The Bay Area Urban Project has been bringing college students to the cities of the Bay Area to taste and see the Lord’s redemptive work in our cities, to learn about God’s heart for issues of justice, and to participate in God’s purposes among the urban poor.
The first week of BayUP gave us quite an intense orientation to Oakland and to some of the ideas we’ll be encountering this summer. There’s lots to talk about, but here is one concept that I pray will come to define the next 4 weeks: “mutual conversion”.
Conversion - a Dirty Word?
Now, “conversion” has always sounded like a bit of a dirty word to me. It evokes a picture of force, particularly by an oppressive power or religious fundamentalist on the powerless or naïve. It’s something that takes away the individuality of a person, viewing her or him as a project, or worse, a conquest. That is the connotation of “conversion” that my peers scorn, and that I have never wanted to be a part of.
But what happens when we are willing to look at each other and see all the complexity: we are broken, yet made in the image of God and cherished as His children? What happens when we as Christians admit our shortcomings and present ourselves with humility? What happens when we look for glimpses of the light of Truth already present in those around us (Because it’s perfectly possible that a secular nonprofit in West Oakland does a better job of caring for the people God loves than some churches.)
Mutual conversion happens. People come to a conversation and each walks away changed. We as Christians can bring our message, while realizing that others have much to teach us about who God is.
Mutual Conversion - Conversion Through Humility
This happened to our BayUP group when we visited the Native American Health Center during orientation. Two women welcomed us and told us about the history of their Native communities as well as their personal experiences with the modern-day effects of that history. The information was new to some and old to others, but we were all touched by these women’s resiliency and ability to forgive what seemed unforgivable—they understood a part of God’s heart that I barely did. When it was time to respond and ask questions, everyone expressed their gratitude for the stories with which we’d been entrusted, and several people asked for forgiveness on behalf of the United States and the church for the wrongs that had been committed against their communities. One of the women expressed her surprise at such a response. She had always had a negative opinion of the church: asking for forgiveness was not something she thought Christians did. She said we had changed her perspective and given her much to think about. How awesome is that?
So this mutual conversion thing can actually work! As I start working with People’s Grocery, I pray that similar experiences will continue to happen as I bring who I am to the table and learn from the community as well.
Kayla is a student blogger from the Bay Area Urban Project, directed by Yu-Shuan Tarango-Sho. These reflections were originally posted on the blog sfsuintervarsitybayup.tumblr.com.
