In a recent interview I was asked, “What would you say have been the bench marks of success for the CORE Church of Troy?”
My Response:
I would have to say one area of success is that we have developed a good working knowledge of Troy’s North Central/South Lansingburgh neighborhood, which has allowed us to form a strategy for planting seed on fertile ground. This neighborhood has been shrouded in darkness for many years. It is the toughest, most economically depressed section of Troy. It is also very much a transitional community. People who live here do so, for the most part, because they can’t afford to live anywhere else. When they do get ahead in life they move to a better part of town. There are many single mothers here which means there are many young children who live in this neighborhood as well. Additionally, there are a lot senior citizens, mostly widows, who can’t afford to sell their homes and move. Therefore, we have seen the need to embrace what James refers to as “True religion.” That is, to “Take care of the widows and the fatherless in their troubles, and keep yourselves unspotted by the world.”
On any given Sunday we typically see more kids than adults in our weekly gatherings. We are happy to have them with us and we have seen the importance of reaching them before the street element reaches them. Therefore, we have sought ways to develop a missional/incarnational strategy that will inlude these great kids as we seek to make Christ known in the heart of the city.
One of the bench marks of success will be reaching these kids for Christ. Five years from now they will be teenagers, then off to college and so on. If we can impact their lives now it will affect the rest of their lives.
