intersections and stereotypes

This past week has been one where my personal life has been directly effecting my views and attitude about FareStart. As a community we recently went through the loss of a potential house, which as dramatic as it sounds, was very difficult and painful. This has caused me to think about the importance of place in relationship to ministry and effectiveness. The building that FareStart occupies in fairly new and the spaces are remodeled and beautiful. Students walk around in culinary attire and the staff lugs around name badges to get into secured areas. The resturant is slightly upscale, with a very business lunch feel to it. I think that all of these elements create a distinct environment that directly contributes to the success of FareStart. The students are provided with a top-notch place to learn and practice, instilling in them a sense of value and professionality that would not be found in a dirtier, older building. The classrooms provide for a space where there isn't a 'get them through' mentality but small, localized attention paid to each student. I think that we cannot overlook the importance of place, which is far more than location. It is the interior and feel of a space, and this leans directly into the effectiveness of an organization.

On another note, I was dropping in at Star Life on the Oasis Cafe (my summer job) and told a regular about my internship on my way out. After informing him that it was a food training service for homeless individuals, he began to impersonate the people that he finds outside of his house on occasion. I cannot speak to whether his portrail of them was correct but it was amazingly offensive. I tried explaining to him that there were a gammot of people who find themselves homeless and that the people at FareStart where looking for a constructive way out. While this situation was happening it was shocking to me but reflecting on it now, it makes sense. It is so much easier and quicker to stereotype than to see individuals. Lumping people into categories allows you to form ideas about who they are and then simply dismiss them because you 'know' everything about them. Effective ministry might take trends from a groups of people but allows remains conseous of the individual. I wonder if the regular knows the man's name or the reason he is homeless? However, I dare not say that I refrain from stereotyping but it was a good reminder to me to see how distructive and simpleminded it is.