Blessed are the Generous
By Stanley Campbell
Rockford is a very generous community. Cautious, but giving to local and overseas relief. Especially lately during these hard times local food pantries and soup kitchens receive donations as more and more people are put out of work. And Haiti has more connections with Rockford than expected.
  The majority of giving once came through churches, but we've become more secular and churches appear less generous. Maybe they’ve forgotten the Bible: Jesus strenuously reminded us to "help the poor or go to hell" (Matthew, Chapter 25, verses 41 and 42). We should help to make the world a better place. Thank goodness there's good folk who do good with what little they have!
And I commend Rockford businesses that support nonprofit organizations. They partner with a socially redeeming project to advertise themselves as a caring concern, while making this town a nicer place.
I admit I hit a few businesses up myself for donations, and many respond. But some tell me, "If we helped you, we'd have to help everyone." Untrue. A business that helps no one is really not a good business for the community. They should at least help one local group.
A suggestion for your giving: send a donation to the House of Grace Day Care, which is housed inside the Kingdom Authority International Ministries at 518 N. Court St. (zip 61103). Send it on behalf of the children who had to witness a killing. Yes, that is the Day Care where the police ran after someone, cornered him, and, instead of clearing the kids out, confronted and shot the suspect in full view of toddlers.
The least we can do is send a small gift and our condolences. I sure hope someone thought of sending in counselors for those youngsters. I heard the police spent most of their time trying to get the daycare workers to corroborate their story. Please, don’t forget the children.
Then there's folks who use the American poor as an excuse not to help overseas poor. Those who help neither use that excuse. Help both, for a little money goes a long way overseas.
I support Church World Service (they host a CROP Hunger Walk in October). CWS works with indigenous church groups in almost every country in the world. They do development programs that have long-lasting effect and "teach people to fish" instead of just giving them food. I also encourage Christians to support Muslim relief organizations, not only to show good faith but also to build bridges. Christians and Muslims can work together for a more peaceful world.
I've noticed it takes at least three years before Rockford will support a new nonprofit. It takes a while before Rockfordians trust an organization, then we open wallets and give generously. Good times, or bad, we give.

Where Are the Environmentalists On Earth Day?

Written while Wal-Mart’s paving over a nearby wetland.

Happy Earth Day. I am sorry for the state of the local environment. But there are not many environmentalists here in Rockford. I’m afraid they're busy raising funds to buy small patches of prairie surrounded by all this urban sprawl. Or maybe they’re buried under mountains of government paperwork trying to save some exotic endangered species.

I just heard that Wal-Mart is expanding their building on East State Street, which is good for the city’s sales tax receipts, but bad for the little creek and wetland that will be buried. The Wal-Mart expansion went right over my head. I heard there were environmentalist letters written somewhere, most likely sent to the Corps of Engineers.

But why the US Army would do anything about a little Northern Illinois creek that’s to be blacktopped is beyond me; aren’t they fighting a war in Iraq?

I’m the conservation chair for the local BlackHawk Sierra Club. We meet once a month and talk about hiking, the environment, and local urban sprawl. I’m supposed to be up to date on the latest information, but I’m lucky to notice the latest Sunil development before I drive by it.

Forgive me but I’m the one that volunteered for this position when no one else would. I will gladly share the honor or let someone else do this. There’s not much remuneration, except the appreciation of the local club members and maybe from unknown future generations.

Any other helpers? There are few environmentalists elected to local government. How many are on the Winnebago County Board? I can think of Polly Berg (who died), and maybe two others.

Are there any environmentalists on the Rockford City Council? Someone asked “where are the environmentalists” but has anyone asked the elected representatives if they have an environmental bone in their body?

Our own Congressman Don Manzullo has racked up a perfect environmental score: a big fat zero! He has not voted for one environmental bill in Congress. Someone should give him a goose egg as an award. I can’t. I’m too busy trying to persuade Machesney Park not to pave over the entrance of Rock Cut State Park.

