The Love Your Hood Challenge

Back in 2009, a group of pastors in the Denver area met with local mayor, Bob Frie, to find out what they could do to better serve the city. You’d expect a city official to muster a response along the lines of raising taxes or adding special programs or more services, right? Nope.

He simply responded, “get people to know their neighbors.”†

Mayor Frie said, “the majority of the issues that our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to become a community of great neighbors.”

Think about that for a minute.

What would happen if we spent time with the teenager whose parents weren’t home much because they’re working around the clock to make ends meet? What would happen if we brought food over to an elderly neighbor that had a hard time leaving the house? What would happen if we befriended the new family on the block? Would it drastically change their lives? Could it give them hope? Could it make them feel loved? Welcome? Accepted? Less lonely? Maybe!

Isn’t maybe enough?

How empowering (and humbling) that, “the solutions to the problems in our neighborhoods aren’t ultimately found in the government, police, schools, or even getting more people to church. The solutions lie with us.”

We can do this. We can make a difference. We can change the world — one neighbor at a time.

† The Art of Neighboring by Dave Runyon and Jay Pathak