Montgomery is my second-favorite city in the entire state of Alabama. Gulf Shores is first only because it has a beach, albeit an oily one now. Montgomery, however, is incredibly historical. So many significant events have occurred there; as a result almost every city block has a story to tell. A person can go to the capitol steps and stand on a star marking the exact location where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as president of the Confederate State of America. From there one might be able to throw a rock that would land at the door of the church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. labored for equal rights. Just down Dexter Avenue, there is a well-known hot dog restaurant where Franklin Roosevelt once dined. Further down the street is the Alabama judicial building where Roy Moore displayed his monument featuring the 10 Commandments, daring a federal judge to remove it. Marchers from Selma walked down this road when they petitioned their government in 1965. Of course, there are many significant occurrences in the capital city in modern times. Just last year, Senator Charles Bishop feebly punch another aged Senator on the floor of that chamber. I have traveled to Montgomery on many occasion, usually for something having to do with state politics. I have worked in the state house, and been up to the Capital City Club overlooking the city. Last week, however, I visited parts of Montgomery that I barely knew existed.
Only a mile or so away from the capitol complex there are numerous government-run housing projects. The people there are in many ways just like those of us who attend Central, however there are some very real differences. Our first task was to conduct a reading camp in one of these communities. The children were very loud and difficult to control. It seemed that we simply could not get them quiet enough to begin reading. Later, we learned that for those children, quietness is a sign of danger. On a normal day, children are out playing, adults are sitting on porches, and there is no fear in the teens walking down the street. However, on a “quiet” day, everyone stays inside as much as possible because they sense some sort of risk on the other side of their front doors. Consequently, the children at the reading camp did not like silence. If there was silence, as is usually required for reading, they would attempt to break it.
Our second task was to go to another neighborhood and play outdoors with the children. We did this in the early afternoon because “a different crowd” comes out around 3:30pm. With footballs, soccer balls, Frisbees, and jump ropes, we arrived at Smiley Court. The children were very happy to see us. They met the van with great smiles and exclamations of excitement. Of course, their parents were sitting on the porch watching to make sure they stayed out of the road and did not get into trouble. This provided the adults an opportunity to study and pray with mothers and grandmothers who to my surprise valued a couple of guys coming with Bibles to their doorstep.
Later in the week, at a different housing community, the teens spread out, knocking on doors. Typically I do not see “door knocking” as productive because people are generally unreceptive. This place was different. Several people invited our teens in to pray and even share a verse or two. They were eager to hear encouraging scripture and have another person petition God on their behalf. As one of our teens remarked, “I’ve never been to the projects armed only with a Bible.” Certainly, this got all of us out of our comfort zones. Not only were we in a stranger neighborhood, but we were doing things that we normally do not do. We were asking complete strangers if they wanted prayer.
Through all of the interesting and perhaps exciting experiences, I found myself thinking of mission work overseas. While there are vast cultural differences, all people seem to have a craving for God’s healing power. The way we approach people, whether in Africa or Athens, need not be too dissimilar because the need is the same worldwide. The main difference I would point out is that unlike “middle America” there are families on this planet who desperately need salvation of one sort or another. They have no choice but to appeal to a higher power for their physical and spiritual sustenance. It is our job to take the Gospel to them, to show them the compassion of Christ in the 21st century. To do that, however, we may need to examine ourselves and learn what it really means to be completely dependent upon God