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(108,903 posts) Sun May 5, 2013, 07:04 AM May 2013

The Neighboring Movement: A Simple, Radical Idea

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/05/05/the-neighboring-movement-a-simple-radical-idea.html

When the Bible commanded Christians to love their neighbors, what if it really meant what it says? That’s the simple, radical idea behind the “Neighboring Movement”—a group of pastors, church members, and civic leaders around the country that may be coming to a neighborhood near you.

In January 2009, a group of churches in Arvada, Colorado—a community of about 100,000 people northwest of Denver—concluded that they weren’t doing enough to help their city. Arvada was facing an aging population, a relative dearth of services for seniors, and a rising number of homeless individuals and families across the community.

The pastors of around two dozen congregations requested a meeting with the mayor of Arvada, Bob Frie, a local attorney and political veteran. In a small meeting room at a local church, the two sides got together to hash out how congregations could help solve the city’s challenges. The clergy had big ideas for community interventions, from after-school programs to food pantries, but Mayor Frie had something else in mind.

“There are a lot of issues that face our community,” Frie told the pastors. “But the majority of them would be drastically reduced if we just became good neighbors. If we took Jesus seriously when he said to love God, and love your neighbor.”