Burb Mission

Mission to the 'Burbs?

One of my favorite periods of time was several months when I walked around our neighborhood to get in shape for the Young Life Colorado Trips. At 8:30 in the morning and at 9:30 at night, Chuck Swindoll preached to me on the portable radio. One evening he said something like this: "Do you know who the most ignored people group is in America? It is the rich folks. They look so much like they have it all together that nobody talks to them about troubles in their lives or even more important, about Jesus."

Chuck's statement struck me as quite true at the time having been one of those rich folks who had been set free from years of living in the "fake it 'til you make it mode". This article by Alan Roxburgh (kind of like Newburgh) linked below, says that the suburbs in America are a mission field and it reminded me of Chuck's statement.

Most of Evansville is made up of 'burbs and Newburgh is the big one where wealthy people live in their big, often heavily mortgaged, single family dwellings. They drive out of their garages in the morning and drive in each evening not to be seen again until the next morning. With their SUV's and deep tinted glass, you might not even know what your neighbors look like for years?(... could be an alien?) They have relationships with their careers, with TV personalities on 'reality shows', with the next American idol, but not with Jesus or really alive people. The 'burb folks look successful but are lonely, uncomfortably comfortable in their wealth, and lost in a world of illusion. They have no real friends.

This is the answer to the question "Why plant in Newburgh?"

I want to reach them with the healing message of the gospel. I want to see them set free from this captivity. I know of this captivity. For quite awhile as a Christian who really believed something, I claimed to be healed and free but never tasted what I believe to be the real kingdom life.

I moved so often that I did not know my neighbors. But now, after living in this house for over 8 years, I have gotten to know many of them. I have heard their stories and seen their heartaches. Their privacy is important but if I chronicled their stories to you for the nearest 8 houses, the stories would astound you. Maybe this is the mission to which our church is called? Is our mission to our neighborhoods...the 'burbs? How does that work? Where will we plant this mission? These are questions I am pondering with Alan Roxburgh.

http://www.allelon.org/neighborhood/?p=5#more-5

Does this article speak to you?