This is an effort by Abiline, Tx. to develop and bring the community together to live into “loving God, loving neighbor. TMO has as one of its goals to create community where people can not only develop meaningful relationships, but in the process transform their communities.
The other night I was privileged to be invited by my good friend Pastor Alaba Obiri of the Foursquare Church in Alief to attend the monthly meeting of Greater Houston Ministers Fellowship. This group is composed largely of Ministers in Nigerian Pentecostal congregations throughout Houston. There are over 50 of these congregations in Harris County. Since I had never been to a Pentecostal service, much less a Nigerian Pentecostal congregation, I had no idea what to expect. My purpose in going was to introduce pastors to TMO and invite them to a meeting on June 21 to discuss common concerns and see whether the group would be interested in working with and becoming a part of TMO. One of the pastors offered a sermon based upon Leviticus 6: 12-13 which states “The Fire on the Altar Must Be Kept Burning–It Must Not Go Out; The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.” Even though I have been involved in the church most of my life, I cannot ever remember hearing a sermon based on this scripture. It didn’t seem like it made much sense. Most sermons I hear have a context for me to relate, but it didn’t seem like there was that kind of context. As I drove home and reflected on the sermon, it struck me that the sermon was addressed to the pastors who live in an alien world far from their native home and who are called by God to keep the fire burning in their congregations. That was the context. To me, that would be an awesome and frightening experience. And even though the context of my experience may be different, I share in the experience and understanding that we as creations of sacred worth, must acknowledge the supremacy of the creator God and keep the fire on the altar burning. As Christians, we also accept that Christ was the supreme sacrifice and that through his sacrifice He makes us whole. We may have differing views of sacrifice but most of us would agree that sacrifice is an act of worship, thanksgiving and praise. Praise and thanksgiving was definitely in the sanctuary that night. And when we accept Christ’s life, death, and resurrection we are called to “keep the fire burning”. Possibly one reason the context of the sermon was not readily apparent to me was that today in western culture our tendency is to see ourselves as being entitled more than focused on sacrifice or worship and thanksgiving. Acknowledgement of God’s supremacy and the importance of Jesus sacrifice has lost much of its meaning and impact. For many, this affluence or the expectation of affluence, directs us from what the scripture is saying and we neither see the need for keeping the fire of God’s presence burning or the need for worshiping God, or giving thanksgiving or praise. This is the issue that Israel has had to deal with throughout its history and one that even we mainline churches, living in our secular culture have to face. How do you maintain faith in the presence of the dominant culture that does not see the need for either recognition of God’s presence or for a sense of sacrifice? For me, it was a good evening and it made me realize how important it is to practice our faith in different ways that express our traditions and cultural contexts. But it also pointed out that if we want to live together in this world, we must keep the fire burning on the altar acknowledging the power of creator God.
A few days ago I was talking to a lovely young woman. She has one small child with another one on the way. She’s married and has a job that she really likes. We began talking about what she was going to do when the baby came. It’s been so long since my own children and grandchildren were small that I knew little to nothing about the hurdles of childcare for young people who are barely living above the poverty level. When our children were young, my wife was a stay at home mom, so the question never came up about the cost of childcare. She then said that each child would cost $400. a child and that was a cut rate since her employer picked up part of the cost. I asked if there was a break for the second child. She laughed and said, “you know both children need to be fed and changed and be given attention. They probably should charge more for the second one.” She then said, “Childcare will take most of my take home salary.” Her answer angered me. Why should this woman who loved her job and loved her family have to make the choice of either quitting her job or basically working for nothing. As I heard her answer, I thought about women who had no husband or other family to help. What do low income single mothers with children do to get by. So, I decided to do a little research and see what other countries did in the way of childcare for working parents. I was appalled at what I found.
