susannefortune

What a day! It is a big day in the life of our country, so a big day in the lives of “we the people”. I have found a church here in Baltimore that I had heard about, a community church in the neighborhood of Sandtown. New Song Community Church @ http://www.nsc-church.org

The mission statement defines itself “as a multicultural community-based church committed to loving God and loving our neighbors in our Sandtown community by ministering comprehensively through a church-based Christian Community Development model…of walking in the good works God has prepared in advance…”

Yesterday our pastor, Dr. Thurman Williams made reference to Martin Luther King in his sermon on reconciliation. The pastor described this church of 12 years as a multicultural church, not just about race and the color of one’s skin, but it is a church that invites a multi-level of differences, i.e. men, women, young, old, different professionals, highly skilled and unskilled, those with jobs and those looking for a job, people born in this country and not, the church welcomes people from different states in the United States, welcomes the churched and the un-churched.

New Song Community Church not only worships God, but focuses on doing justice together in the neighborhood of Sandtown, where people of the church are encouraged to move into and live in Sandtown. As I see it New Song Community is instrumental in rebuilding this community. The church is the foundation from which other programs emanate like Habit for Humanity, Community Learning Centers, Family Health Services, Mental Health Services, Newborn/Mother’s Place groups, etc. The goal of this Christian community development is the empowerment of the individuals and the community itself.

It has been awesome to worship at New Song Community Church, a highlight of my week actually. This church reflects the world, not just a piece of it. Pastor Williams said yesterday, that the church should be a practicing place so we can go back into the world. That is perhaps another post as I have a lot of practice to do. I think this is what Dr. Martin Luther King was talking about in his Freedom Speech, about, he was talking about God’s love and calling us to love (at least practice) loving our neighbors.
Anyone still reading?