Local Leader - Tina Shelvin Bingham

Tina Shelvin Bingham is the Executive Vice President of the McComb-Veazey Neighborhood Coterie. She is a proud Northside High School Alumnae. She received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA and eventually earned her Master of Business Administration in Project Management from Ashford University. She is currently employed by the Lafayette Consolidated Government in the Department of Public Works.

                                          

How do you define leadership?
I define leadership as seeing a vision and having the courage to work towards achieving that vision. It is also empowering the people around you to join you on the journey towards the goal.

What inspired you to become the leader you are today?
My parents have always encouraged us to give back to the community. The concept of
"It takes a village…"  has always resonated throughout all aspects of my life. I always strive to help others in any way that I can and try to avail myself and resources where needed.

What legacy do you hope to leave?
I hope to leave a legacy of purpose. I want to inspire others, particularly the next generation of leaders, to use their strengths and talents for a purpose greater than themselves and to create their own legacy by being a positive impact on the world.

Follow what's happening with the McComb/Veazey Coterie here.

Extraordinarily Ordinary

Three times in the last month we were called “soldiers” for choosing to live where we have by people from this community and from other parts of town. Normally, I would never write about that because I could be risking that someone would interpret me recognizing it publicly as boasting or agreeing with the statement. It; however, actually touches on a topic that has become more and more concrete this year. The words “extraordinarily ordinary” have been coming to mind as we discuss the work that God is allowing us to become a part of. It usually comes up when we are talking about fundraising, recruiting volunteers or just looking back to trace where we’ve come from. It just seems nothing but ordinary. 

When we started working at Bridge Ministry of Acadiana in 2009 our goal was to work our way out of a job. We hoped that the young men and women we were investing our time and resources into would replace us as the leaders because they were best suited to reach the upcoming youth. That goal hasn’t really changed much. The mission of Engage Acadiana is to engage and develop leaders within the youth of our community by creating a safe and relational environment where they can be introduced to and grow in fellowship with God and each other.

As all missions do, it helps to define our values and the initiatives we choose to take on. Since we’re new to this area we’ve done simple things to get started, things any neighbor needs to do to become a part of their community. We started attending community planning meetings and helping with projects such as a community garden or block party. We cheer for the Northside Vikings whenever we get the chance and help build the Habitat for Humanity homes down the block. Jason teaches at a school in the neighborhood and partners with a high school basketball league by coaching a couple of teams and recruiting church members to work concessions and run the clock. We lock arms with other groups working for Unity by attending family fun days and marches for peace. We don’t get credit for those things. We didn’t think of any of those events or even organize most of them. Because of other people’s leadership we are able to show up and serve and help to further their vision because we have a similar one. And they are ordinary things, nothing extravagant or fancy.

So in the past two years we have spent a lot of time engaging with community leaders. We’ve lived on the Northside of Lafayette for six years. And in that time we have been surrounded by people who are hard at work, being agents of change within their own community. Just to be clear, our moving here was not to come and bring our solutions and demand that our way of doing things be followed. All of us bring our history and worldview with us. We have our strengths and our weaknesses. Reconciliation is the key. That requires seeking to understand each other, becoming interested in knowing and valuing the other person, and being willing to adjust so that you can live in unity together. Our vision is to assist in breaking down racial, social and economic barriers while we share our lives, skills, and resources. Coming from 9 to 5 and then heading home to be with people just like us the rest of our days just didn’t cut it. Becoming neighbors that share in the goodness and the struggles of the area was a must for our family.

