When Lake Highlands United Methodist Church first proposed reaching out to help folks in the surrounding apartment communities, I was against it. As a church member, I figured the job was too big for one church to tackle. For years, once-thriving LH apartment communities have emptied of hip, young financially-independent singles and filled with families, many in need of multiple social services. “How much can one church do?” I asked. Luckily, nobody listened to me.
Since that day 14 years ago, LHUMC has expanded from the initial couple of apartment communities it took on to reach a large number of people at complexes all over LH. Off-Campus Ministries, as the program is called, provides everything from Sunday meals to after-school tutoring to parenting classes for pregnant teens to English lessons for recent immigrants. They make a difference in the lives of thousands of LH residents. And, yes, they lead prayer and worship for residents who choose to participate.
I was wrong when I said the task was more than LHUMC could handle. I should have trusted that church members and others in the community would step up to help. Now, the Dallas Housing Authority has ordered the church to cease its OCM services at Audelia Manor, claiming they violate the U.S. Constitution’s separation of church and state. They say the church is interfering when it offers elderly residents an opportunity to gather and worship. This time, the DHA is wrong.
An article in today’s Dallas Morning News details the recent ruling by DHA’s new president, MaryAnn Russ. She’s been on the job about a year, but when she discovered recently that Sunday worship was part of LHUMC’s wide range of services, she put her foot down. The agency cannot endorse any particular faith, she said.
Others in the know aren’t so sure there’s a violation. DMN quotes federal HUD sources and civil liberties advocates as saying the services are not objectionable “as long as federal funds weren’t used, other religious groups had the opportunity to hold services, and residents weren’t coerced or subject to ‘unwanted proselytizing.’”
Residents hope Russ will change her mind. The paper quotes 84-year-old Myrna Hardy who says, “They’re here when we have a death in the family. If we’re in the hospital, somebody comes to see us…No one else has ever been concerned about us.” For now, church services are on hold until LHUMC OCM Director Pamela Clark can meet with Russ and find a solution.
