I was reading all the comments here…it’s so good to know and it really is a good discussion.

Looking forward to the next post.

Dyah

I did hear back from a Vineyard pastor and plan to post his response, but I was waiting to hear more. I’ve actually heard from more than just a Vineyard pastor, but other pastors, residents and business owners in Over-the-Rhine… Another post is in the works.

For the readers’ information:
- The Vineyard WILL develop a “Healing Center” next to their church, that will address all kinds of “Needs” to expand their current ministry (MercyWorks) that help people not only with food, job coaching, etc, but also counseling.
- I’ve heard some opinions about serving food at Washington Park, but here’s what I heard from the homeless people themselves. They could get soup from so many kitchen soups or churches there in OTR, but they need these sandwiches when they go to WORK since the temp job services CHARGES them $2.75 for lunch. SO they save the sandwiches for later.

- NOT ALL the homeless are drug addicts. They WORK, for goodness sake! Please don’t generalize people just because they are homeless.

- And yes, JESUS WAS HOMELESS, and He would prefer that these people who help them would be among them and live with them and above all, LOVE THEM. But, the Vineyard Church, unlike SOME other churches, claimed themselves as the church of the broken and the losers and the sinners, and I am one of them.

Thanks, Joe for generating a great discussion!

Your points are very well taken. As soon as I published this post I sent an e-mail to a random senior pastor (just one lucky dood whose e-mail was on the church’s Web site) at Vineyard in Springdale with a link to my blog post.

Much to his credit he responded Sunday evening. I have not returned his e-mail yet, but will. And soon. He wants to hook me up with Vineyard leadership.

In my e-mail I offered to begin a dialog so that Vineyard and other church/synagogue/mosque groups who find their way down here can give back in a way that helps, not hurts.

I plan to write about that on my blog as soon as I get permission from the pastor to do so (I’d like to include his name).

By the way, I also mentioned the situation to an Over-the-Rhine pastor and he told me he was already working on something akin to what I suggested to Vineyard. It’s supposed to launch soon. Hope to write about that, too.

Thank you for your kind thoughts and seemingly genuine interest. And thanks, too, for reading my blog.

-Joe

Rather than ranting about it on this blog (not just you but those that have posted comments too) why not approach Vineyard leadership and offer suggestions? Approaching volunteers is probably not the most effective way to come up with a better solution.

The city of Covington recently asked the Northern Kentucky Vineyard to stop serving in Covington as well but rather than just passing an ordinance or confronting volunteers during service they facilitated an arrangement between “Drop-in” type organizations and The Vineyard to coordinate their activities.

I have served multiple Saturdays at a similar hot-food giveaway in Newport and I don’t do it out of guilt as some on this blog have suggested but because I have a genuine love for people. I engage everyone in conversation and get to know them better, offer a smile, and try to form a relationship. After a few Saturdays we get to know many of the people that come by. It is wonderful when many of those that come through say that we are a gift from God - not because we bring free food but because we also bring free diapers, toiletries, and other items that everyone needs.

Many posters have also suggested that us religious types love to confine poverty to a certain area and keep ourselves isolated from the poverty. This couldn’t be further from the truth for some of the mega churches in the area. The Vineyard in Springdale recently invested $12 million for facilities to serve people where they are. I also know that Crossroads keeps their facilities completely open and free to the public. Moms can use their nursery facilities, they have free wi-fi, coffee, drinks, games, etc that anyone can use. They are also located in Norwood - not exactly Mason. One could say that it might as well be located in Hyde Park but it is clearly there to serve an impoverished area. Many of the people that I know that attend the church live in neighborhoods from Clifton, OTR, and Norwood and are trying to make a positive change in their communities.

All this to say that I hate seeing negative characterizations of churches in the tri-state area. Visit any of them and you will see that the people that run, attend, or visit them have a true heart for our community and seeing positive change - not just economic but social.

In every organization - religious or otherwise you will find some people with negative attitudes or mis-directed efforts. I do think if we try a little harder to offer suggestions to the right people we can come to a better solution. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to facilitate a meeting with decision makers. I am sure the last thing they want is to offend neighbors in the process of performing what they believe to be a good service.

Joe-

I was very happy to read your Washington Park blog post. I’m a big fan of not giving folks a free pass just because their intentions are good, and I agree that doing what they do within spitting distance of the Drop Inn etc. is pointless at best, and actually a negative if they leave the place in worse shape then it was in when they showed up. It seems like all it does is make a self-satisfied Christian, like the lady you quoted in your piece, even more so… “Self satisfied,” I mean. Not “Christian”.

Also, it’s funny you wrote about living on Washington Park when you did. On Friday, as I stuck an address label with your name on it onto a postcard the Library mailed out, I realized you live right around the corner from me. My wife and I just bought a place on Republic between 12th and 13th.

Anyway, thanks, keep up the good work, and I hope to see you around the neighborhood.

Chris Messick
The Mercantile Library

Most suburban Christians are very well intentioned when they do things like this but I believe it’s derived from a prejudicial view of the city ( i.e., “they need me to come in and save them”). That’s probably why the people you talked to had no answers: because they really have no idea why they’re doing it. But a big reason is to remove their guilt that was developed from sprawling away from the problem.

I know this sounds harsh and perhaps even “un-Christian-like” (especially from a pastor) but until we really get down to the roots of the situation we’ll continue to perpertuate an already difficult situation.