by Mary Boschult
Although training in social work prepared me for the abstract principles of accepting people and human behavior, I was surprised in the 1970’s as a public welfare caseworker that people in our community hated poor people. Huh? When the refugees from the war in Southeast Asia arrived in Lincoln I witnessed the dichotomy of the acceptance and support for the refugees from the church sponsors working on resettlement and, on the other hand, the animosity from the community at large. I spent many hours presenting to community groups on welfare facts and myths, living in poverty and on refugee populations. It felt inadequate, but the late Pastor Gordon Jorgensen assured me that helping others was honorable work and the effort at educating the public would improve our community even it if changed only one mind at a time.
We see our community step up and show up individually and collectively to demonstrate that we welcome all. We see this in the gathering of hundreds of people at rallies on the Capitol steps to support access to health care or the Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA youth) or rallies on ‘O’ Street to support immigrants and refugees. From food distributions to food donations, we see what Sara Miles said in her book, Take This Bread, about the point of her food program and her church – “To feed them, so they can, you know, go out and be Jesus.” (p.265)
When we serve and welcome others in our city it may be to many or to one at a time. Isn’t that what Jesus did?
