City Highlight

Every month one of the cities CSM is located in does a city highlight for others to read. This month I got the privilege of writing one for the San Francisco Bay Area. I wrote a revised version of my earlier post about Trey from the Salvation Army. Since I have pretty much already posted it on here I won't include mine. As I was reading through some of the old ones I came across one written in July 2011 by one of our previous city staff named Heather. I thought it was really interesting so I wanted to include it for all of you to read. Enjoy =) If you want to read more city highlights from San Francisco and other cities here is a link to the archive on city highlights! http://csm.org/cityhighlightmain.php

“…They may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3b

The city of Oakland got its name from the many oak trees that covered the area. But when you hear of Oakland today, you don’t really think of it as a righteous place full of splendor. You think of murder, gangs, thugs, homeless, prostitutes, and the like. Oakland has frequently been on the list of top ten most dangerous cities in both California and the nation. From an outsider’s point of view, there aren’t many things that Oakland can boast about. Most people who aren’t from Oakland only pass through it to get to San Francisco or Berkeley. Oakland is a dangerous place. One site where we send our groups, called the St. Vincent’s Day Home, is a daycare center for children ages 2-5. The neighborhood where it’s located is one of the most dangerous in Oakland. At this day home, they practice not only fire and earthquake drills, but also for drive-by shootings. The children there know when the teacher yells “drop” to drop to the floor. This is their reality.

Another area where we do ministry is the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Within the 20 block area, there are extremely high levels of visible drug-use, prostitution, assault, murders and theft. On the first block of the Tenderloin, Turk St, crime is 35 times more likely to happen than it is anywhere else in San Francisco. That same block has a crime rate 8 times higher than any other block in the Tenderloin. Another site we partner with, Project Open Hand, delivers hot meals to residents in the SRO’s of the Tenderloin. We walk through the streets of this crime-infested area everyday with mostly suburban students, delivering meals in run-down buildings to residents we don’t know. Although this may be the most anxiety-causing activity for some, its rewards generally allow some to forget about how dangerous the place is.

I think that’s why I’ve grown to love the Bay Area – the rewards. Are we not called to the dark and gritty areas, to the places where God is needed the most? In these places of darkness, evidence of God is clear. It’s tough being on the streets, seeing the same faces and knowing their situations haven’t changed. However, the hope we have is in God’s redemption. Oakland is not too far out of the reach of God’s redemption. The Tenderloin is not too far out of the reach of God’s healing. There is a reason God has placed us in this city and has called each group here to serve. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” Isaiah 52:7.

-Heather Olson, CSM San Francisco Bay Area City Staff