Family Leave in the United States
“The FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) provides the right to a short (12-week), jobprotected parental leave for workers who meet qualifying conditions (that is, those who work in firms of at least 50 employees and have worked at least 1,250 hours in the prior year). Because of these qualifying conditions, fewer than one-half of the nation’s private-sector workers are eligible for leave guaranteed by the FMLA.5,6 A further limitation of the FMLA as a family leave policy is that it does not include any income replacement or pay during the leave; as a result, some workers who are eligible for leave do not take it.7 ” (See Table 1 :not shown here)
“Countries also vary in the extent to which the costs of child care are borne by government or by parents.26,27 Although data are not available for all countries, the pattern of results in Table 2 indicates that here, too, the United States lags behind other countries. One estimate suggests that the U.S. government covers 25% to 30% of the cost of child care for children under age three and children ages three to six. (This support takes several forms in the United States: tax credits to reimburse parents for child care fees, subsidies given to parents, and care that is purchased for free or at a reduced cost.) In the other countries for which data are available (Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, and Sweden), government funds the majority of the costs of care, covering between 68% and 100% of the costs depending on the country and the age of the child.” (show table 2 not shown here)
In other countries Family Medical leave can be from one to three years with some countries providing income replacement. After family leave has expired most of these same countries provide some form of subsidized or complete childcare.
For volumes 14, No. 2 and before, please use this attribution: “From The Future of Children, a publication of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation from 1991 to 2004.”
For volumes 15, No. 1 and all subsequent journals and written materials, please use this attribution: “From The Future of Children, a collaboration of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and the Brookings Institution.”
The health and education of children are greatly influenced by early childhood development and nurturing. If you were to consider the educational achievement in those countries having a liberal family leave and childcare programs, you might be able to make inferences to why those countries have a higher educational achievement and the U.S. lags behind those same countries. Many school district in the U.S. provide some form of early childhood intervention. However, they are only partial educational interventions which still require parents to leave work early to take care of the children.
It would seem that one of the richest countries in the world could help provide a more liberal program for family leave and childcare. This is particularly true as it affects the working poor. Affluent families are more able to provide these benefits to their children and families.
This is not just an issue that affects my young friend in Alief. It affects millions of families all over America.
As stated in the “What Made Alief Change” article rolling migration was almost imperceptible until years after it began. After the beginning influx of African Americans there was three waves of Vietnamese and other Asian groups. With the end of the Vietnamese war in 1975 the first wave of Southeast Asian refugees began to flood the United States. Catholic Charities and the YMCA were instrumental in resettling these refugees, many of whom resettled in Alief. The first wave were generally professionals and educated. The second wave were the boat people who were settled here because they were close to the coast. Man of these people were fishermen who resettled near the coast but often had family in Alief. The last wave were political prisoners who were freed from jails and were resettled here. Much of the same story holds true for other displaced persons from all over the world. It was the land of opportunity and millions of dollars have been invested in Alief businesses and infrastructure by these resettled immigrants. Many of these people have found the American dream.
For others the American dream has been elusive. This is particularly true for Hispanics. Hispanics now comprise over 50% of students in Alief public schools. Nearly 60% of the parents of these children from Mexico and El Salvador did not graduate from high school and they typically work for minimum wage or less. That does not mean that these parents don’t want more for their children. In personal interviews with hundreds of Alief ISD parents, TMO found that their dream for their children was that they go to college and experience the American dream. And even though most do not speak English when they arrive it was one of the parents goals to learn English. All Alief ISD schools have ESL classes that are well attended. Other ethnic groups making a big impact on the community are Africans and Middle Easterners. The majority of these immigrants are well educated and in many cases have opened businesses and are making an economic impact on Alief. Many of the non-Hispanic and non-African Americans are beginning to seek alternatives to public schools and are enrolling their children in private and charter schools. There are also a variety of religious venues and reflect the diversity of the community.
There are demographic indications that the rolling migration is continuing and that the Asian population may now be beginning to migrate further West and Southwest into more affluent neighborhoods. The test for the community will be whether the community can stabilize around its current demographics where institution such as schools, the business community, religious institutions and the International Management District can create a more organic community.
As in all communities there are several critical components to creating an organic community. They include:
1. Keeping crime in check
2. Maintaining a strong school system that is supported by parents and other community stakeholders.
3. Creating a viable business community that creates living wage jobs for those in the community
4. Building a relational community that crosses religious, ethnic, and economic lines
5. Stabilizing the community where people put down roots and call Alief their home.
6. Ensuring that there is a viable and affordable housing stock
7. Provide an environment where community observances such as parades, holiday celebrations etc. can bring the community together.
Much is being done to create this environment and TMO looks forward to being a part of it.
Do you think we have enough bullets?
