What to do about Williams Park? This has been a topic on the front burner in St. Petersburg recently. The park is in the heart of downtown and has become a gathering point for homeless people, drug use, and other less than savory activities.
A church in the vicinity mentioned paying $30,000 a year for security because of the risks posed by those who are currently using the park. In a letter to the editor published in the Tampa Bay Times, Bruce Fournier of St. Petersburg responds: “I thought the work of churches was to minister to the needy. I feel badly for the state of organized religion when it has to pay to keep the riffraff out of their churches by hiring security instead of helping these lost human beings. . . It’s a sad commentary when a Christ-driven organization is so un-Christlike in how it handles the less fortunate.” [Feb. 25, 2013]
Well, organized religion got a lift from Pope Francis yesterday at his inauguration. He called upon government leaders as well as the church to “protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important. “ [Tampa Bay Times 3/20/13, “Pope Shares vision of caring, hope,” p. 3A] This is something for the whole church to hear, not just the Catholic Church. The church exists to serve the poor. That’s what Jesus did and that is what we are to do.
This is what I feel our church was doing in our involvement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers as well as our support of Operation Attack, the mission trip to the Dominican Republic, as well as the youth mission trip to California. These are just a few of the ways we are ministering to the poor.
We also want to take to heart the words of the pope encouraging us to treat the poor, the weak, and the least important “with tender affection.” In our personal encounters with people, may we always treat everyone with respect, dignity, and, yes, tender affection.
Prayer: The church has always been called to carry out the ministry of Jesus. May we never loose sight of our calling, as a community and as individuals. There is no one beneath the love of God. May we seek out the needs around us and not avoid the ministry which is needed from us. Amen.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 