Pursuing Oneness in Christ by Trey Hill

Recently we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.   Almost five years later, in 1968, as Dr. King preached at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, he uttered these now-famous words, “We must face the sad fact that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning… is the most segregated hour in America.” So here were are some 45 years later, and though great progress has been made regarding racial equality, the church remains a racially and economically divided institution. Dr. King’s statement rings as true today as when he said it. The question is, does it really matter? I mean, what is wrong with a segregated church?  Isn’t that really just a “social” issue? Here are a few verses from John 17, Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, that I think begin to give answer to that question. “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given me, for they are yours. All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me that they may be one, even as We are one (John 17:9-11)” “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.  The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one, I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me” (John 17:20-23). This prayer is part of a larger block of the book of John where Jesus is preparing His disciples for His death and departure. Here Christ prays that His people (that is, you and I and all Christians today), would be one like He and the Father are one. The result of that oneness provides both proof to the world that Jesus is who He said He was and glory to God. However, it seems like the contemporary church has pursued a path of sameness rather than oneness.  Sameness seeks out only those who look like them and those who like the same things. Oneness pursues and celebrates unity in diversity.  The model of that kind of oneness is rooted in the Godhead. The beautiful mystery of the Trinity is in view here as Jesus prays that God’s people would be perfectly unified, like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even though there are distinctions in the Persons of the Trinity. (We are not Modalists who believe God just “appears” in different forms.)  It is that kind of unity that we are called to display to the world, in all our differences, in order for God to be most magnified. Unfortunately, too often we put our preference in the place of preeminence. We argue for a particular worship style or dress code rather than allowing Christ to be the head of the Church and creating a place that folks from “every tribe tongue and nation” feel loved and welcomed. It is only by having the mind of Christ and the power of the Spirit that one can “do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit but rather in humility consider others more important than yourself.” (Phil. 2:3) If we are considering others interests as more significant than our own, then the things that tend to divide us no longer will because we are setting aside our preferences for something far greater—the unity God calls us to. When we do this, Christ is being made preeminent in all things (Col. 1:18). This type of unity is a visual testimony to the reality of God’s love. Unity, according to Jesus, has a powerful apologetic impact on the world—an impact far beyond words. When the world sees God’s people operating in unity, then they “may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” (v. 23) We know upon Christ’s return that we will be joined in worship with a throng of people who reflect the beautiful tapestry of color and culture that God has created. Perhaps we should begin practicing now so that our witness to the world is authenticated by what they see—a church united across racial and economic lines—and not just what they hear. The “Jim Crow” laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in 1954. “Separate but equal” was untenable in the eyes of the law. A separate but equal church is surely untenable in the eyes of God. Not only is it a sad fact that the church remains divided, it is contrary to God’s design. As long as the church remains divided along racial and economic lines our prophetic witness to the world is weakened and the apologetic nature the church is supposed to pronounce is muted. Dr. King wrote in Letter from Birmingham Jail: So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent—and often even vocal—sanction of things as they are. In light of recent events in the news highlighting the racial divide in our country, the world desperately needs the church to recapture her prophetic voice by “breaking down the walls of hostility” (Eph. 2:14) that divide us so that the average community is not consoled by the church’s silence but startled by her Spirit-led, God-glorifying unity. It is time for us to speak boldly—in word and deed.

The Mentoring Project: The Story of Xavier & Quinn

We all have a strong, built-in desire to be in relation with one another. This is absolutely true of mentoring. The children impacted by fatherlessness are used to having authority figures leave. 

The Mentoring Project is privileged to watch tiny (and massive) miracles happen day after day, much like the story captured here (video).  Today, we'd like to share one story of hope and life change witnessed on a recent "field ride" during which we got to tag along with Quinn, one of our mentors, as he spent some time with his mentee, Xavier.*

We headed to Xavier's school around lunch time.  When he saw Quinn round the corner into his classroom, his whole face erupted in a smile.  He had been waiting all week for this moment. 

First, Quinn and Xavier got down to business – focusing on the tasks that provide the basis for their school-based mentoring program.  Even though the topic of conversation was Algebra, Xavier was soaking up Quinn's attention like refreshing water. The guys were enjoying each other's company and between high-fives and laughs, we faded into the background of their weekly ritual.  Quinn's many encouraging words were traded for Xavier's bashful smile.  

