by Mike Herman, urban missionary of Campus Crusade for Christ
We have worked in Compton for almost 15 years and lived here for 11. Thousands of people have been here much longer, but we are unique because we are white.
Rarely have we talked to someone from outside our community, state, or even country that has never heard of Compton. Our city is internationally known because of movies and rap music depicting modern American inner-city life. Compton is infamous for birthing "Gangsta' rap" and the Bloods gang, for drive-by shootings, for drugs, for staying on the "Most Dangerous Cities in America list"…in general it's a place people want to stay far-away from.
Because we are an unlikely minority here, we are often asked questions like, "Do you know where you are?" (as if we got off on the wrong exit from the freeway) or "Why do you live there?"
Sometimes this question is from friends or acquaintances from the ministerial community, sometimes by someone else who is white community, sometimes it is from people we have met here in Compton. Often times it is a question asked by our local law enforcement.
People find it perplexing, confusing, and even inconceivable that a (relatively) young white couple would actually choose to live in a community such as this, not to mention raising our two (white) children here.
Generally, we assure them that we are (mostly) normal people that have felt the call of God to relocate to this community; even though there are struggles and difficulties, we feel that we have the best job in the world. We try to illuminate how God is moving and transforming lives and our community as a whole. We have always assured them that in all these years we have rarely seen or ever been a part of any major incident that has put us in danger.
Until now.
This past Saturday our house was hit with a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting on our street. Around 10 pm we had finished putting up our Christmas tree and sent our kids to their room to prepare for bed. My wife and I were sitting in the living room and our 20 year-old godson (who has lived with us for three years) was in his room across from us. All of a sudden we heard shots ring out and immediately realized they were very close to us. Toward the end of what seemed to be a very long stream of bullets we heard a loud cracking-pinging-thump sound. We knew our house was hit somewhere and we all dove to the floor.
Just as suddenly as it started it was over. I cautiously stood and moved toward the front door. Looking out the peep hole first, I then ventured outside to see some neighbors already out and surveying the situation. The Sheriffs arrived quickly and the story came together slowly.
Apparently, a truck traveling perpendicular to our street was shooting at a suspected gang member running down our sidewalk. (We found later that the young man shot was not expected to live.) The bullet hitting the frame of our living room bay window missed our window by less than 1/2 an inch.
As we spent time afterwards processing and praying together as a family, our overwhelming emotion was not fear but GRATITUDE.
For years we have set our hopes upon the promise of Psalm 91 – that we "dwell in the shelter of the Most High" and do not have to "fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day." That confidence has never before been challenged, but now that it could be – we actually feel more confident than ever, because we have actually EXPERIENCED Psalm 91.
It is overwhelming when we consider the many ways that God was with us that night. First and foremost to us, our children were not in the living room when the shooting happened – they had been in the back only about 5 minutes.
Secondly, they were playing Christmas music so loud they heard NOTHING. (They are still unaware that a bullet hit our house -- we will tell them when we think it's appropriate.) Had the bullet entered our window, no one would have been hit due to our positions in the house, but the emotional trauma would have been more severe, especially for Syd and Zach. (As it is, we are watching for any signs of trauma or distress; we are processing with them their perceptions and fears as they come up.)
Our first summer in urban ministry we were challenged on how to perceive the inner-city. Do we see a particular community as a Sodom & Gomorrah or a Nineveh?
In Genesis 18, God informs Abraham that he plans to destroy the city of Sodom because of its wickedness. Abraham pleads with God not to destroy Sodom, and God agrees that he would not destroy the city if there were 50 righteous people in it, then 45, then 30, then 20, or even ten righteous people. Only one righteous person was found living in Sodom. Consequently, God destroyed the city.
In the book of Jonah, Nineveh was an evil city that needed to be condemned. God sent Jonah to preach to Nineveh and its population. So Jonah finally goes and enters the city crying, "In forty days Nineveh shall be destroyed." The people of Nineveh believed his word and initiated a fast. The king of Nineveh put on sackcloth and ashes and made a proclamation to decree fasting, prayer, and repentance. God saw these reactions and spared the city.
So now that the violence has touched our home, has it changed how do we see Compton? Our answer: We see Compton as more like Nineveh than ever.
We can and will not dismiss the lives that are being touched and changed, the churches coming together in unity and mission, even the non-Christians that are getting involved in the transformation. The new slogan of the city is, "Birthing a New Compton", and that is exactly what is happening.
- Jesus, one of our 17 year old soccer players recently said, "I have never thought of going to college before coming to Compton United".
- Jose, another 17 year old soccer player, has taken many of his high school friends to the high school youth ministry. His influence continues to grow among his friends.
- Ramiro will graduate next year from college with a degree in Kinesiology. His goal is to teacher and coach in Compton, ministering to youth like himself.
- Louquitta, our oldest S.A.Y. Yes! alum, received her Master's Degree from Howard University and is now a social worker. She moved to Atlanta a few years back to help plant a very dynamic church there. (We still pray God might call her back to Compton someday!)
- Over 20 different churches have participated in the 'Compton Initiative' clean-up days, rehabbing many, many houses, churches and parks in the city over the last 3 years.
- Saddleback Church from south Orange County has chosen the 'Compton Initiative' movement to help launch their domestic P.E.A.C.E Plan; they average bringing 500 volunteers to our Compton day every two months.
- We have group after group volunteering to come to Compton for short-term ministry projects. In fact, Compton is becoming somewhat of a ministry training ground for these groups.
- We see economic development happening all around us. From Target, Staples, Best Buy, and TGIF Friday's, Compton is experiencing an economic renewal that has exceeded expectations.
God's calling on our lives is clear. We are some of the Jonahs sent to Nineveh to proclaim our Lord and learn to love our neighbors well.
Does a shooting change that? The answer is simply no. Is it always easy? No. We live in a desperate community with many desperate people. But Romans 5:20,21 tells us where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. This is the truth that we stand upon.
We never know what will happen next, what challenge or obstacle will rear its head. However, we do love our city, its people, and its future. We hope to be here for many years to come, seeing God’s grace fill this place.
Brian McLaren (