Putting faith into action

For someone who seldom attends church and continues to wrestle with questions of religion and spirituality, it may seem odd that I keep returning to the topic. However, I've come across two more instances where I've got to tip my hat to people who are finding constructive ways to act on their values.

Tonight, a group of women who call themselves Scarlet Cord are holding a designer rummage sale, silent auction and fashion show as part of a fundraising event in support of their efforts to assist young girls and women who are sexually exploited.

A family friend / fellow blogger named Kristen is involved with the group. I admire her commitment and recommend her blog for further reading: "The Dragonflies in My Net"

Meanwhile, yesterday's front page of The Oregonian has a story ("A Christian initiative at a Gresham apartment complex bears fruit") about folks taking it one step further.

Two young guys actually moved into Barberry Village, a low-income housing complex in a sketchy part of Gresham, a couple years ago, wanting to host community meals, get to know their neighbors and bring in local churches. Reporter Steve Beaven writes:

"So far, as part of their grass-roots project, roughly a dozen young Christian men and women have made Barberry Village their home. Their goal: Create a sense of community in a chaotic neighborhood overrun with drugs, prostitution and gangs.


"Their work mirrors, in some ways, the “new monasticism” movement, in which Christians move into urban or rural areas to work with the poor."

The organizers, David Knepprath and Josh Guisinger, both in their early 20s, were looking for a way to create a ministry that went beyond church walls, fully aware they were "outsiders, college students and young professionals with day jobs who could live in almost any neighborhood they chose," Beaven writes. "They were also Christians who wanted to talk about their faith. But they had to strike a delicate balance; they didn’t want to come on too strong and alienate their neighbors."

It's not been easy and their work is far from finished, but they do have some successes to show for their efforts. Good for them.

Photograph: Benjamin Brink, The Oregonian