Homework done.  Hoops for dessert.  Quinn guides Xavier's free-throw technique.  During a rest break, Xavier told us that he looks forward to Quinn's visits "so that I can beat him on the court at one on one."  They both laughed.  We pulled Xavier aside and asked him why he liked hanging out with Quinn every week.  Xavier said, "he's gonna be a great dad.  I wish he were mine." The words hung in the air – Xavier not realizing the depth of what he just said while we knew full well.  Quinn had become his champion, the one man Xavier can count on to show up week after week.  

Like Xavier, most young urbanites are growing up without dad.   John Sowers, The Mentoring Project's president,explains in his book Fatherless Generation that "fatherlessness is a personal tragedy and a collective epidemic. Some 25 million American kids are growing up without dad. One third of those will never see their fathers. Fatherlessness is the engine driving some of our worst social problems, from gangs and youth violence, to teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, school dropouts and suicide."

At The Mentoring Project, we believe that small victories move mountains.  We believe that mentors win by showing up. We believe that fatherless and at-risk children crave the attention of a caring adult, a mentor, who can be a stalwart of predictability in a sea of change.  Although a mentor can never replace a father, he can become the plumb line of a child's hectic world, in a way that allows a precious young soul to find a sense of place.

At The Mentoring Project, we are big fans of Quinn AND Xavier.  Because Quinn shows up for Xavier on a consistent basis, Xavier is dreaming big dreams.  Because Xavier has a mentor, studies show he will do better socially and in school. He will be less likely to be swayed by peer pressure, less likely to skip class, less likely to try drugs.  Xavier will be more likely to positively engage with his community, pursue new skills, have openness towards authority figures and complete more educational milestones.   For kids with mentors, life just gets better.

God wants us to understand this idea of faithful and unconditional presence. He is with us: yesterday, today, and forever. In the depths, in the dark places, in the valley of the shadow of death, God is there. This is something that he communicates over and over again in the Bible.  God's heart and intention to be with us is never louder than at the Incarnation of Christ, the miracle Christmas birth of Immanuel, God with us. God demonstrates a desire for radical "with-ness," the "with-ness" that had not been fully restored since the Garden of Eden, when God walked with Adam and Eve in the "cool of the day." God again desires to be close to his people, to us. Jesus by prophetic name is "God with us," and he promises to be with us until the end. 

That's why at The Mentoring Project, we want every fatherless child to have a caring mentor.  We want every at-risk child to know that they are valuable to a responsible and fun adult who will show up for them week after week. 

This Father's Day, we are asking people who have the honor of celebrating a dad to make a gift in his honor that will help The Mentoring Project recruit more mentors for kids like Xavier.  Quinn is a hero – help us find more.  You can watch our video and get involved at www.dontbuythetie.com.

The Mentoring Project (TMProject) exists to rewrite the fatherless story through mentoring.  We recruit, train, equip and encourage mentors to show up for at-risk and fatherless kids.  Visit them at www.thementoringproject.org.


*Xavier is a fictitious name for Quinn's real mentee

University Park Oilman Honored for Work with West Dallas Little League

When he was recruited to coach in the West Dallas Little League, Bob McCamey expected to teach a little pitching, a little hitting, a little fielding — for a little while.

That was seven years ago. Since then, he’s done all that and more — so much more that the national Little League organization is honoring him as Urban Initiative Volunteer of the Year.

The 63-year-old University Park oilman will be recognized Aug. 22 during the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa.

Not even cancer treatment deterred McCamey’s commitment. It might have sapped his strength and interrupted his coaching stint, but it didn’t keep him off the field.

“He was out there fixing the batting cages, he was out there helping pick up the trash and helping with the field,” said Lee Jackson, sports director at Mercy Street, a nonprofit that sponsors the West Dallas Little League.

McCamey began volunteering with the league when it didn’t have a field to play on. Now it is considering a bid to host a regional tournament next year.