I’ll never forget the difference of experiences we had in our first years. This is where Jason and I are a bit different. Jason is automatically able to see through to good in almost anyone and he doesn’t worry much. To be honest, I wouldn’t define myself as naturally brave, no matter where I am. I’ve never enjoyed being alone at night and can’t watch scary things because it haunts me. Those fears are typically ridiculous. It was God’s sense humor that put me in a place that others had deemed unsafe. Because of my history of worry I just replied that “safety is relative” and that anything could happen anywhere. At the beginning, however, Jason couldn’t be gone after dark because “what if?,” and we had to get a dog so that I would stop thinking I heard something, and I didn’t walk to work by myself because I didn’t know how to handle the guy on the corner. It wasn’t my normal and people’s opinions had bled over into my beliefs. I didn’t have any negative personal experiences to draw on in regard to that part of town. All I could go on was what I had heard from others, history I had read on the news or how I felt. Sure, I won’t pretend that everything around me was good. Vacant homes were being broken into, guys were dealing drugs down the block, and I watched from my kitchen table as literal SWAT teams sought a suspect more than once. But does that mean that this little neighborhood was less valuable and void of leaders? Despite feelings of discomfort at times, we just believed differently and we wanted to help the people we knew outside the area, that had so little hope, see differently too. 

It was relationships and time that broke through layers of fear and judgment. 

Working everyday with children and youth that had so much potential and love. Becoming friends with my neighbor who was also pregnant by her choosing to meet me in the morning to head out for walks together and introducing me to people she knew let me see my community from a new perspective. Neighborhood meetings and family days in the park made me a friend and helped me to network with older, wiser neighbors that would teach me what my family had modeled: how to sew, garden, cook, and parent. Maybe we were more alike than it seemed. Sharing tools, lawn mowers, movies, baby clothes and literal cups of sugar helped us break out of the belief that we were supposed to be independent. We can never fully express how incredibly humbling and healing our time in Four Corners was and how indebted we are to those neighbors for accepting that couple that didn’t fit in and didn’t always get it right. They were teaching us what we thought we knew about being neighbors.

When we moved to McComb/Veazey people didn’t fully understand what our fascination with this part of town was and why we would once again invest in a home where there wasn’t a guaranteed financial win. We were told that we chose the “bad part south of Louisiana Ave.” and that "they shoot over there." “Are we considering our children?” To be fair we were aware of the issues. We did research statistics of the area. We learned at the time that the average income was $18,558 and that it was made up of 45.5% renter occupied housing. Racially it is made up of 82.6% minority so we wouldn't exactly blend in. A year before, there was a murder two blocks from the home that we were purchasing. But do you know what else we knew? We knew there was an active Coterie, a planning committee made up of local community members, completing projects on a regular basis that were improving the neighborhood, 8 to 10 brand new Habitat for Humanity homes finished or being built, the church we attend was moved to a new location within the neighborhood, and we had built relationships throughout the Northside that had us more than convinced that leadership was present and that this was a growing community too. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?

We enjoy going to events and seeing people over and over who believe in the good of your community and who are willing to help move it forward. We consider ourselves blessed to be a part of this area and for the ways that it’s made an impact on us, our family and the friends who maybe would have continued to let the perception of others create in them fear and judgement. It’s not always easy. There are still very real problems that cause worry and frustration. Just in 2015 we have had 12 shooting deaths within a mile of our home and some of them we knew. Our schools must improve and employment percentages must grow. Life here will always be a little different because we’re not from here and we will be pushed way beyond what we would typically see as comfortable.

Comfort; however, isn’t what we are chasing.

In Hebrews 11:10 of the bible it describes why Abraham was willing to obey God. It says, “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” We love McComb and Veazey and Monroe and New Jack and Truman and Azalea Park and Fightin’ville and Frooty Town and all the other parts of the Northside of Lafayette that many of the people reading this have probably never heard of, because this is where we live and God loves and is in this part of town as much as he loves and is in the others. “Incarnational ministry,” basically entering into someone else’s reality as much as is actually possible in order to better serve and share the love of God, is an ordinary idea for Christian. I guess you could say that's having "boots on the ground."

If you are interested in financially supporting Engage Acadiana click here to donate under "Community Center".

Will you jump the fence?

The other night I was out later than usual and there was some suspicious activity going on at our neighbor’s house, so Lacey had shut the gate to the driveway to deter people from just walking up uninvited.  When I got home Lacey asked me if I had spoken to any of the guys from our community group to see if they happened to stop by even though group was cancelled.  I hadn’t and was curious as to why she was asking me this.  She told me that about the time group typically starts someone rang the back doorbell and she couldn’t get to it fast enough to see who it was. 