The Houston Chronicle recently reported on murders committed in Houston in the last year. There were approximately 200 murders in Houston in an area of over 600 square miles. In a corridor of 20 square miles from Bissonet to Richmond Ave. and a mile on each side of the Southwest Freeway, there were nearly 30 of those murders. Quoting the Chronicle
“Nearly half of the murders in District 19 were clustered within a half mile of one another, in and around a string of apartment complexes along f few blocks of Forum Park Drive to Bissonnet Street.”
This is the area where “six brave mothers and grandmothers” (see previous blog article) went to over 400 apartment units to enlist support for cleaning up the community and assisting the school. As a result of their efforts the community addressed such issues as prostitution, drug dealing, inadequate housing and crime including murders on some of their door steps. As a result prostitution, drug dealing and other crime are down and there is a sense of trust among community members. Mothers walking their children no longer have to contend with used condoms on the sidewalk or navigate around used needles. This is not a one time effort though. It has to be ongoing and coordinated. The mothers, grandmothers and businesses need to continue their efforts. The Alief ISD with it’s family engagement program, churches, other non-profits and the International Management District, and city councilman Mike Laster, must address these issues as a high priority. And it has to be a coordinated effort. The police cannot do it alone. If you haven’t already done so, check out the documentary video called “Alief Hoods”. It’s on the Blog Roll. It gives one perspective of what many of the young men and women in the area call “the West” see as their turf.
As Sgt. Walter Gaw of the HPD Westside Division says:
“People who live here need to report the things,” he said, “instead of turning a blind eye and keeping it shut inside.”
TMO (The Metropolitan Organization) has been instrumental in assisting parents at Best Elementary as well as other community leaders in their efforts to clean up the community, but making the community safe and economically viable will have to be a concerted effort. There are no easy fixes.
Follow the ongoing effort of TMO and others to bring people together to make “the West” and “the corridor of violence” a proud example of Alief’s ability to revitalize its schools and community.
click on map
Go to the bottom left of the map to Bissonet.
That’s the beginning of the 10 miles. Go up Hwy 59 to near the top at Westpark.
Those are the 10 miles. Refer to this map in subsequent articles
You don’t have to be on the field or on the court. You can be in the stands playing a musical instrument or out on the field at the half in the marching band.
I can take off my shirt in freezing weather, paint my body and look stupid to be
part of the team. Ye! haa!
We’re really in last place but we love to yell and scream, drink too much and be a part of the group.
So, it’s not just about winning the game, even though that makes it more enjoyable. It’s about being a part of something bigger than yourself. You can even buy t-shirts with you favorite team member on the back. And you don’t even have to be in the stadium to be a part. You can stay in the parking lot or the local sports bar and stay warm or cool, drink more than you should and hang out before and after the game.
As talked about in the stadium article the benefits carry beyond the stadium in recognizing others who have the same bond. But what happens when you don’t have a winning team? What’s it look like when you play to a stadium that’s only about 20% full. Look at the next article from
http://www.thebiglead.com about a football game between Kansas and TCU 2013 in their new $165million stadium.
But then again look at the Chicago Cubs. Hope springs eternal. Maybe next year.
Some content on this page was disabled on August 17, 2018 as a result of a DMCA takedown notice from Joe Lippeatt. You can learn more about the DMCA here:
In Texas high school football is a religion
For Texans, the TV program Friday Night Lights shows the almost insane dedication and addiction of small Texas towns to their football team. Texas Monthly has said
“IT’S A GAME, AN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY, a community bond, the state religion, the biggest show in town every Friday night in the fall, a character builder, a revered symbol, an inspirational rallying point that offers a rare moment—more like 48 minutes—in which all races, religions, and economic strata put aside their differences to get behind the home team, a traffic generator for the local Dairy Queen, and topic A in coffee shops from Roscoe (“How ’bout them Plowboys?”) to Itasca (“Go Wampus Cats!”).”
In some communities football is so important that when they get into the playoffs or the state championship, the whole town closes down and everyone goes to the game. Just think about the poor cop that has to stay in town and watch for looters. Of course, all the looters went to the game. You also have to consider the amount of money that school districts have spent, not only on the program in general but also in the cost of stadiums. Occasionally, a community reverts to a little sanity and refuses to spend the kind of money that would signify that their football program as the biggest and baddest. Recently, Katy ISD, a suburb of Houston voted down bond issue for a new stadium costing $69.5 million for a new 14,000 seat stadium. What was the argument for needing such a lavish stadium? It have been because of Katy ISD’s high schools had won the state championship seven years in a row and was expected to win the eighth. At the same time Houston voters were defeating a bond of over $200. Million to make the “old inadequate” Dome stadium into a convention center or something else, yet to be determined.
