Hope Amy L. Sherman Dorothy Davis bought her kids bikes last Christmas. That s a big deal in North Midtown, where Davis lives. This inner-city neighborhood in Jackson, Mississippi, was, until recently, a place where no responsible mother would let her kids play outside.
Elderly residents wouldn t venture out to walk to the store.
Several organizations are responsible for North Midtown s transition from a crime and drug-ridden ghetto to an increasingly livable neighborhood. Christ United Methodist Church, a congregation of 4,2000 members in suburban northeast Jackson, is one of them. The Rev. John Case, senior minister of Christ UM Church, has preached for years that inner-city Jackson is a mission field not unlike distant lands. The church has always participate din various ecumenical outreaches to the city s poor, such as helping the homeless through emergency shelters and soup kitchens. When the United Methodist district leaders called meetings on improving their denomination s community service, Christ UM Church members participated eagerly.