles where slaves were captured to the places where they were forced aboard ships, stuffed like cordwood below decks at night and put in chains during the day.

The displays showed slaves being sold on auction blocks and working in the cotton fields; they also told the story of some of them escaping to freedom in the North. They depicted slaves achieving some level of success working in Detroit’s auto plants.

We talked about this exhibit that spoke to each of us, black or white, about a condition in the world that in many ways is all about violence — a systematic violence against the human soul and psyche.

Back at the Bible study, the stories rolled on. One man spoke of alcoholism in his life and how, before he got sober, it led to domestic violence.

Men from an area homeless shelter came as well, and many spoke of how only by the grace of God and through the Bible have they been able to steer clear of crack cocaine.

Taking Time for Worship

Often we worshipped together on Sundays with men from this Bible study, where week after week, in the songs and prayer and sermons from Pastor Burton, hope abounded.

Despite our suffering, we knew on Sundays that we were whole. Some of the men made professions of faith, and recently a father and his sons were baptized.

When we got the grant, I was scared. New to the ministry, I wondered if I could handle this new challenge. For that matter, violence in itself was a frightening and nebulous topic. How would we address it in a way that made it real?

The stories made it real. The compassion the men showed to one another made it real. The laughs everyone shared made it real. Prayer before and after the study made it real. And Sunday worship made it particularly real.

Fortunately, we have been able to start raising money during the Bible study to pay for meals, and our weekly gathering will continue past the grant funding.

I know that I am so grateful that the stories will continue to flow and that God’s grace will cover us all. And I’m grateful to SCE for helping us to get started on this journey.

For information on SCE Health & Renewal Grants go to www.crcna.org/sce, email [email protected] or call 877-279-9994 ext. 2267. Grant application deadlines are December 1 and June 1.