Sinking down roots

After several weeks of deliberating over places to live, two friends and I just signed a lease to move into a duplex in Northeast Minneapolis.  I am excited to move into a neighborhood where I already know several families.  My roommates and I hope this will provide new opportunities to share Christ with neighbors and show them hospitality.  I also look forward to forming deeper roots in Northeast.

One of the realities of our world today is that, compared to previous centuries, people do not stay rooted in the same place very long.  Even if we do, we often lose focus on pouring into our communities and giving back to them.  Today I read an article by Chuck Colson on this topic.  He speaks of Dutch Reformed communities in Michigan who, unlike most of us, have sunk their roots deep. 

It's a pleasant concept, but I didn't think much of its importance until I read this paragraph:

"This Reformation-influenced vision continues, which is why Ottawa County was so successful when, a few years ago, then-Governor John Engler challenged Michigan counties to get jobs for all able-bodied welfare recipients. Ottawa County asked its 250 churches to help; 60 signed up. Within a year, the welfare rolls were emptied." 

 I guess when we care about our community and plan to stay we naturally invest in it.  I hope this will become more true of me as the months and years go on.  To quote Colson in closing:

C. S. Lewis, who lived in the same Oxford house most of his adult life, put it well: As Christians, we can't love the whole world. But we should remember that God has placed us in a specific community at a particular time. We're called to love those around us. Loving them means serving them—and in doing so, we become the best of citizens.