South Side Showdown
James T. Meeks
October 1, 2000
It happened during our second service on a Sunday morning in March 1999. I was preaching about the importance of vision. "Where there is no vision, the people perish," I declared, quoting Solomon. Enthusiastic amens rose up. The crowd was with me. But then—bang, bang, bang. The unmistakable sound of gunfire, right outside the church, interrupted my sermon.
The congregation gasped collectively as we listened to the relentless shots, coupled with the frenzied shouts of male voices, and heard men running down our street.
Dear Lord, I prayed, protect us from this madness.
Then my horror turned into steely indignation. I was at once fearful for the safety of my people and enraged that these young men—gangbangers, I surmised—would have the nerve to fire guns in front of our church on Sunday morning. The gunshots soon subsided, but we did not allow the congregation to be dismissed until we were certain there was no more shooting.
At the beginning of the next service, at 12 o'clock, I gathered about 500 men from the congregation and went down the block to the house where we knew the gangbangers hung out. Emboldened by prayer and the visible strength of 500 brothers in Christ, I called the young men out. I told them that this kind of activity would not be tolerated on a Sunday morning—not in our neighborhood.
"We've got women and children who come here to our church," I said. "I don't know what your problems are with each other, but you can't do this on Sunday."
The young men listened. They knew who we were. And, in their own way, they respected our presence in the community. We have not heard gunfire during a service or any other church activity since that day.
The war for Roseland
When my congregation, Salem Baptist ...
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