Only God Could Have Known

“Looking back, I see what was once considered a cause of anxiousness when first announced has now become a great source of encouragement. Only God could have known how much a move like this would grow and change us as individuals, as a church.” –Lead Pastor Jackson Crum

Average Weekly Attendance: 1,850 (three campuses)
Lead Pastor Jackson Crum
Information Provided By: Lead Pastor Jackson Crum


A 100-year-old dry-good warehouse on the edge of a notorious neighborhood became the settling ground for our services and office space in July 2008. God graciously led us to an area that transformed our building into a bridge between the Cabrini Green public housing projects and the $600,000-plus condos and lofts of the Near North neighborhood.

Before our eyes, this area is changing. The public housing of Cabrini Green is coming down, and in its place, mixed-income housing is being built. Those who are on public assistance are now living next door to those who paid market value for their condos. From around the country, cities are looking on, waiting to see the outcome of mixed-income housing ventures such as this.

More than a year and a half ago, as we prepared to move into our new neighborhood, our teaching centered aroundon what it means to live like a good neighbor in Chicago as opposed to a tourist. A tourist, for the most part, comes to a city to only enjoy what the city offers and is not concerned with the needs of the city or the people. Tourists can leave it all behind. On the other hand, a neighbor chooses to make an investment in the city in which he or she lives. A neighbor spends time giving, sharing, participating. Living like a good neighbor is a high value for us. Being a good neighbor is one who is both engaged in sharing the Good News of grace in Jesus and also seeking to meet the needs of others in His name.

As we thought about making a move to our new neighborhood, we took time to understand the needs here and the current resources available. We asked ourselves what we might bring to our neighbors and how we could use our strengths to meet their needs. One of the first things we did, after much discussion and prayer, was to adopt a school one block away from our building.

I’ll never forget when I walked over and introduced myself to the principle for the first time. To say she was a bit skeptical would be a gross understatement.

The week before school started, we hosted a lunch for the teachers and administration. That afternoon, I shared with them that we did not want anything from them. I told them that we were seeking to give and asked them what they thought we could provide. Our approach surprised the staff of the school and whatever skepticism they had soon melted away.

Our first project was to reorganize the school’s library. I think it was a test to see how serious we were going to be to this school. When they saw the excellence of the job our volunteers provided, they invited us into other areas of the school. Since then, we have placed teacher helpers in their classrooms. We have partnered with many of the teachers to provide tutoring to the C-level students who are often overlooked in the classroom. Our medical folks have mobilized themselves and offered free medical exams for children. As a churchwide initiative, we helped them purchase new school uniforms. We have connected with the Chicago Public School Web site used by the teachers to post projects where they need funding outside of their budget.

Our church community is learning several lessons. The neighbors we are serving at our adopted school are not like us. In some ways, we could not be more different socially, educationally and in our life experiences. Yet, at the same time, we are just alike. Our neighbors are people in need just like we are. As followers of Jesus, we know all too well what it means to be served in a way we could never provide for ourselves. Jesus became poor so that we might become rich. In our spiritual richness, we seek to serve others. We serve not to make us feel better. We serve not out of guilt. We serve because we desire to live out the implications of the Gospel.

We are learning that the serving of our neighbors does not make us righteous. It does not gain us points with Jesus. We have no more favor with God than before. We are already entirely known and fully loved. Nor do we use it as a platform for self-righteous behavior. We seek to remind ourselves that apart from the grace of God, we stand in deep spiritual need.

We also are learning to stand with our neighbors in the injustices done to them. Recently a man was shot and killed at the corner right below my office window one late night. His car rolled across the street and came to rest against our building. Two weeks later, we gathered our folks in the street at the corner where the shooting took place. We stood shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors and prayed that God would be justice and peace to our neighborhood.

We are learning that God has given those at Park gifts and positions of influence to be used for the sake of others to serve in the name of Jesus.

Most recently, we have hosted an annual Christmas Store. Ground was laid for this event several years prior through the influence of Christian Community Development Association and a special relationship with Dr. Robert Lupton, who serves on the association’s board and challenged our thinking about the difference between ”betterment and development.” He unpacked the theology of ownership and identity found in the Old Testament and how that applies to urban America and the restoration of dignity in charity. We have given expression of this primarily through a yearly Toy Store initiative where the church collects unwrapped new toys and then re-sells them to people who could not otherwise afford to buy their kids presents, for 90 percent off. This way parents get the joy of seeing their kids open up presents on Christmas morning that they bought with their money. It is not a toy from some well-meaning stranger that is handed to a kid (who is glad to receive) but, as Dr. Lupton says, further emasculates the father as once again not being able to provide for his own children. It has shown us a more dignified, biblical approach to charity. It was, without doubt, one of the more powerful interactions I have seen between our folks and our community.

I will forever remember the simple words spoken by one of the school administrators at the 8th-grade graduation ceremony we hosted in our auditorium. He stood up and said to us, “Park has followed through on everything they have promised to us. We are very grateful.” We have had parents stop us and thank us for our involvement in the school and their lives and those of their children.

Looking back, I see what was once considered a cause of anxiousness when first announced has now become a great source of encouragement. Only God could have known how much a move like this would grow and change us as individuals, as a church.

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