Tuesday, January 31, 2006

A Day ON

Bethesda UMC has had a partnership with Casa Del Pueblo UMC in Columbia Heights for many years now. This partnership began with a work day on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Folks from Bethesda spend the day at Casa painting, cleaning, doing whatever they need us to do that doesn't require much skill. One of the coolest things this year was how many youth came for the work day.

As we were working, I asked Pastor John about the state of his parsonage (the house that a church owns where, usually, the pastor lives). Many parsonages aren't in the best shape, but knowing how Casa struggles to keep up the church building I wondered what the state of his house was. And Casa's parsonage is in terrible shape. They recently had the roof replaced because there were trees taking root on it. John said one night a few years ago, he was up studying and his wife and baby were asleep in their bed and the bedroom ceiling collapsed on them. They weren't badly hurt, but they had to be taken to the hospital for inhalation of dust. I would guess that many of Casa's church members live in not great or even sub-standard housing, but it made me sad and angry to think that my clergy colleague, who works so long and hard and faithfully, and his family (including little kids) have to live in a place like that. It also made me very grateful for what my family has.

Today Coretta Scott King died. After her husband was killed, Mrs. King carried on his legacy and leadership in the civil rights movement. I heard her say that she married Dr. King because she had fallen in love with him, but she had also fallen in love with the movement. So much progress has been made since 1964, but there is still so much more to do to bring about the Beloved Community. We need to continue to increase justice, love, compassion and equality. So Martin Luther King day will always be a day on for me.

Pastor John and the people at Casa always thank us so heartily for the work we do with them. I hope they know what a blessing it is for us, too, to be partners with them in ministry. Together we are building the dream.

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