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5-6-08 Mike Williams FORUM
05/06/2008 09:11:29
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This is Mike Williams for WJBC’s forum; I was extended an invitation to attend the West Side Bloomington Summit, Thursday May the 8th at Mount Pisgah Church. I plan on attending this Summit to lend my support to west side improvements. I don’t live on the on the west side, but I’m connected to the west side and feel that I need to give back to this community. My hope is that as a community we should all feel connected to the west side in some shape form or fashion.
I’m a member of Mount Pisgah Baptist Church, which is located on the west side and several years ago our church was in the mist of deciding where we were going to build our new church. This was an exciting and challenging time for the church leadership and the members. Some wanted to stay on the west side and others wanted to move to the east side of town.
I commend our church leadership for making the decision to stay on the west side of Bloomington. It wasn’t an easy decision to make. Some felt that moving to the east side of town would take the church to the next level and that the overall environment would be nicer and more appealing. Nonetheless; the decision was made to stay on the west side.
Kudos to Rev. McSwain for his vision and leadership courage. Rev. McSwain recognized the needs of the west side and wanted the members of the church to be sensitive to those needs. Rev. McSwain shared his vision of revitalizing the west side and making it more sustainable. Some didn’t see this happening. I believe this was due to the stigma that media and others have placed on the west side. The dangers of the west side living are grossly overstated. Most homes are pretty well taken care of. There are some slumlords that need to moved on. The West Side Improvement Association has been in existence for more that 30 years or so. So having the summit isn’t a new idea or approach, but is and initiative to bring the entire community together to aid in improving the west side and make our overall community a better place to live and raise our families.
One Sunday morning I was reading our church announcements and I was amazed at the programs and services that Mount Pisgah offers our community, everything from food assistance to addiction recovery. This indeed is amazing and a testament that these vital services are disparately needed.
I’m pleased that we stayed on the west side and made a commitment to our community. Hope you will do the same.
In the Struggle, this is Mike Williams for WJBC’s forum.
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