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| Chicago Pastors, Where Are You? |
If you have paid any attention to the news lately, you can't help but notice that Chicago has been in 'the limelight,' so to speak, for a minute.
('A minute' is slang for a long while...)
Every time we look up, we hear of another shooting in Chicago. More recently-and most popularly-15 year old Hadiyah Pendleton was gunned down just a couple of weeks after she performed for events being held in Chicago celebrating the inauguration of President Barack Obama in February.
And last week, we were all heartbroken to hear the story of 6 month old Jonylah Watkins, who was shot to death in a gang style ambush meant for her father, Jonathan Watkins.
Whenever we hear stories of our children being murdered, it is heartbreaking. A child should never have to be shot down like a cold blooded criminal....
Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the country, 535 homicides in 2012, 43 in January of this year, and 14 last month. Chicago has approximately one-third of the population of NYC, but more homicides. (NYC had 419 homicides in 2012)
Clearly, there is a problem.
What really gets to me is the fact that even though New York City has three times the population and less than half of the whole church congregations within its limits (684 ministries are listed on a religious directory - the rest of the listings at whitepages.com are independent ministers who may or may not operate within an organized church setting or building)....
Chicago has over 2,000 ministries listed online - not independent ministers who minister alone to different segments of the population (i.e., nursing homes, prison, the homeless, prostitution, etc.) .... with less than a THIRD of the population of New York City!
Yet and all, Chicago has a much higher crime rate than N.Y.C.
Something is desperately wrong here!
Its been a few years since I have been to church...but when I was 'in' church, I knew of a lot of the big wigs in ministry. I almost forgot that within the city limits of Chicago are such well-known, popular preachers, such as Bishop Larry Trotter (Pastor, Sweet Holy Spirit, Bishop Horace Smith (Presiding Prelate of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World and Pastor of Apostolic Faith Church), Pastor Dan Willis (formerly from the famous community choir Pentecostals of Chicago (United Pentecostal Church affiliated) and now Pastor of The Lighthouse Church of all Nations, Rev. and Senator James Meeks (Pastor, Salem Baptist Church), Apostle Clifford Turner (Pastor and Founder, Liberty Temple Full Gospel, Rev. Clay Evans (Founder of Fellowship Baptist Church and Gospel Recording Artist), Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ--and the infamous, controversial pastor of the POTUS) and Corey Brooks (Pastor, New Beginnings Church and currently family spokesman for the parents and family of little Jonylah Watkins to the press as of late)
What's even more disturbing is that Jonylah's murder took place a few blocks from New Beginnings, where Pastor Corey Brooks is known as 'The Gangbanger Pastor.' Brooks has been trying to gear his ministry more towards outreach instead of staying within the four walls of the church building. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and he recently slept on a roof of a building as a form of outreach to the troubled South Side of Chicago, as reported in an article in the New York Times here.
With all of this 'churchin' going on (and all the anointed big wigs) and even some intervention by independent, more smaller ministries and ministers in the Chicago area, one would think that Chicago would not be plagued with such a high crime rate. I mean with more than one church on every corner, it would seem that each church could at least handle 'their block.'
With all this 'anointing' floating around in the 630 and the 773 (area codes), Chicago should be one of the safest places in the country.
But we all know that is NOT the case.
I have one question for all these preachers....
WHERE ARE YOU??????
Why is it that babies are being gunned down in their parents arms?
Why are children from good homes being shot in the back like common criminals?
Are your prayers, your 'ministering,' your outreach, your inreach, whatever it is that you do....are they working?
No, it is not.
I had to ask myself WHY is this the case? WHY is it that in one of the most churched cities in this nation-one replete with VERY popular, well known, so called 'anointed' preachers-the murder rate is SO high?
Among OUR children, to boot?
I can only surmise that the only conclusion I can come up with...one that I have been saying for a few years now...
GOD IS NOT IN YOUR CHURCHES. GOD IS NOT IN YOUR MINISTRY. And the more you go out into the streets of Chicago with your religious spirits trying to 'save the lost,' you are going to make matters worse.
I mean, even the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton couldn't help curb the tide.
It's going to take THE PEOPLE OF CHICAGO to turn the tide there.
- It means ratting some folks (criminals) out.
- It means parenting your kids.
- It means STOP trusting the preacher with your kids (I mean, come on. Larry Trotter's in the tub with his grandbaby! WHAT is he gonna tell you about raising kids?)
- It means, brothers, you're gonna have to step up and be the men in that community. It DOES take a village.
As much as I hate guns, I don't think gun control is going to solve the problem here. I also don't think trying to hold this city's woes over the POTUS is going to help anything either. He is the POTUS, NOT just Chicago.
No, this is a job for the people of Chicago.
Look, I grew up in New Orleans. At one point the murder rate in N.O. was almost 400. It's now less than half that today. With LESS of a police force than what was present PRE-Katrina.
AND less churches.
Less money. Less jobs. Less outreach ministries.
I think what Katrina did for N.O. is it brought people together. More people down there look out for one another now. We have some great people in office now (like my former boss, Senator Wesley T. Bishop and a family friend the Honorable Benedict E. Willard) who not only offers mentoring and community help when needed, but then they buckle down and do a great job in their respective offices.
From what I can tell, politics in Chicago is, at best, shady. Hopefully, it won't take a natural disaster wiping out 1000s to get that community to work together.
But I can suggest....STRONGLY suggest...that Chicago STOP depending upon the local pastors and churches. They are not helping.
If you have to get connected to a ministry that is really helping the community in Chicago, try The Night Ministry (offering assistance to the homeless), Emmaus Ministries (helps men get out of the prostitution game), or Breakthrough (another homeless intervention program and youth services).
These ministries seems to be developing and could use all the help they can get.
Ministry that is geared more towards providing the practical needs of the community are much more effective than most denominational and non-denominational churches and ministries.
****CHICAGO CHURCHES AND PASTORS, TAKE NOTE*****
It's time to INTERVENE..outside of your traditional boundaries. Shut down your ceiled palaces, put your egos down, pull together and STOP THIS MADNESS that is going on in your streets. RIGHT in your backyards!
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