three cheers for city mission of schenectady!

when one reads stories about pentecostal pastors faking leukemia in order to cover up sexual sins and focus on the family "humorously" calling for its rapidly diminishing audience to pray for rains of biblical proportions to wash away obama's acceptance speech it is easy to lament the current state of evangelicalism.

fortunately, as i was reminded today, there are still thousands of integrous, passionate evangelical organizations such as city mission of schenectady that are serving both their communities and Lord remarkably well. today the entire quadrilateral development crew had the privilege of touring city mission's remarkable campus where the formerly homeless and working poor are offered a home, given opportunities for holistic life development and are sent back into communities as contributors and healers. throughout the day mike, their executive director, and liz, their development director, taught us not only why relationships are the key to mission, but also taught us how to establish relationships as the key of our development program.

i would like to thank jim, liz and everyone at city mission for hosting us for the day and providing me with the most amazing illustration of john perkins' and the christian community development association's focus on redistribution, relocation and reconciliation that i have ever experienced.