At first I didn’t think much of it, until I asked her why the gate had the rope on it.  I could tell by the puzzled look on her face that something just wasn’t quite right.  We came to the conclusion that for the rope to still be in place after someone to gotten to the back door, they had to open the gate and replace the rope from the outside or they had to have jumped the gate. Did I mention that it’s six feet tall?  As we threw out person after person we just couldn’t figure out who this could be.  Then about a day later it hit me that it might be one of the boys from down the street. We’ll call him Rick. 

The next day when I saw Rick I asked him about this.  Sure enough it was him.  He said, “I went to the front but couldn’t reach the doorbell, so I jumped the gate.  I just wanted to shoot ball, Mr. J.”  Rick comes over just about every day to shoot ball and this was the first time that the gate was closed, so it’s not too surprising for him to have been confused. 

As the week went on I couldn’t stop thinking about this small incident. Then it hit me; Rick, this 13 year old boy, was willing to do whatever it took to shoot ball that day. How willing am I to do whatever it takes to be with God whom I say I love?  Am I willing to give up my own comforts and desires to be with Jesus? 

In Mark 2 there is a scene where Jesus is preaching and so many people are gathered together that you couldn’t even get close to Jesus.  As four men came bringing a paralytic there was no way that they were going to be able to get this man near him.  Once they realized this, did they turn around in defeat? No, they removed the roof and lowered the paralytic down to Jesus.  Why? They knew that this man needed Jesus and were willing to do whatever it took to get him close to Him.  How willing are you to take big risks to be close to Jesus?  Rick, while he doesn’t know Jesus yet, clearly has a desire to go after things that he is passionate about.  As Christians we often say that “all we need is Jesus,” but do we jump fences or lower our friends down roofs in order to be near Him?

Self Denial?

For most of 2014 our Pastor has been teaching on what a disciple is and what some of their characteristics are.  Mostly, we have been looking at the life of Peter and his relationship with Jesus.  A few months back there was a 2 part series from Matthew 16:21-28 that has stuck with me.

One of the themes from this was about self denial and not living for this world.  Sometimes when I hear these words I think that there is nothing that I need to learn about this, after all look at what I am doing.  I’ve moved my family into a community that most people would say is “unsafe”, we recently left our last job to start something new (with all sorts of unknowns) and we have given up the “comforts” of where we were living the previous 5 years.  While none of these decisions came lightly what I am realizing is that these weren’t necessarily self denial but decisions of obedience.  I have let my pride get in the way of something that God has been trying to teach me, probably for a while now.

I tend to be a stubborn guy and when I have my mind set on something it doesn’t change very easily.  While this can be a great strength it can also be a huge weakness for me especially when it comes to hearing from God.  What usually happens for me is that it takes just a little (ok probably a lot) longer than it should for things to process and this time was no different. 

A few months after hearing this sermon Lacey and I were traveling down to New Orleans to visit a church.  Like most of our road trips we have lots of time in the car with no distractions to process things that are happening in our lives.  At some point during this drive we began talking about how we were failing as neighbors.  It became clear that I had been living out of a very self focused mindset with my neighbors.  I was living as though they owed me something and should be seeking me out.  After all I was new to the community and surely they should want to get to know me and my family.  Not to mention one of our “goals” is to create some sort of community that is different.  As we continued to dialogue it became more and more clear that basically I was expecting others to just come and be a part of what we were doing when all along they already have community and I’m the one who needs to go and join in their community.

So as this is being more and more revealed I couldn’t help but remember the passage where Jesus told his disciples that they needed to take up their cross and follow Him, deny self.  For me I was making the everyday life decisions all about me.  My challenge is to now stop and check my motives and see am I trying to serve self or God and others?  What I am learning is that if I’m unwilling to be still before the Lord then it’s all the more easy to become self focused.