He’s happy just to help with the maintenance required to field 26 teams for 278 players. But now that he’s feeling good again, it’s coaching that gives him the most satisfaction.

McCamey, the father of three grown sons, has a passion for baseball. And he thought he knew what he was getting into when he agreed to coach 13- and 14-year-olds in West Dallas.

But on his first day, he realized he faced a sharp learning curve.

First, the group didn’t have the right-size field. McCamey found one nearby, but it was run down and frequented by some sketchy characters, he said.

He moved practice to a lot with an abandoned barn, where he and others placed a batting cage and erected some backstops.

But the challenges posed by poor facilities were small compared with those faced by many players.

When he volunteered with his sons’ teams, McCamey said, he just had to “show up, coach the game and leave.” Parents brought their kids to and from the games, purchased uniforms and provided equipment.

But in West Dallas, many kids couldn’t afford uniforms, much less gloves, and they either didn’t have transportation or their parents’ work schedules prohibited them from attending.

Most of the kids “live in single-parent families or with grandparents or aunts or uncles or whoever,” McCamey said.

Their lives are often disrupted by their parents’ job loss or jail or evictions.

“You live here one day; you live here the next,” McCamey said. “You don’t really have a room. When they say, ‘we stay somewhere,’ they mean they stay somewhere. They don’t live anywhere.”

The West Dallas Little League is part of the national group’s Urban Initiative, a program designed to bring baseball to poor neighborhoods.

The national league includes more than 2.4 million players in more than 7,000 leagues. About 300 of those, with about 52,000 kids, are part of the Urban Initiative.

Providing equipment and transportation makes coaching a huge commitment, McCamey said.

“I’ve got to be down there at 4:30 to pick these kids up in a van,” he said. If a player doesn’t show, he drives around looking for him.

Until the league raised $500,000 to build its own impressive facility a few years ago, all West Dallas games were played at opponents’ fields.

Games end around 9 p.m. and coaches often take the kids for a soft drink or maybe their first meal of the day.

“You never know what you’re doing,” McCamey said, “so you get back in West Dallas at 10 o’clock, 10:30 at night. Some of them have rides, some don’t. You end up driving them home.”

In West Dallas, coaches don’t just teach baseball fundamentals, McCamey said, they teach life skills. He talks to the kids, listens to them and works with their teachers.

His work is about 30 percent baseball and the rest is helping kids “engage in something that’s good for ’em.”

“Every kid can play,” said McCamey, who was a Little Leaguer while growing up in Fort Worth. “You don’t have to be tall. You don’t have to be aggressive. You don’t have to be mean. You don’t have to be a weightlifter.

“You just have to be a regular kid.”

Inner-city kids “have a real tendency not to trust,” he said, because they’re frequently let down. That’s where the West Dallas Little League can help.

“They begin to see you can trust other people to do what they’re supposed to do. Somebody says, ‘I’m going to pick you up at 7,’ there’s somebody there to pick you up at 7. If your shortstop catches the ball, he’s going to throw it to you at second base.”

The national recognition to be bestowed this month surprised McCamey.

“I didn’t even know they had the award,” he said. “I was pretty shocked.”

After picking up the honor, he’ll get back to work on the fall season that the league is adding this year.

He also will raise money to add fields to the sports complex, and he’ll give input on whether the league is ready to host a tournament.

Other than that, “I don’t really have a plan,” he said. But “I’m not about to quit.”

Skit prep!

Just some of the drama team prepping for the Super Thursday skit! Ready for our last Super Thursday of the summer! Can't believe this summer is almost over!

Splish Splash part 2

Today was a SUCCESS! We had a great time hanging out with the high school team while riding awesome water rides & floating down the lazy river! 

Here is a picture of some of the girls riding down the Tortuga's Express:

Hey boys, which way is the beach??

Nothing better than a lazy river!

Crash landing on the Pineapple Pipeline!

Splish Splash!

Today the High School bible study group had a fun day in the sun!! We loaded up & had a blast at Bahama Beach! 

Poverty Simulation

Here we go! Mercy Street interns are going to be homeless this weekend! We are on our way to Waco to be apart of Mission Waco's poverty simulation! If you think of us, pray! & if you live in Waco & see us, FEED US!