"The Real America"

What I tell people from time to time is that I'm a city boy that grew up and moved to the suburbs, yet all along has played in the woods (rural). That is true.

So what does this have to do with ministry, leadership, and even Royal Rangers? Everything! And this isn't the first time I've spoken on this topic. The real America is its cities, town, suburbs, and rural areas, all of it. Each needs each other. And the beauty of America is that you can pick which part you call your home and your community.

So the latest political bashing has to do with labelling the small town and rural areas as the real America. I know plenty of people who live in rural areas that will somewhat agree with that sentiment. If anything, statically and historically rural areas have a more conservitive base of people with a more long term base of traditions and practices. What I just stated should be obvious about rural people in rual areas.

Then there are the more liberal and somewhat progressive people in the metropolitan (city) areas of the country. They are getting tagged in this political stereotype as not being "the real America". Of course you have dense populations in these metro areas, commerse centers, a mix of racial demographics with a large cluster of minorities, etc, etc. Put a bunch of people together, especially from a broad range of cultures, you tend to be more progressive, left leaning, and democratic-socialist left leaning. (Key word "tend").

Then there are the suburbs, part city, part rural, almost the best of both worlds. They are less densely populated that metropolitan areas, actually a part of the lifeblood of the city. Of course there tends to be a good mix of conservative and liberal points of view. It is likely you can own overpriced property, enough to use a small John Deer riding mover/tractor. People here love it because you are close enough, yet far enough away from everything. You can drive 20-30 miels and go on a farm hay ride, while the same distance the other way and take reservations at your favorite restaurants in the city.

Humor time...

I love taking city slickers camping, especially those from Philly and DC! I tend to become Indian Jones or Mick Dundee to them. It is extremely entertaining seeing city slickers setup tents, use camp equipment and do all that rookie camping stuff, like smores. I can get away with such fun being a city slicker myself, yet I was born camping, canoeing, hiking, biking, backpacking... But endless fun exposing city people to the wild. In the end most love it and live to do the weekend warrior thing.

What is more fun than taking city folk to the wild country is taking country folk to the city, especially big metropolitan areas. Hicks are scared of big cities, even just cities in general. I know many people from the hick lands of PA and when I mention that I am from the Philly suburbs, then tend to hear Philly and not suburbs, then make some point about crime in Philly.
Too fun zipping around the city with those hicks! I blend in well, even in NYC, where I get asked for direstions, even by people who live in Mnahatten. Imagine a hick... They stick out like a sore thumb!

PA Population Stuff...

In Pennsylvania (PA) there are 12.4 million people, where in the USA there are 300 million. 1.5 million (12.9%) of the population of PA lives in the city of Philadelphia. 0.3 million (2.4%) of the population of PA live in Pittsbrugh. And you figure there might be 2-3 other cities in PA that have populations around 100,000. So that around 18% of people live in sizable cities in PA.

How many cities then are between 25k-99k in PA, like New Castle, PA, the city I grew up in? Or the boroughs, like Phoenixville, which I live just outside? I'm not sure if those stats are included at this census link, but you can figure it is another 10-20% of PA's population.

So of that 18% of people that live in cities with populations of 100k or more in PA, then what about the suburban populations that circle these cities? You can maybe equal or double those numbers. So if you include Philly and its PA suburbs (there are suburbs in Del & Jersey, which don't count), you have an easy 3-3.5 million people, which is 25-33% of the state's population. So if that huge chunk of PA's population isn't "real America", then something is off.

Obviously I need more hard population stats when it comes to the population distribution of PA. Sure most of the land mass of PA is rural. But most of the people in PA live in or near Philly, Pittsburgh, Harrisburgh/Lancaster/York, Allentown/Bethlehem, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. They count as PA citizens and real Americans as much as anyone else does.

NYC has 8 million poeple. Philly has 1.5. You figure Boston, Jersey, Balitmore, and DC, have similuar population. Then match that with the other coast lines and merto spot throughout the country. A large percentage of America's live in these metro/suburban areas. I'd conclude that they are "real America", just not the "real stereotype" that certain political people are trying to appeal to.

So on the minstry side of things...

I've noticed that in the A/G and in Royal Rangers, it is hard to get churches and Royal Ranger outposts going and maintained in these population centers. You'd think that there would be a concentrated effort at least in Royal Rangers to develop outpost in and around Philly. My outpost is too the far far west of the Philly suburbs and the nearest outpost that is alive is a good 45 mintue drive away.

SCE section is the biggest in the Penn-Del District as it comes to Royal Rangers. They are mostly rural, with city spots spread out fairly evenly. That's good for them. But East Central and South East sections need to be the largest, since they are in the largest population centers.

Can someone try to sell me that Royal Rangers isn't relevant in the city? I say hogwash, since I grew up in a city. Being a ghetto kid, the outdoors appealed to me and my friends a lot! Of course my church was outside the city and we had woods to play in. So I agree it is hard to do outdoors stuf in the city, but still doesn't stop Royal Rangers as a whole from happening. Most age groups spend a great deal of time in the church classrooms anyways.

Much more to say about all of this. In close, let's not excluse parts of America that are just as much part of America as the rest! And lets not be so dumb to include and exclude in the church world to. I think Jesus said go into all the world. So let's do that!

Labels: ministry, people, population, reflections