Becoming Neighbors

     After moving into a community where we literally knew no one, one of our biggest goals was to get to know our community and for the community to get to know us. This is mainly because we believe that before we can know how we are to be a part of what God is doing in this community we must become a part of the community. “Relocation” is all about desiring for our neighbors and our neighbors’ families what we desire for ourselves and our families. It isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about coming in as wounded healers, as people ready to walk alongside others in search of answers and who are willing to help in whatever ways we can.^a. We are grateful that this past month we have taken some big steps forward in 3 ways: we had a fish fry with the neighbors on our block, continued attending coterie and sub-committee meetings and began substitute teaching at one of the schools in our neighborhood.       
     At dinner with friends they asked how meeting our neighbors was going. We said slowly but surely we are seeing more of them by just being out in the yard and by walking the dog, but no real relationships to speak of. They generously offered to get together with other members of the church and throw a cook-out for us; our only job was to get people there. So I went door to door and invited the people on our street and around the neighborhood. The morning of we weren’t sure if anyone would come. We figured 2-3 would be considered a success. When 3pm came people started arriving. We ended up having about 25 people attend and they actually stayed and visited the whole time. We enjoyed hearing about the neighborhood from these families on our street, many of whom have been here for 20-40 years. They have raised their families here and most seemed to know each other well. They were very welcoming and enjoyed the opportunity to all get together to visit and enjoy some delicious food. We hope to make it a regular thing.
   

     When we moved in to our new home in January we were told that there was a neighborhood coterie, a planning group that meets once a month to make decisions for the community.  It was a no-brainer that this was something that we needed to become a part of.  We felt that this would be a great way to meet those people in the community that were some movers and shakers and who have some vision for what they want to see in their community.  The first two monthly meetings that I was planning on attending were cancelled.  So it was almost March before I could finally attend this meeting.  I found out that they already had a sub-committee that was meeting to work on getting a community garden started. So I just began to show up and listen and learn from my neighbors.   We met weekly for about 6 or 7 weeks to get ready for our ground breaking on May 17^th.  Also, at the May monthly meeting the coterie board failed to have a quorum so there was no way of voting on the next action steps. That led those present board members to reevaluate and look to see who they could possibly elect to the board at the next monthly meeting. This also happens to be the annual meeting where this can happen.  Much to my surprise, many of the board members who are also on the sub-committee were quick to throw my name out as a possible board member. Since there were so many agreeing, those who don’t really know me took their word for it.  This is a huge step in relational trust from about a dozen people who know this community well.  I am excited to see where God takes these relationships.
     
      I have found that one of the easiest ways to meet kids and families in the community is by working with them at school.  Having some experience in teaching, I decided that I would get certified to substitute as this would allow me to earn some additional income for our family and help me to become a face that kids and teachers can begin to know and trust.  After a month of waiting, I finally got all my papers in and was ready to go.  One of the schools that is in our neighborhood is NP Moss Preparatory, the alternative school for the Parish.  My first job was with the 2^nd/3^rd grade class.   What’s funny is that probably about a week before I was telling Lacey I wasn’t very comfortable being with elementary kids all day so I wasn’t sure how many of those jobs I would take.  At the end of that day, one of the school resource officers came and got me and said the principal wanted to talk.  At first I thought I may have done something wrong but the officer quickly told me that he liked the way I handled myself with the kids and that he put in a good word with the principal.  When I got to her office she offered me a long-term sub spot for the rest of the year with the connections program (these are students who are over-aged 8^th graders, a population of kids that I love to work with).  This has been far more than I imagined.  I get to interact not only with the connections students but with many others who are there for other reasons.  And lately I have been seeing more and more of them around the neighborhood. 

     

     All in all this past month we have been able to build many new relationships.  We believe that this will be a big part of our foundation as God develops our church’s and our family’s ability to love the neighborhood he’s placed us in.

a.       

  

            a.  Gordan, Wayne & Perkins, John M. Making Neighborhoods Whole. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2013. Print