Touching lives in tough places

Neighborhoods | Chicago community development corporation puts a new face on a battered neighborhood space | Joel Hannahs

Scott Strazzante/Genesis Photos

CHICAGO and INDIANAPOLIS—On a recent Sunday morning members of the Lawndale Community Church in Chicago were lined up at a microphone to share the burdens and blessings of life: a child struggling with addiction, an anniversary, a dangerous illness, a long-awaited college graduation, and a loved one facing the streets after jail. "Lift up this one in prayer," a pastor repeats: "Let's lift him up."

Twice each Sunday morning, spirited music begins and people stream into a gymnasium that doubles as an auditorium. Banners proclaim, "Loving God, Loving People." Blue-cushioned metal chairs fan out in sections around a small square platform. It's an oasis of temporary harmony within a tough place—and Pastor Wayne "Coach" Gordon has lived there for more than three decades.

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November 19, 2011, Vol. 26, No. 23

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