This week I has been a bit tough. Never in my wildest imagination would we ever have thought we would see what is happening in my community.
You see for years we lived about one and a half miles north of Brooklyn Center Police Department. It is there my wife; Rachel and I raised our two kids. We lived and interacted with people in that community. Several years later we moved to another northern Twin Cities suburb, Champlin, Minnesota. It is there we would often take walks on the beautiful trails and talk people in our neighborhood. We would walk by the home of Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center Police Officer involved in the shooting that triggered the unrest in Brooklyn Center. She lived in our neighborhood only blocks away from our home. So, all these events of the past week have hit close to home.
Before moving my family to the Twin Cities, I had served as a youth pastor in churches Ohiasdo, Colorado, and Texas. When we moved back, it was at that time I started Allies. It was and is our mission to bring together the Church in cities to reach and mentor youth for Christ. At that time, it seemed the biggest challenge we faced was the division between churches of different denominations and our theology. Now three decades later, those denominational name tags have all but disappeared. It is even hard to even know by the name of a church what they believe or theology they teach.
Now with all what is happening in our city, we are facing far bigger challenges. But we believe God has been preparing the Twin Cities leaders for this time. We have historically been closely knit community of leaders where the Church has prayed and worked together. We too, have had strong racial relationships and partnerships between the urban and suburban leaders.
Just this week, the Black pastors called ministry leaders of all races to pray. So, I stood and prayed with ministry leaders (Black, Brown, and White) from all different theological differences at the place where Daunte Wright shot. Right in front of us were flowers, posters, and notes memorializing him. But then, just ten miles away, were the proceedings of the Derek Chauvin trial taking place. Now, the prosecuting and defense attorneys have been made closing arguments. The jury has been sequestered. The Twin Cities and the nation awaits Judge Peter Cahill to call the court back into session and render verdict of the jury.
The hurt, pain, and anger are real. The tensions in our community are extremely high and we are on edge. and even expected to raise in the days to come. We have tanks in our streets, national guard standing on street corners, and willing to die for change. We have no idea what is going to happen next on the streets of our cities.
So, ministry leaders in the Twin Cities, and the people of God, are leaning into the promise in II Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Our land needs healing and we have so many challenges facing our nation. So, will you join youth and ministry leaders, at the epic center, to pray at 7:14 for our cities and nation.
This world is filled with far greater divisions than between Evangelicals, Pentecostals, independents, or main line churches. It is truly time for us to join together as Jesus prayed in John 17. One of the Twin Cities Lead Pastors said, "We need to be praying to be peace-living citizens, as leaders to be peacekeepers, and as followers of Jesus we are called to be peacemakers." JESUS is the only answer!
Youth leaders in the Twin Cities are asking you to pray with us, our students, schools, churches, and our communities. We will join you in praying you, your churches, schools, students, and communities.
Friends, we are better together and like no other time in history we need each other.
Why don't you take the lead in bringing your city together? Simply reach out to other youth workers in your community and seize this moment. God has put you in leadership for such a time as this. We can do this!
___________
Dan is the founder and executive director of Allies Ministries in the Greater Twin Cities and Beyond - Minneapolis/St. Paul. Their mission is to build partnership to reach and mentor youth for Christ.