More Than Merely Eyes Can See

More Than Merely Eyes Can See weaves together the stories of a small church--mostly comprised of middle-class suburban members--and its inner-city neighbors. It begins with the congregation confronting its isolation in the community. A predominantly negative image had taken root in the congregation's imagination and festered in the absence of meaningful relationships with neighbors. Rebuilding those relationships began with listening. In 2011, the congregation launched the Friday Gathering and invited members and neighbors to dine together each week.More than forty diners shared stories about their lives with grace, humor, and occasionally brutal honesty. The stories challenge the stereotypes spawned by census data and headlines and dignify the resiliency of the soul and the deep-seated need to belong.Many organizations, not just churches, want to be perceived as warm and welcoming. But hospitality and charity often come with strings attached. Our norms and expectations about giving and receiving can be barriers to building trust, which is essential to building relationships. More Than Merely Eyes Can See offers readers diverse perspectives on racial identity, the shortcomings of charity, opportunities to repair inequitable systems, and the power of relationships. There is risk that a story will change us, that we cannot go back to who we were, when it transforms how we see ourselves and others.