Greetings, Nearby Neighbors!

“Why are you doing all this?” my husband demanded, looking at the stack of 6"×9" envelopes I’d been signing, folding and stuffing for days. I had to admit that it was a question I had frequently asked myself.

My plan had been to send a letter inviting those living on my street and in the roughly ten-year-old development across from the home we have lived in for these past forty-some years.

“I’m doing this,” I responded to David (but mostly to myself), “because every time I turn around the word NEIGHBOR pops up.”

“Love your neighbor as yourself” is a frequent teaching of Christ. Frequent enough that I have been running into it time and again, in the Old and New Testament and as it has been quoted in other people’s writings on neighboring.

In the book The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door, co-pastors Jay Pathak & David Runyon develop a cohesive program for members in their entire church to be engaged with the neighborhoods where they live.

Since David and I have been too busy to reach out to our neighbors, and since for years we had no neighbors to speak of across the street, just acres and acres of woods, I admit that I feel convicted by my lack. We not only haven’t taken time to love our neighbors, we don’t even know our neighbors’ names!

I thought there were probably 40 or so new and lovely homes built across the street. A satellite photo of that community indicated there were 200-some homes! (Notice the satellite photo below.)

I think prepped all these letters as an act of obedience. Perhaps of contrition. I tried to make folding and stuffing devotional, accompanied by prayerful intercession. Negative thoughts can be overwhelming such as, We don’t really live in the development across the street. Who’s going to think I should be doing this? Or, What if no one responds? Probably, no one will respond.

Reminding myself that obedience to that inner nudge (or nagging) is my only responsibility wasn’t hard. I have lived long enough to know that the results, such as they are or when we don’t have a hound-dog clue as to what they are—these are all up to God.

We’re including said letter in this Soulish Food. It just might stimulate some ideas of your own. And if any of you are a better neighbor than I am, shoot us what it is your community or block or church is doing to encourage the Body of Christ, outside the walls of a physical ecclesiastical building, to build genuine relationships beyond your own private doors. Sharing good ideas will help us all!

October 2019

Greetings Nearby Neighbors!

Let me introduce myself. My name is Karen Mains, and my husband, David, and I have lived at the brown house with the circle drive at 29W377 Hawthorne Lane for forty years. I’m an author with 23 books published, and my husband spent 20 years in religious broadcasting with a daily national radio show (on 500 stations across the country), and for six of those years, a daily television show on 70 outlets.

Over the last year, I’ve conducted a lot of research (writers are always researching!) into the loss of neighborliness in the United States. The statistics on loneliness are appalling. Some 27% of Americans say they have no one in whom they can confide. Suicide levels are rising.

We are, alas, becoming a culture of isolation.

I’m wondering if any of you would like to work on a “good neighbor initiative” with me. I’m intrigued about exploring ideas as to how we can create neighborliness in this “hood” where West Hawthorne Lane acts as a geographic perimeter.

If you are interested in any way, send me an email and we’ll set up a time to gather and talk:
karen@hungrysouls.org

In case you’re interested, I’m enclosing the bibliography of books on this current social dilemma. Most are great reads.

One of the concepts that intrigues me is that of skill-sharing. For instance, I am an avid gardener and would be more than happy to continue my Free Plant Giveaways in the spring. What can you do? Can you teach how to construct simple garden structures? Are you great at cooking pierogis? Or are you a master baker? Can you advise how to change that electrical outlet?

If this concept of building community strikes an interest, those of us who are intrigued and want to participate can build an actual case study of creating community and use our real-life learning as the basis for publishing articles, newspaper reportage, digital platforms—and out of all that we might have a book written by folks in the “hood.”

The possibilities are intriguing! Let me know if you are intrigued!

Karen Mains

P.S. By the way, the Mainses are guilty of not being good neighbors! We finally have some margins in our lives to correct our own neglect.

Reminder!

The Soulish Food e-mails are being posted biweekly on the Hungry Souls Web site. Newcomers can look that over and decide if they want to register on the Web site to receive the biweekly newsletter. You might want to recommend this to friends also. They can go to www.HungrySouls.org.

Hungry Souls Contact Information

ADDRESS: 29W377 Hawthorne Lane
West Chicago, IL 60185
PHONE: 630-293-4500
EMAIL: karen@hungrysouls.org

Karen Mains

BOOK CORNER

The Art of Neighboring
by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon

I like The Art of Neighboring because pastors Pathak and Runyon have challenged their entire church to build genuine relationships with their neighbors. There are not a whole lot of churches that David and I know that do this. The idea seems to be that the action happens when the church gathers—i.e., invite neighbors to our services, our socials, our special outreaches. Instead, this book is really about community transformation and is a book that leaders (pastors and elders and the prime movers) should be utilizing to generate neighborhood interaction right outside everyone’s front door. It’s a great philosophical shift so desperately needed in our often almost neighborliness society. And the group study guide is included in the back of the book!

John McKnight, the highly respected co-director of the Asset Based Community Development Institute located at Northwestern University, writes, “The Art of Neighboring is at the forefront of a national movement to renew local communities. This book reminds us all of the value of pursuing relationships with the people who live around us.”