Christmas Card 2013 - God's Politicians

2013 has been the year of my discontent.  That has extended into Christmas.  For whatever reason, this Christmas, at least to me, has been unsettled.  Maybe it’s because I have been busy.  Maybe it’s because Thanksgiving was so late.  Maybe it’s because the news is so bad and so many people are struggling.  In that kind of atmosphere, it’s hard to find that warm and fuzzy Christmas card experience.  Besides…those of us in the political realm operate on the underside fringe which...well…isn’t exactly Silent Night.

One of the challenges for me and my party over these past few years has been to outreach into non-traditional Republican areas.   In the process, I have come to the conclusion the best politicians understand the real meaning of politics.  At its core it is all about helping people.  Good politics is learning about the strengths and weaknesses of a community, and helping those trying to achieve success in a difficult world.

In my political journey, I have come across many interesting people.  Among the most compelling are a group of local, unsung heroes achieving great things on their own with little help from any government agency.  It is a faith based community called the Spanish Evangelical Church on the east side of Youngstown. 

My good friend Ray who is an African American Republican Conservative (yes…they do exist!) asked a group of us to assist the good folks at the “Spanish E” in a food distribution project outside of their church the Saturday before Thanksgiving.   It was snowy, windy and very cold.

Here is what I found…one of the most dynamic and dedicated group of folks doing God’s work with a passion rooted in the strength of their faith, core values, and family.  This is the nicest group of people I have met in a long time.

Here is what they achieved.  This group of folks with a rich Hispanic heritage was just finishing construction of their brand new $1.3 million dollar church facility built on the edge of one of the less desirable areas in Youngstown.  In a complete leap of faith, these good folks put down cash for more than half of the cost of the church, building in an area most people would avoid.  I asked the Pastor why he would build the church at this location and not in the suburbs.  His answer was straight forward.  God’s work is here.  Our church is here. Our work is here. 

The church was yet to be finished.  It was heated and provided shelter, but the members were still laying the flooring and other finishing touches.  The bathrooms weren’t working yet, but would be by the middle of the week.  And they stood out in their unpaved parking lot in that terrible weather and distributed groceries for more than 100 turkey dinners to folks who needed a hand up. 

The church was finally completed, and this past Sunday Ray and some of us attended church services to see the final result.  It was an uplifting experience as salsa praised God in Spanish and English.  The service was true celebration.  The sermon was called “Are We an Obstacle to God’s Work?” and talked of the need for faith to do God’s work…including building a church where no one else would build a church. 

Outreach, whatever the motivation, is something we should do for each other, especially this time of year.  When we started this project, I thought we were reaching out to the Hispanic community.  What I found was a solid church reaching out to others less fortunate making our city a better place, welcoming all comers to be nourished in faith and to help others in faith.  That is true outreach.  We can all learn a lesson from these great Americans. At the “Spanish E” you will find God’s politicians.

The church is going to be dedicated in January, and I hope to attend with my new found friends and thank them for my Christmas Card  2013 on Youngstown’s east side. Merry Christmas.