Tent City 4

via: Bear Creek Methodist Church

David Orendorff Luke 8:26-39 June 20, 2010

From its roots those who have decided to follow Jesus at Bear Creek have believed we are called to be like Jesus and to answer the simple question, “What would our Rabbi say and do?” And I believe Jesus would say to us that the kingdom of heaven is like unto a seat belt. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-8PBx7isoM

That is one of the most popular YouTube videos of this past week. As disciples of Jesus we are called to be like Jesus and when life is an accident happening, to be a seat belt for each other.

Now here is the hard part, not everyone was pleased with Jesus’ embrace of the demoniac. The scripture says that when the people of Gerasene found the demoniac sitting peaceful at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, they were afraid. And two verses later it continues, “Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear.”[1]

The scripture doesn’t tell us why the Gerasenes were so afraid when Jesus embraced the demoniac. We could speculate but that would be guessing. And likewise we don’t know why some of our neighbors don’t like us embracing the homeless.

We have tried to know and answer their fears. We met with, asked and listened more than once prior to our neighborhood informational meeting. Then at the meeting we addressed with outside experts and our own preparations the concerns we had heard. At the meeting we opened the floor to additional questions.

Some neighbors were comforted. Several neighbors came up afterwards, thanked us, promised support or signed up to volunteer. But the most amazing transformation for me came from a woman who within the first few minutes of the meeting was yelling at me that this was a waste of time. I had previously said the fundamental value by which we would treat each other was to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” So I yelled at her asking her if she wanted me to yell at her. She said she didn’t care. I was struck silent and then said rudely, “That is rude.” The exchange seemed to help quiet the room and for me to regain control of the agenda, but I didn’t feel good about it.

Later, when almost everyone was gone Don Robson, Vickie and I were in the parking lot talking. A car drove up and rolled its window down. It was the woman with whom I had exchanged yelling. She told me she had changed her mind and that she was mostly comfortable with TC4 being at Bear Creek. But she was still concerned with the TC4 security folks patrolling the neighborhood. She continued that she had been thinking of organizing a Neighborhood Watch, did I think Kent Baxter (the former Chief of Police for Woodinville, now with the King County Sheriff’s department and one of the panel) would help her? And did I think that the security folks of TC4 would cooperate and coordinate with a Neighborhood Watch group. For a second time she made me speechless. Finally I said yes, Kent would help, and I didn’t know what the TC4 security folks would say but I would be glad to help her ask them, and that we would love to help her start a Neighborhood Watch. We talked some more about dogs (she had two small ones in her car) and then she left. God is amazing.

And there is more. Joan Thorson was at Annual Conference this week chaperoning the pages. She and I were having lunch and I told her the story. She said she knew the woman and was totally amazed that such a thing could happen. I asked her if she wouldn’t go to the woman, tell her that I had said she wanted to start a Neighborhood Watch and could we help. And Joan, even knowing this might be risky, said yes.

So a woman who yelled at me and at whom I yelled now supports us hosting TC4 and we are going to support her in forming a Neighborhood Watch. God is amazing indeed.

I know this conflict is hard for us. It stirs up old wounds and deep fears. And so we don’t like conflict; we don’t like anger. We keep saying to ourselves and to each other (if we talk about it directly at all), “There has to be a better way. There must be a more loving way.” And we are right. We must always seek to do this and all conflict in a more loving way. By challenging ourselves to be more loving we challenge ourselves to grow in love for God and neighbor.

We have a dual challenge to love both our neighbor the homeless and to love our neighbor of the hood at the same time. I admit I don’t quite know how to do this but God does. I checked my email last night and Carla has already had a conversation with one of the neighbors most central to organizing the opposition is willing to continue the conversation and made some helpful suggestions on how that might happen, and the Steering Committee is listening and praying.

It is on this tricky question of being neighbor to both the homeless and the neighborhood that today’s scripture really struck me. When Jesus was ministering to the demoniac and conflict came to him from the neighborhood, Luke says he finished his conversation with the demoniac, got in the boat and went home to Galilee where they welcomed him and were waiting for him. Notice he first finished his embrace of the demoniac and then embrace the Gerasenians by going home where the love him.

