A 10 year old girl shot in the head while at her local playground. The 18 year old man charged with this shooting had been previously arrested 15 times.
Three people killed in a 10 hour span in the city of Milwaukee.
A Beloit woman killed, her boyfriend arrested by Police.
Arrests made in local sex trafficking scheme.
An April 2014 study by Annie E. Casey Foundation identified 12 indicators of adulthood success, ranking each State by race. Wisconsin ranked 10th best in the nation for white children and 50th for black children. The report also noted that the economic disparity continues to widen, thereby putting even more children at risk.
The news both overwhelms and paralyzes us...
How should the Church respond to these issues?
- Openly talk about them. God's Truth provides the lens for us to address every issue, no matter how volatile.
- Repent of our negligence. God charges the Church with the task of reflecting Him everywhere.
- Humanize the struggle. We are not dealing with statistics and reports, but with people created in the image of God.
- Start working together. In Milwaukee, a group called 'Pastors United' is working together to address the issues affecting their congregations.
- Start somewhere, anywhere. We may not be able to change the systemic issues of crime and racism, but we can at least try. Churches can act locally and incrementally.
- Viewing others through God's perspective. A Christ-focused world view affirms that our worth and value comes from being created in God's Image.
Until that time, Churches can hold to the words from Isaiah 60.18
Violence will disappear from your land; the desolation and destruction of war will end. Salvation will surround you like city walls, and praise will be on the lips of all who enter there.