Poverty is one main cause for the decay in our inner cities. Poverty leads to hopelessness in the lives of many kids who were born into a world where they were forced to fight to survive at a very young age.
The truth is that we need more help in fighting this battle in the inner city. We need less programs and more volunteers to mentor and walk through life with these kids. Our time and our love are the two greatest gifts we can give to many of these awesome kids.
God has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In order to accomplish that, we must ask two important questions. First, who is my neighbor? Is he/she African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, rich or poor, educated or uneducated?
Secondly, do I love them as I love myself? Am I spending on them, like I do myself? Is my life split 50/50 with my desires and needs, and the desire to meet the basic needs for others? If we don’t view these youth as our brothers and sisters (neighbors) then we will always have an excuse not to go where the need is great. We urge you to get involved in the inner city and find out just how awesome these kids are.
God has called the leaders at One7 to take Jesus to these neighborhoods and to show the love of Christ with our actions and words, while sharing about the incredible plan God has for all children, no matter what environments they were born into. Only Jesus can bring life, peace, stability, and love into the hearts of these youth.