Peace Be With You
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle B
"Peace be with you. Peace be with you."
Handshakes were shared around the sanctuary. Many people hugged. Some slapped a "high-five" while others started chitchatting. "Peace be with you" echoed throughout the church.
But just outside the church was another world. A world where gangs hung out. More accurately, one gang hung out in the church alley. Other gangs were chased away. It was not strange to hear gunshots in the night. It was not uncommon to hear of drive-by shootings. It was all too often that funerals included innocent victims of gang rivalry.
This was life outside the walls of St. Mark's. It was punctuated by violence, oppression, and poverty. Most of the parishioners were former gang members. Many were single parents. Most children belonged to the neighborhood gang. And everyone respected the power of the gang's potential.
The potential for violence was everywhere in this area. What was once a middle-class neighborhood of immigrants working at the shipyards was now a run-down area where drug dealers worked. Teen pregnancy was accepted as the norm. Welfare was a fact of life.
People who weren't from this area avoided it like the plague. They didn't know the inner workings. They didn't know who did what. They just stayed away.
But not Pastor Jerry. He had come twelve years ago and was still there. He didn't like the violence and spoke out against it as often as he could. But he also understood economics, pride, and loyalty. He understood the language of the inner city.
It was not a peaceful area, but the inside of the church was sacred. He did not tolerate hats, bandanas, offensive clothing, weapons, or disrespect inside his church. The first year was difficult as he gently told children that they were welcome but they would have to return home to change clothes if they wanted to attend worship service. His windows were broken out many times. His tires were slashed routinely. But he wouldn't budge. The church would not be a place of this kind of behavior.
And it worked. Word got out that Pastor Jerry didn't put up with certain things. When people entered this church, there was quiet. There was respect. It was sacred ground.
Handshakes were shared around the sanctuary. Many people hugged. Some slapped a "high-five" while others started chitchatting. "Peace be with you" echoed throughout the church.
But just outside the church was another world. A world where gangs hung out. More accurately, one gang hung out in the church alley. Other gangs were chased away. It was not strange to hear gunshots in the night. It was not uncommon to hear of drive-by shootings. It was all too often that funerals included innocent victims of gang rivalry.
This was life outside the walls of St. Mark's. It was punctuated by violence, oppression, and poverty. Most of the parishioners were former gang members. Many were single parents. Most children belonged to the neighborhood gang. And everyone respected the power of the gang's potential.
The potential for violence was everywhere in this area. What was once a middle-class neighborhood of immigrants working at the shipyards was now a run-down area where drug dealers worked. Teen pregnancy was accepted as the norm. Welfare was a fact of life.
People who weren't from this area avoided it like the plague. They didn't know the inner workings. They didn't know who did what. They just stayed away.
But not Pastor Jerry. He had come twelve years ago and was still there. He didn't like the violence and spoke out against it as often as he could. But he also understood economics, pride, and loyalty. He understood the language of the inner city.
It was not a peaceful area, but the inside of the church was sacred. He did not tolerate hats, bandanas, offensive clothing, weapons, or disrespect inside his church. The first year was difficult as he gently told children that they were welcome but they would have to return home to change clothes if they wanted to attend worship service. His windows were broken out many times. His tires were slashed routinely. But he wouldn't budge. The church would not be a place of this kind of behavior.
And it worked. Word got out that Pastor Jerry didn't put up with certain things. When people entered this church, there was quiet. There was respect. It was sacred ground.