So why can’t you be an environmentalist? It’s not that hard. All you have to do is like the outdoors. You don’t have to have a degree in environmental biology, though that helps a lot. You just have to be very specific when mentioning parcels of land you wish to save from the bulldozer.

Please realize that developers love the land, too—they love to buy it cheap and develop the heck out of it, get government subsidies to build roads, sewers and install water lines, then sell it and make a killing and claim that the free market system works. And don’t try to talk to them about fees or taxes!

Developers love to have taxpayers pay for their profit; and they bitterly complain when forced to plant a tree or stop filling in a creek.

All you have to do is learn the few rules that now govern developers, and then demand they adhere to those rules. Sure, it takes a little work, but what doesn’t these days?

It would be nice if we had political candidates who supported the environment, and then they could make it easier for environmentalists to save some land. You could ask more of your politicians, especially around election time.

We lost another Saint here in Rockford

The Reverend E. Maynard Beal passed into the loving arms of God last week. He was my mentor for this job as director of Rockford Urban Ministries (“RUM” as it is affectionately known).

Maynard was appointed executive director of RUM from June 1972 to June 1981. He volunteered for the position, coming from a suburban church to downtown Rockford IL. Back then it was exclusively United Methodists who ran the organization, but they worked with all those concerned about the city.

The concerns on his agenda: community organization (especially west side churches and homeowners), race relations, school desegregation, and enabling United Methodist laity to do more in the ministry.

Under his leadership RUM brought suite against the Rockford School Board, accusing them of segregation. This was the first desegregation case that forced the School Board to alleviate the problems (i.e., inadequate textbooks and teachers, antiquated schoolrooms). If the School Board had followed through on those promises, they would not have been sued again in the 1990s.

Maynard Beal also led a controversial action against local banks and their “red-lining” practices. He was instrumental in passing legislation that allowed more loans to go to west side Rockford. Out of this action, the West End Revitalization Corporation was founded.

Support was given for the Spanish-speaking ministry through the 4-S Center, which went on to work with La Voz Latino.

Other activities under Rev. Beal included involvement in public education, housing, and equality of opportunity, economic development, and helping to establish a local hospice.

After serving RUM for nine years he was then appointed to the United Methodist Church in Oregon IL.

After retirement, Maynard returned to live in Rockford (OK, as a snow bird, but he and his lovely wife Jean came back to town!). He was a regular at RUM’s monthly executive meeting.

I met Maynard Beal as RUM was taking on the “red-lining” issue. That was in the mid 1970s. Back then I was a hippie and Maynard welcomed me with open arms. Rockford banks were “drawing a red line” around neighborhoods where they did not want to loan money for home improvements (hint: it was usually south and west of the Rock River). I helped research loans & mortgages, trying to prove that local banks were denying west siders cash to fix up their houses. Out of that grew the WESCO, a Saul Alinsky style organization, and I got my first community organizing training.
Maynard said he remembered me as a Rock Valley College student coming to United Way and asking for support for the first local food pantry. They turned me down back then (in 1975), saying the need was not there. Maynard, who was on the United Way board, put me in touch with social service workers who admitted having pantries in their office closets, and “if there was a real food pantry” the agencies would use it. Out of that school project grew the Rock River Valley Food Pantry.
RUM also hired an attorney who took the Rockford School Board to task for segregating and demeaning the education on the west side of town. This was way before People Who Care. In fact, the agreement that was finally reached would have prevented the later, more expensive lawsuit. RUM’s attorney did not think to pass the costs on to the School Board, and they reneged on the agreement once RUM let the attorney go.
I am the present RUM director, the first non-clergy hired in 1985, and I received a lot of support from Jean & Maynard Beal. His education about the judicatory maze, politics of the church and the ways of the spirit in urban ministries was most helpful to this generic lay Christian. He will be sorely missed.A celebration of his life is this Saturday, August 16, 2008, starting with visitation at 9:45, and then an 11 am service at Centennial United Methodist Church, 219 South Second Street, Rockford. Gifts can be sent to Rockford Urban Ministries and/or the General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church.