PO Box 7384 • Salem OR 97303 • (503) 315-8924 • www.salemlf.org
THE FANCY NEWSLETTER
August 2013
Block parties. Barbecues. Knowing your neighbors. These are concepts you’ve read
about often here in the Fancy Newsletter. ‘Loving Neighbor’ and ‘Building Neighborhood’ are familiar phrases, not just in SLF circles any more, but all over Salem-Keizer.
How thrilling it was to walk into church one Sunday and learn we were about to embark
on a 6-week series entitled “The Art of Neighboring.” And what a series it was! Then my
colleague DJ Vincent got me the book … WOW! I heartily recommend it for your
summer-reading book bag. The authors are a pair of pastors who discovered the richness
of the Greatest Commandment lived out in 21st Century urban and suburban American neighborhoods.
It’s common sense … it’s what our grandparents did routinely … it’s what the scriptures proclaim …
all rediscovered and redeployed for the Gospel transformation of people and place.
The premise is simple. Get to know the people and families on your block. The statistics are
shocking. Only 10% of people can name eight neighbors who live around them. Only 3% of people
know something about them beyond their names. The book encourages us to “meet and love your
neighbors.” Not with Bible tracts and crusade invitations. Rather, with the simple acts of daily life.
Learning their names. Their kids’ names. Listening to their stories. Eating! Sharing life around
barbecues, football games, favorite recipes, gardening, school. It doesn’t mean you become
everyone’s best friend. But it does mean you know them, you listen to their stories, and you’re there
for them when they need you. And vice versa.
The book is built around the Greatest Commandment as recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark,
and Luke. Jesus instructs his followers to love God with everything (heart, soul, mind, strength); and
love neighbor as self. In the modern age, cars and garage doors and TVs and computers make it easy
to cocoon up and avoid contact with people. Is that our spiritual call? To insulate ourselves from the
people around us? Or is our call to engage, to serve, to build relationships, to love. It can seem so
hard. The book helps make it easy. Easy steps, easy to read, easy to put into practice.
In the book, I was particularly interested to learn how the two pastor-authors got started. They were
praying with 20 pastors in the Denver area. They felt led to impact and transform their community.
They approached the mayor and asked “What can we as churches do to help?” The mayor said,
“deploy the Greatest Commandment; love your neighbor.” It was so simple. It was so obvious.
And, the authors admitted, it was a bit embarrassing that the mayor provided the epiphany. They got
busy encouraging their congregations. Block parties. Barbecues. Fixing gutters. Sharing tools.
Picking up garbage. Visiting shut-ins. Volunteering at school. Community gardens. Hmm … sounds
kinda familiar, doesn’t it? God is moving in cities around the world, including Shalom, Oregon.
What’s Your Neighborhood?
Here’s the link to the story in the Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14953962
SPEAKING OF BLOCK PARTIES … As recommended in “The Art of Neighboring,” block parties are a
great way to meet neighbors and start building relationships. Block parties can occur any time of year, but
we just happen to be coming up on National Night Out—the Mt. Everest of block parties. On Tuesday,
August 6, there will be street parties, alley parties, cul-de-sac parties, church-parking-lot parties, ice cream
socials, live music, fireworks … or sometimes just a few neighbors gathered ‘round the Traeger. Both
Salem and Keizer encourage residents to register their NNO parties … last year there were close to 200!
Not to mention the dozens of smaller get-togethers that happened spontaneously. You can literally pull out
the lawn chairs and the BBQ that afternoon (or any afternoon, for that matter!). National Night Out started
as a way to reduce crime and make neighborhoods safer. But, as the authors of “Neighboring” show us, a
block party is the first step on the journey of transformation. For our neighbors, and ourselves. Party on!
NEW ‘CaN CENTERS’ COMING ON LINE. We hinted at it last month … then we announced it at the
Fancy Dessert. Three churches coming on board as contracted CaN Centers. Keep in mind, any church
that significantly serves its neighborhood is a bonafide CaN Center. There are upwards of 65 of them all
over Salem-Keizer. A ‘contracted’ CaN Center is one that formally enters a three-year partnership with
SLF to start and/or expand programming. Such is the case with Northgate Community Church and New
Hope Foursquare. (The third site will start this Fall.) They provide neighbor-strengthening programs like
Celebrate Recovery, English classes, food pantries, community gardens, Young Lives (teen moms/Young
Life), and school partnerships. They join the 17 other CaN churches that have contracted with SLF and
continue to provide significant outreach. While we’re at it, we’d like to thank United Way for supporting
the CaN Centers Collaborative with a two-year, $40,000 contract! This is a great partnership and we are
grateful not only for the funding, but for the opportunity to work each month with United Way staff and the
other collaborative partners. Likewise, we salute the Herbert A. Templeton Foundation for the $10,500
grant it recently awarded to our CaN-do work. To learn more about the whole “CaN thing,” please attend
our monthly meetings, which are held from 11:30 – 1 p.m. (free lunch) on the first Wednesday of each
month. Contact Lindsey Walker (Lindsey@salemLF.org, 503-315-8924) to RSVP.
JOIN US FOR ‘THE GREAT SALEM RACE’ AUGUST 17! It’s the ultimate Salem scavenger hunt and
team-building experience. Discover Salem secrets, visit downtown businesses, learn about non-profits,
solve the challenging clues and have a great time! Groups of 2-4 participants (kids welcome!) will follow
clues around the downtown core and have a great time supporting SLF and the Boys and Girls Club.
Families, friends, co-workers, churches, youth groups, sports teams, and businesses are all encouraged to
dress up and show up: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Salem Convention Center’s south courtyard. This is the
event’s second year and the goal is 300 teams. Enthusiastically birthed and promoted by the Salem Area
Young Professionals. Cost is $35 per team; register online at: http://thegreatsalemrace.com/gsr2013