The
Good Neighbor Team is the group of people who are leading Duke Memorial
in building relationships with people around the church.
Whereas the Dinner and Discussions focus on issues in Durham, the Good
Neighbor Team focuses on people and places.
When our church asks the question, “Who is my neighbor?” the answers are
almost limitless. We all have neighbors in our own neighborhoods, at
work, where we eat and play, at school, or at the schools our kids go
to. But does Duke Memorial have neighbors as a community? One way that
we share common neighbors is by our church’s geographic location.
Although members of the church come from all around Durham, we share
this common space for worship, prayer, meals, small groups, meetings,
and office space.
So
as we begin to get to know our neighbors, the area surrounding the
church is a great place to start. By doing this, we bear witness to
Christ by loving our neighbors as a community.
This
narrows the scope of our vision to get to know our neighbors just a
bit. But as a downtown church, there are still many places to choose
from. So we focused it a little more.
We
looked at a map that shows everything within a .5 mile radius of our
church. We identified two places to begin with: The Henderson Towers and
the West End Neighborhood. Why did we choose these places? The first
reason, as I already stated, is their proximity.
The
second reason is that these are residential places. While we hope to
build relationships in the near future with the businesses, agencies,
and schools surrounding us, we know that the home is the most
foundational place to a person’s life - it determines what they see at
the beginning and the end of the day, where the family gathers, where
the children go to school, just to name a few things.
The
third reason is that we already have relationships established with
these places. In the 1990’s we helped to build and provide volunteers
for the West End Community Center. We’ve also built Habitat Houses in
the West End. We have held events at the Henderson Towers, and they have
asked us for assistance with their programming.
The
final reason for choosing these two places is that they have
historically been considered under-resourced. The Henderson Towers is a
low-rent public housing facility for people who are elderly and
disabled. The West End is a small neighborhood with Chapel Hill St.,
Anderson St., Arnette Ave., and Morehead Ave. as its boundaries.
What's the first step in building relationships with these places? Seeing. Oftentimes places that are named “under-resourced” are viewed
first through the lens of their needs. This starting point overlooks the
dignity and capacity of people and assets in the places. Instead, we
start with the worth and gifts of the people, and the resources.
This
is where we are right now. We’re beginning to make contacts with the
leaders in the neighborhoods and getting to know all the assets - from
businesses to programs to parks - that are in the West End and at the
Henderson Towers. This is a journey that we hope will continue for many
years ahead. And it’s a journey that the whole church can be a part of. If you're wondering where you can begin, you can start by seeing these places and the people there as your neighbors. Stay tuned for more ways to get involved!
- Reynolds
