Blessed are the Peacemakers

We have had some great things going on in our life and ministry over the holidays and now into the new year. We are looking forward to sharing a few highlights and will be sure to post a couple blogs about those. But for now, things have been trumped by a tragic event a few blocks from our house a couple days ago. Two men, a father and son, were shot and killed for reasons that haven't been confirmed.

As a ministry/community of Jesus followers who are called to be agents of peace, we are having to wrestle with this reality. We can't run from stuff like this and insulate ourselves from the issues that we have intentionally chosen to be part of down here in Golden Hill. We not only pray for God's Shalom to descend upon this neighborhood, but we hope to be active participants in bringing about Shalom through the relationships we build and the actions we take.

Ways you can support through prayer:

• Pray for the families of those impacted by this event
• This event is a symptom of a systemic issue. Pray for city wide renewal.
• Pray for the safety for our friends/families as we choose to raise our children in this place
• Pray that our desire for peace doesn't start or end with one event, but permanently becomes a model for everyday life
• Pray that we (NieuCommunities) will be able to make meaningful connections with the families involved
  

Jon Hall, one of our staff and my personal mentor, wrote an email to all the NieuCommunties participants the day after the shooting. It explains the situation more and gives light into our hearts moving forward. I highlighted his words on my personal blog: http://jonhuckins.net/?p=293