Hope Fair 2011

The past week at the New York City Urban Project has been packed. God is moving and things are happening. I am expectant that God will do amazing things. As the journalism intern, one of the cool things I get to do is spend time with the other interns and listen in as they encounter God in their work. The first couple of days, I was able to spend some time with the Hope Fair interns. Students spent time grappling with the intersection of faith and health. Where does Jesus come into the picture of public health? How are Christians supposed to respond to the physical, mental, and spiritual needs of their neighbors?

Sometimes, loving your neighbor starts with a listening ear. At NYCUP, we’ve been learning a lot about listening to God. God speaks through his word, prayer, and other people. For the Hope Fair students, that meant listening to the concerns of community members of the Manhattan Bible Church.

What I discovered was a level of brokenness that was beyond a few sick people and dietary imbalances.

I became overwhelmed with the numerous concerns of the community. Drug and alcohol addiction. Teenage pregnancy. Healthcare, or the lack of it. Domestic violence. Air pollution. Nutrition. Unemployment. Immigration. The list goes on.

That’s how I met Ms. Felicia Contreras. An active member of Manhattan Community Board 9, her heart breaks for women who are told that they are no good, and therefore exploited because nobody has told them that they are beautiful. She feels that in order for churches to address some of the brokenness in the communities, they need to start engaging their youth in church. Furthermore, Ms. Contreras shared that she felt like we need to teach people coping skills to deal with whatever crises they might face on a regular basis.

With what seemed like an endless list of needs and concerns, I pressed into prayer with my fellow students. The prevailing question seemed to be “God, what do we do?” With that, the students came up with this vision statement:

The vision of the Hope Fair is that through the light and love of Jesus Christ we are able to bring hope and restoration to communities of NYC. We seek to use a holistic ministry approach to renew minds, bodies, and spirits by providing access to physical and spiritual resources.

Sometimes, the kingdom of God looks like students prayerfully pressing in and listening to the voices that God has. It means seeing beyond what is visible and believing the future into reality. I’m excited for the Hope Fair, because it will quite literally bring hope to the community of Inwood and Washington Heights.

God had spoken. These concerns were not just merely physical or mental concerns. They were spiritual as well. And the interaction of these three elements affected our health. People needed Jesus just as much as they needed healthcare and financial assistance.

Hope Fair students vision casting