Dear Friends,

It isn’t halfway through July yet, but already we’re dreaming big about next summer. Why? Because every day since school let out, on every block in this neighborhood, there are dozens of kids with absolutely nothing to do!

After all these years in the inner-city, Marty and I know we shouldn’t be shocked by all these kids just hanging around…but we are. In between their camps, babysitting jobs, mission trips and vacations, Miranda and Roman are shocked too.

I’ve been in underserved neighborhoods all over this country, but I was always visiting Mission Year teams or cool urban ministries, and they were always running free summer camps. Here in Walnut Hills, we’re the cool ministry…or at least we hope to get that way by next summer. In the meantime, we’re making things up as we go along.

For instance, a few weeks ago, in keeping with our ’small is beautiful’ approach, we pulled together a week of group-building activities for about 15 kids we already know and love. Sort of like an in-town family vacation with a really big family.

Monday we went on a picnic to a park with a splash pool that the kids absolutely loved. We played kickball and read stories and goofed around in the water for hours. Big fun. Tuesday we did the art museum in the morning and the kids spent all afternoon outside, painting their own paintings based on what they saw. Those paintings were great, too! Wednesday we drove a few hours to a big park in Kentucky, where our friend Dan took us on great hikes over natural bridges and through creepy caves. The kids dug it and for some of them the long hike was a great accomplishment. Thursday we had our regular community dinner (with the adults) except this time we added the movie ‘Holes’ and a bunch of candy and popcorn afterwards, and Friday we finished with a serious pool party at the home of our friends the Clippards. Again, big fun.

Here’s the interesting thing: It wasn’t a program. We met at different times each day, changed plans on the fly, drove our own cars and didn’t have to discipline anybody in a way we wouldn’t have disciplined our own kids (who were part of the gang as well). The kids were relaxed because they were with people they treat like brothers and sisters anyway, there was lots of time for little chats and encouragements, and we all interacted in a way that left everyone feeling more connected. Sometimes, small really is beautiful.

Now we’re planning a big neighborhood block party in August, to help people meet one another in a positive way and to build some community pride. Of course, to do a real summer program next year we’ll need more than our next door neighbor Karen and Marty and me. We’ll need to locate and hire and train a good bunch of local teenagers with leadership potential, bring in a few college kids to supervise them, partner with the city recreation center, and muster some neighborhood parents to plan things out and volunteer along with us. Sounds like a lot of work, eh?

Nah…it sounds like a lot of fun! Anyway, it beats the heck out of watching all these kids around here waste another summer when they ought to be laughing and learning and growing stronger and more alive.

Much love,

Bart

Bart here again, fresh off two weeks vacation and still not sure exactly how best to use this front page blog. 

Essentially, I’m wondering whether to include my personal ministry reflections in this space or to keep them over on my own blog.  After all, TWHF is more than just me.  Marty and Karen are already just as involved as me, and plenty of other friends are showing a real interest in joining up, either to live and work with us all the time or just to stop in to help out once in a while. 

Maybe this shouldn’t be the front page at all, especially if there really are no regular visitors and this website’s real audience is just those folks who hear about TWHF and want a basic understanding of what we’re doing here in Walnut Hills.  You know, the ‘About Us’ seekers.  If that’s the case, then maybe we should move ‘About Us’ up front and leave the fresh stuff for my monthly letters/emails.   

In the meantime, we Campolos are back from the beautiful, quiet, uncrowded beauty of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, refreshed and eager to get back to loving folks here.  Today I’m doing office stuff, but tomorrow I’ll hit the streets again, anxious to find out what’s been going on in the neighborhood.   I’ll let you know…I think.