Cincinnati and reconciliation

Yesterday my lead pastor, boss, and friend Brad Rosenberg walked into my office with a little bit if "franticness" in his step and asked me to drive to University Hospital with him for a visit. University is right next to the University of Cincinnati (obvious, i know) which is located right next to one of the most dangerous areas of Cincinnati called "Over the Rhine." I have driven through this place a couple of times but yesterday, as I was driving and talking with my boss, I was struck by a dichotomy. While going up a street called Vine, we pass through some dangerous neighborhoods: a women strung out and looking for drugs, a car parked at a stop sign with a guy dealing, people out on their porches packing heat, cops patrolling, etc. As we drive up around a bend toward the hospital, things start looking really nice: young professionals walking around, college students moving from one class to another, mom's walking with children, elderly out for an afternoon stroll, etc. What a dichotomy within only a few miles' stretch!!! I have never really experienced the whole "Black neighborhood", "White trash neighborhood", "Latin neighborhood", and so on. I grew up with everything being a melting pot. The only time segregation occured was because of the gangs.
So, I prayed for a new heart to pump out an overwhelming desire to be a part of racial reconciliation. We need it!!! Every city needs it and the Church (notice the capital "C") must be in the center of the battle. Jesus mingled, befriended, welcomed, and reached out to Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, Jews, women, children, young, and old. Shouldn't we do the same? Shouldn't we be apart of bridging the gap between different cultures, social classes, economic status ethnic, gender, intellect, etc.? I think so. I now digress.