In the area I live in, it’s a situation of the parents, grandparents and probably great-grandparents never having been parented. The ideas about “what life is like” in the prevailing culture are that school is of no value, reading is optional and what is anyone going to do to make a living but “a little bit of this and a little bit of that”. Some legal, some marginally legal and some illegal.

I’ve lived in a high-danger area of New York City in the past where the crime was intentional, violent and down-right evil. Here it’s not really evil violence so much as mindless disrespect for self, others and society in general. If you are 12, 13 or 14 and bored, the solution is to get drunk, high, steal something or vandalise something. Your parents aren’t worried about you being out; more like they don’t want you around the house.

The problem that everyone here seems to have – teachers, social workers and churches – is how do you change this mindset? Throwing money at it doesn’t work. I became a minister because I love God’s Word and I feel called to preach and to listen to people. But I feel like what I really need for this particular job is training in social work, urban development and geriatics!

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