Another issue that comes up every legislature involves schools vouchers. Even though Texans believe in school choice, as yet they have not approved vouchers. There are various theories as to why this is but it is the rural districts that have voted the proposals down. One theory is that it goes back to football. There are many small communities that cannot field a football team if they have to compete with private schools. Texas has a very ingrained football program that includes six man teams and the communities see these teams as one way that they can continue to be viable as a close knit community.
This same philosophy does not extend to urban schools. In Houston, some racially and economically diverse schools can barely field a team and those schools in most cases have little community support. In Alief, Hastings and Elsik high schools are what are called consolidated schools where students throughout the district have to go through a lottery for admission. The schools are right next to one another and students may live next door to a student that goes to the other school. Typically one of the three high schools have competitive sports programs and seem to be supported by the community. I would have to say that sports adds and provides a sense of pride for the community. However, a clear indication of not only the academic achievement and the community culture may or may not be keyed to sport success. Sports teams don’t have to be big winners but there is every indication that they bring people together regardless of academic success. When people feel a part of the team, there is less of a feeling of isolation. Numerous studies including one by noted sociologist James Coleman would show how the success of schools is highly dependent on what he termed social capital, “the norms, the social networks, and the relationships between adults and children that are of value for the child’s growing up.” My observations would tend to prove him right. So, when considering a public school and the community that supports that school, look at the academic achievement, then look at the sports program and then look at community cohesiveness and the support given to children in that community.
Now, I wait for the strings and arrows. Just remember, I grew up in Texas
The community of Alief, suburb of Houston, Tx is a microcosm of ethnicity and religious traditions. There are over 85 languages spoken in the schools and there is a large representation of the worlds major religions. As I contemplate this diversity I wonder how that diversity can be leveraged to bring about a more relational and compassionate community. As far as I know there are not many connections between the different faiths. Theologian Karen Armstrong in her book The Great Transformation talks about the ethical and moral concepts that each of these religions came up with almost independently and that form an important part of their faith today. She enumerates them as follows:
She goes further and states that in this 21st century where violence and chaos seem to rule there is never the less a thread toward Loving God and Loving Neighbor as exhibited the “teaching of non violence and compassion in the schools, the rise of Buddhism in the West as a pacifist religion based upon the the practice of compassion , and the resurgence of liberation theology committed to compassionate action, and a call around the world by young people for more religious tolerance.”
They each consider all life as sacred and valued. In a conversation of different voices if would seem that these diverse voices should be at the table. Alief ISD Superintendent H.D. Chambers periodically has pastors from the Christian community to a breakfast where he discusses plans and issues impacting the district and children. I don’t know whether a more inclusive group has been invited but in the year to come TMO will be working on creating a more inclusive religious representation to further and engage more comm
unity perspectives.
As promised in our article entitled “There’s a Hole in the Bucket, Dear Liza” I stated that this was a metaphor for the complexities of the issues facing Alief, and for that matter most urban cities in America. I further stated that we would look at some of these issues and their interconnectedness. For the most part many of these issues tend to be looked at in isolation; Let’s start with a list:
1. Over 80% of children in Alief are on free or reduced lunch.
2. Many parents work two and three jobs.
3. 85 languages are spoken
4. Over 30% of families move at least once a year
5. Alief ISD is quite concerned and committed to engaging parents to be involved in their children’s education.
6. Participation in school activities by parentsis limited
7. Many parents make poverty level wages.
8. Many parents are unskilled with a low level of education and lack of command of the English language.
9. In some areas of Alief crime is a problem.
10. Most churches in the community are small.
11. A number of churches in the community have many of their congregation living outside of Alief.
12. There is a prevailing distrust of neighbors.
13. Over 1000 Alief students are homeless this Christmas
14. There is a large contingency of undocumented parents in the district.
15. Lack of healthcare
16. Issues of fear exists.
Community positives
1. On the positive side there is a strong Asian community that is primarily responsible for infusing millions of dollars into the community and building large commercial centers in the community.
