Iron Flower

Good, Christ centered churches can flourish in tough places.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

I was part of the “white flight.”

I finished college and my new job required that I move out of Oakland, but I wanted to leave. With the drug scene, Oakland was a tough town to raise a family in.

This year we went back there, to our church’s 50th anniversary because the church stayed put. Same lousy part of town, they just refused to leave. Gutsy that way; and the area looked better. Church block parties were held. Graffiti got painted over, garbage picked up, and neighbors were met. They prayed for peace. Pushers moved on. The church grew. Nice shops now stood open on the main drag and the area looked cleaner. It saddened me that they couldn’t keep their home grown Bible College open. It trained folks and Christian leaders in the area for years.

The city council came to the service and gave the church an award for being multi-ethnic. While the 1500 or so faces in the first service were mostly black, the church made it a point to draw from all the kinds of people that lived nearby. The white preacher was stepping down, but the new man was Latin. A black "apostle" preached that day and oversaw the transfer. All in all it seemed like a black church but it didn’t feel racial.

But Lordy did we have church. We raised our hands as one, adoring Him who commands us to reach out, to bloom and grow, even in hard places. Gotta remember that a service in my mostly white church has a clear quitting time. These folks don’t know when to quit.

As we left to find lunch, we hugged necks and shook hands. I was still their brother in Christ. I felt their welcome. It is what good churches do.