“And now faith, hope, and love remain, these three.…” 1 Corinthians 13:13
Dear Friends and Co-laborers:
Joe and I love maps! Yes, we do use Google Maps but we don’t take off on a cross country trip without our atlas. It’s good to see the big picture as we go and spot the rest areas. Signs help us plan and point us in the right direction.
On our recent road trip through the southeast, we stopped in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to visit some long-time friends who took us to Old Salem to see the Moravian settlement from the eighteenth century. We walked the streets, going in and out of century-old buildings that served for homes, businesses, training, or places of worship. We strolled through the great expanse of the Moravian cemetery, with its identical markers in areas assigned to married women, married men, single women, single men, and children. Through all of these I was struck by the physical remains left of a community of Christians, years after they no longer are present.
We continued our travels and visited several current Christian communities: Grace and Main in Danville, Virginia, Jubilee Partners in Comer, Georgia, and Alterna in La Grange, Georgia. The question occurred to me, are there signs of kingdom values being created in their respective locations. Grace and Main has been around for 10 years, Jubilee Partners is celebrating 40 years and Alterna has been around for several years. What will the evidence be of their time on earth after they are no longer around?
Josh and Jessica Hearne, part of Grace and Main, welcomed us warmly, and after a visit in their home took us on a tour of Danville and the five other Grace and Main households. They told us their story of how they grew out of a simple bible study in which people began asking honest questions about how to be disciples of Jesus in this out-of-the-way, economically depressed, small town. They were drawn to homeless folks, most of whom are the product of generational poverty.
They are currently nine leader-members with another 10 or more in their larger circle. Each of their six households welcomes one or two homeless people into their home to live with them. The new residents become part of the household; they set their goals and with their housemates’ encouragement proceed to take the steps that can take them to stability.
One of the Grace and Main households is run by two-previously homeless men, now member-leaders of the community. Now, they in turn, are offering hospitality to others. Their creativity has led them to build a barn and establish a “tool library” for the neighborhood. Next to their home and abutting a wooded area, is a field where Jessica and others are experimenting in different methods of agriculture.
The people of Grace and Main worship together, though they are also involved in local churches. The community is active in efforts to help create equity and justice through city ordinances and policies.
The evidence of a Christ-centered community in Danville is visible in the warm hospitality that is offered to those who rarely receive a welcome, and endures over time in the stories that are told and passed on to others. Dan, one of the formerly-homeless, gave testimony to me of the peace, and the sense of belonging and contribution he now has contrasted with his life of wandering and disconnectedness before Grace and Main.