As it happens there are several neighbors who already welcome us as they would welcome Jesus. I want you to hear their voice of support because they are far greater in strength and number than those opposed. I have permission from each of those I now quote to share their words with you.

From Amy – a neighbor emailing to her school PTSA friends about our hosting TC4 after she received an email disparaging our hosting:

We hosted them at our church and they were tidy, quiet, respectful, came to services, helped out a little around the church grounds AND we experienced a marked decline in vandalism while they were there.
Though the neighbors were nervous at first, TC4 did not cause any problems.

I know it is hard to relate to people who live in tents but everyone I talked to was the same as me from the standpoint that they were just hoping things could get a little better. I work downtown and see the guys sleeping under the viaduct and I know they would probably be thrilled to have some tents like these.

Good luck to you and your neighborhood!

From Teresa, a Girl Scout Leader also to her PTSA friends in the same chain:

Hi Everyone,

I would like to provide you with my personal experience while volunteering with my Girl Scout troop a few weeks ago at Tent City 4 in Kirkland. The residents we met were everyday people who have run into hard times. Many of them are working and have no place to stay; they’ve lost their homes and need a temporary place to live. They all have jobs within the tent community and are assigned ”Security” shifts to ensure the safety of the community. Everyone we came into contact with was friendly and so appreciative. I felt safe and took five girls in our Cadette Girl Scout troop on a Saturday evening to do community service. Each night, the 75+ residents are provided a hot meal by groups in the community and they also have other needs which our troop is participating in during the month of June.

I know it is hard for everyone to see the tents go up, but remember, they are everyday people like you and I and misfortune could happen to any of us. As we sit in the comfort of our warm, dry homes, think of the people who have no one else and nowhere to go… We need to have open minds and open our hearts and not live in fear… Best regards, Teresa

And lastly there is Pat. Pat is an officer with the Beach Club Neighborhood Watch. He was asked to pass on an email of dissension about our hosting. Faithfully he did so but with this preface:

Please be aware that the homeless is a particularly sensitive issue in our home. Diana (Pat’s wife) was a social worker for years & in fact did her senior thesis on homeless children – I was there for the interviews. I have been to many encampments around the world (and not just 3rd world “developing” countries) and have seen firsthand very bad things. Our family will be providing direct support to the effort.

Our church is part of a group that provides the meals so as to meet the “no cooking” ordinance (btw in Tokyo a TC is allowed to cook). Diana has volunteered at the TC several times along with a number of our friends. To date there has not been any incidents with any resident or “visitor” and the surrounding neighborhoods… If you have never participated in the program, I would urge you to do so prior to lending your weight behind any effort or drawing any conclusions. If you don’t want to “help,” they do, believe it or not, offer tours to community representatives. If, after seeing it first hand, you would prefer to not support or indeed campaign against the BCUMC effort I would completely understand.

The residents are poor, not criminals. They are highly sensitive to the fact that the surrounding neighborhoods do not want them/are afraid of them & that if they “blow it” they will not only lose their current “home” but will be unable to secure another. One may think that they have nothing to lose, but this would be the wrong conclusion. They have _everything_ to lose in a way that even a foreclosure would not compare. Not just as an individual or a family, but as an entire community. The only realistic analogy would be if, as an example, a particular family were to participate in illicit activities everyone else in the neighborhood would be evicted & not allowed to remove anything from their homes. As a result, the TC community is _extremely_ harsh with those that break the rules (”banishment” in the Dark Ages context comes to mind).

I truly believe that hosting TC4 is good not only for the homeless and for us, but also for our neighborhood. I believe this because the greatest part of the neighborhood wants us to do this. I say this because as we embrace like a seat belt the homeless we are saying in a loud voice to our neighbors that should their lives be crashing we will embrace them as well.

Shalom and Amen.

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