2.There is a management district that makes infrastructure improvements and provides security to businesses in the community.
3.The Alief ISD is a very progressive and supportive of children.
4.There are strong non-christian places of worship.
5.There are relatively congenial relationships between the different ethnic and religious groups.
As you can see there are a lot of holes in the bucket. Plug one and you’ve got at least 15 more. One example of this is the lack of parental engagement in the school and their child’s education. A fair number of parents will come for open houses but as far as getting parental support for volunteering and the governance in schools, the system is sorely lacking. This is where TMO (The Metropolitan Organization) comes in. Working with Alief ISD school district we are working to create a culture of collaboration between parents, parents and teachers and the community. Specifically the process is called family engagement where parents are engaged in their children’s educational performance as well as learning about school governance. In the last two years we have made good progress but relation building is a slow process. The reason parental engagement is so important is that studies have shown that parents who are not actively engaged in their children’s education will be more likely to drop out or go to college and remain in poverty. When asked why parents are not engaged, the reason most often given by the schools is that the parents are working, often in two or three jobs, and cannot take the time to come to the school. Many of the parents are undocumented and they are quite hesitant to become involved in anything that requires them to sign papers or be engaged. Even churches have difficulty getting undocumented parents to sign any kind of papers signifying membership or participation. More cynical outsiders to the system sometimes say that non participation of parents in school activities is because parents don’t care about their kids or don’t value education. This we have not found to be true. Last year TMO and parents interviewed over 500 parents and asked them to tell what their hopes and dreams were for their children. Almost to the person, the answer was that they wanted their children to get a college education and be successful in life.
So, in this one example we have several factors contributing to the cycle of poverty. But I could probably develop the linkage between most of the items enumerated. They all contribute to the overall malaise of poverty. So, if we just provide food to children at lunch they still have to get fed at home. For those of us in the middle class we may have one of two issues effecting our families at one time, but not 12 or 13.
TMO focuses on developing relational power. In other words, getting people to know and trust one another to make a changes that are in their interest. Note the blog entitled “Six Brave Mothers and Grandmothers Change a Neighborhood”. There were numerous elements to making change in the Best elementary community. But it boiled down to establishing relationships, trust and power and went far beyond having children score well on standardized tests.
If you are a Christian Minister, you have many responsibilities. One of these responsibilities may be for the ministry to children and youth. This offers real challenges for a pastor, particularly for a congregation with limited resources. I have known many pastors who have said that they don’t have children and youth in their services. However, I know several ministries that have an abundance of children and youth and few adults. Obviously, adults pay the bills that keep the lights on, but without a ministry to the next generation, the congregation will wither and die.
I’m interested in what types of ministries you have for children and youth–particularly youth. We know that we most often lose young people in the church when they can crow loud enough to stop going to church. And if we have youth, what do we teach them. Is it just dry boring stuff or do we talk about responsibility and perseverance to get a good education and give back to the community? In Alief, about 70% of our children pass the STARR tests. Some people think that’s pretty good. But what about the other 30% that don’t pass the test. And what about the challenges of going to college? Putting all these factors together to ensure the success of our children
Working together to make Alief a better place
is a real challenge.
I have been impressed that the district, under the leadership of Mr. Chambers is reaching out to the faith community to make our schools better. His periodic meetings with pastors is informative and helpful. As I have attended those meetings I have wondered how we can continue the conversations on how to reach out to our children and youth so we can narrow the achievement gap. It is a very challenging endeavor but our congregations have many gifts and graces. I only know of a few of you personally but I know some of you are doing some wonderful ministry in the name of Christ. I know that Ron and Uater are doing some fine youth work at Collingham Park Townhomes and Terry and Chavonna Houston are very active in their ministry to children and youth at Olle middle school. Fr. Uriel Osnaya of Santa Maria Virgen Episcopal Church also has a vibrant youth program that reaches out to children and youth all over Harris county.
Terry Houston made an interesting comment a few weeks ago. He said, “we’re not competing with one another”. I would agree with that. God has placed us here in different roles and maybe its time that we collaborate with one another to further the Kingdom in Alief. I would ask each of you to pray about the challenges and opportunities for reaching our youths spiritual needs as well as their moral values and how we can impact their academic achievement.
Please share what you’re doing and give us suggestions about how we can collaborate.
TMO Alief 
