My friends Coop and Linda

Coop and his wife Linda probably fit most stereotypes. They are a white couple who live in a run down trailer park. They are heavy smokers, probably consistently drink too much and usually have the TV on too loud. Linda and Coop like many others living poverty have been taught through experience that they don’t have much to offer. I met Linda and Coop as we were talking to folks about the Franklin Center, a beautiful historic yet rundown and abandoned building near where we live. We were asking people what they remember about the Franklin Center from the time when it was a vibrant community center. We asked what they would like to see done with the building now. As we began talking to Linda and Coop the excitement within them began to visibly grow. Coop talked about playing football with the kids in the trailer park and how he wishes that there were somewhere for them to play and have fun. As with all of the conversations we had we didn’t stop with asking their desires for the Franklin Center. If we stopped there we would only further reinforce the idea that they are in need of someone else’s service, that they do not have much to offer. So instead we then began to ask how they could join with other neighbors to see these dreams that they have for the Franklin Center become a reality. Linda and Coop as with many other neighbors were a bit surprised by the question and needed a moment to think. But in their case it didn’t take long for the ideas to start flowing. Soon Coop was talking about the ways that he is skilled in remodeling and how he would love to help in the process of fixing up the building. They talked about wanting to organize meetings and helping us talk to everyone else in the trailer park.

When I went back to talk to them to see if either wanted to take more of a leadership role in this process I was met by a friendly Coop who began to tear up as I invited him to meet with us. He went on to tell me how much this means to him and how he is wasn't going to drink any alcohol on tuesday because he wants to be fully sober for our meeting. As I talked to him I began to realize how dignifying to Coop this offer of leadership really is. To him this is much more than a meeting, to Coop this is an opportunity to show that he has worth.

As we move forward in this process of bringing life back to the Franklin Center we are beginning to realize that many in this neighborhood are just longing for someone to ask them to help; desiring for someone to believe that they have something to offer. However we also realize that this is messy. We realize that these folks bring baggage. We realize that Coop and Linda even with all of their enthusiasm may not be reliable or dependable. But we also realize that the only goal here is not the completion of the project. The point is the process - the process of seeing new life emerge from the mess and the brokenness, the process of reconciliation and of the formation of community within this neighborhood that are all a small taste of the Kingdom of God. Because if we fix up an old building without this messy formational process then what have we really accomplished?