{"id":23789,"date":"2019-09-02T20:29:01","date_gmt":"2019-09-03T03:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=23789"},"modified":"2019-09-04T21:43:23","modified_gmt":"2019-09-05T04:43:23","slug":"ministry-in-the-big-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/ministry-in-the-big-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Ministry in the Big City"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1979, Joe Walsh, former leader of the James Gang and current lead guitarist for the Eagles, released a song entitled \u201cIn the City\u201d.\u00a0 <\/em>The song serves as a yearning to leave the fast-paced, hard knock life of living in the big city.\u00a0 The first verse of the song goes,<\/p>\n

\u201cSomewhere out on that horizon<\/p>\n

Out beyond the neon lights<\/p>\n

I know there must be somethin\u2019 better<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s nowhere else in sight<\/p>\n

It\u2019s survival in the city<\/p>\n

When you live from day to day<\/p>\n

City streets don\u2019t have much pity<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re down, that\u2019s where you\u2019ll stay\u201d (Walsh)<\/p>\n

The words to this song echo the hearts and minds of many people who come to the big city with expectations of wealth and grandeur, only to be disappointed when life becomes more difficult than they imagine.\u00a0 Growing up on a small farm in Kentucky, many of my friends would talk about leaving our small town and moving to \u201cbigger and grander\u201d things (normally, Lexington or Louisville, Kentucky).\u00a0 While some of them were able to \u201cescape\u201d to big city lives, many who left inevitably returned to our small town after the reality of big city living hit.<\/p>\n

As I was reading through CultureShock!<\/em>, what caught my eye was the vast array of nationalities and ethnicities represented in London, particularly the population of refugees and asylum seekers.\u00a0 Hargraves mentions that \u201cthroughout its history, London has been a haven for those escaping political or religious persecution in their countries\u201d (loc 711). \u00a0Delving into the history of migration to London also shows that \u201cin all periods of history, the most motivating force for people coming to London has been the desire to find a better life\u201d (Hargraves, loc 738).\u00a0 With this in mind, it shows the draw and allure of big cities for people around the world.<\/p>\n

It also raises many questions.\u00a0 One of the most pertinent questions is, \u201cWhat do we do with all of these different people groups?\u201d\u00a0 How many of the people who move to London (or really anywhere in the world) looking for freedom or a better life only to find that the \u201ccity streets don\u2019t have much pity\u201d and \u201cwhen you\u2019re down that\u2019s where you\u2019ll stay\u201d (Walsh)?<\/p>\n

In February 2019, I visited London and Oxford with my housemates over our Chinese New Year Holiday.\u00a0 As we walked the streets of London, it was apparent just how many different nations were represented around us.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t help but wonder at the different stories of how their families had arrived in London.\u00a0 What was even more fascinating was how different people groups had formed smaller communities within London, creating a unique blend of culture throughout the city.<\/p>\n

Living in an international city like Hong Kong, I have had the privilege of meeting people from all over the world.\u00a0 From Europe, to North and South America, to Africa, to various parts of Asia, to Australia (Antarctica is the only continent I have yet to meet anyone from), there is a beauty that one can find in these cities.\u00a0 There are a myriad of stories \u2013 whether it be for work or study, or those who are fleeing political and religious persecution \u2013 and identities, and yet we call Hong Kong our home.\u00a0 In the same way, I imagine that many who come to London have similar feelings.<\/p>\n

But life in the city is not easy.\u00a0 Although a nation may have many social issues, going to a big city can give you a snapshot of the various problems.\u00a0 Given the issues that plague our world, going to an international <\/em>city gives you a snapshot of the various problems people around the world are facing.\u00a0 When we talk with those who are political refugees, we learn of the state of their world.\u00a0 When we talk to the university student whose family has sent them to study abroad for a better life, we learn of the state of their world.\u00a0 When we step into the lives of others, we learn empathy and no longer look at the world through narrow blinders.<\/p>\n

Again, though, we ask the question of where this great melting pot of cultures fits into the identity of London.\u00a0 Hargraves makes note of the class system within London: \u201cIn a nutshell, class is the index that Britons use to establish how they fit in, and how others fit into their society.\u00a0 In other words, it is a significant component of most British people\u2019s identity\u201d (loc 891).\u00a0 Although it\u2019s not as explicit, this gave me pause as I reflected on the various contexts in which I\u2019ve lived.\u00a0 One could argue that Hong Kong has a class system (and when one looks at the massive wealth gap and the school system, it\u2019s hard to argue on the contrary).\u00a0 Even driving through my hometown in Kentucky, it is easy to know the divide of wealth and and class, though we would not explicitly call it that.<\/p>\n

So the question is, how do we as the Church engage with those around us?\u00a0 How do we look beyond our prejudice and class systems within a city\/nation?\u00a0 In an international city like London, the Church has a variety of situations that it can speak truth and life into.\u00a0 Identity becomes a key point of concern as people try to hold on to the identity of their home culture while simultaneously attempting to navigate what it means to be part of their current context.\u00a0 But it is in this tension and the in-between where many opportunities lie for the Church. \u00a0There is an opportunity to serve and to learn from people all over the world.<\/p>\n

In the final verse of \u201cIn the City\u201d, Walsh sings:<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born here in the city
\nWith my back against the wall
\nNothing grows, and life ain’t very pretty
\nNo one’s there to catch you when you fall\u201d<\/p>\n

If life in the city isn\u2019t very pretty and no one\u2019s there to catch you when you fall, then the Church has a unique opportunity to be that safety net and to support people when they fall.\u00a0 For those with their backs against the wall, the Church offers a ray of hope in the person of Christ.\u00a0 May we reach out with outstretched arms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>Hargraves, Omir.\u00a0 2010.\u00a0 CultureShock! London.<\/em>\u00a0 6th<\/sup> ed. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Walsh, Joe, and de Vorzon, Barry. \u201cIn the City\u201d.\u00a0 The Long Run.\u00a0 <\/em>Hollywood, CA: MRI Recording Studio, (1979).\u00a0 Retrieved from <https:\/\/genius.com\/Joe-walsh-in-the-city-lyrics><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Link to “In the City” – https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xUDFMl-TsaA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 1979, Joe Walsh, former leader of the James Gang and current lead guitarist for the Eagles, released a song entitled \u201cIn the City\u201d.\u00a0 The song serves as a yearning to leave the fast-paced, hard knock life of living in the big city.\u00a0 The first verse of the song goes, \u201cSomewhere out on that horizon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,1565,1577,1560],"class_list":["post-23789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dminlgp","tag-hargraves","tag-lgp10","tag-tan","cohort-lgp10"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/129"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23789"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23790,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23789\/revisions\/23790"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}