Saint Paul, Minnesota has long been recognized for its neighborhoods. The city has been called "fifteen small towns with one mayor", owing to the neighborhood-based life of much of the city. Midway is one of these neighborhoods, which derives its name from being midway between the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. This neighborhood was established in the 1880's and continued to develop through the 1930's.
St. Paul is home to the largest urban contingent of Hmongs (formerly of Vietnam) in the United States. A significant number of both Hmong and Somali refugees live in the Midway area. Hamline University is also located in the neighborhood, and nearly a dozen other educational institutions are close by, which draws learners from nearly every state and from over 30 countries.
St. Paul is known for its citizen activism and Midway is no different. Numerous civic groups address local issues from urban greening to engaging youth and elders.
Interesting observation - while visiting Midway in May, I noticed that some of the intersections in the neighborhood had huge paintings in the middle of them. I found out that a group called Paint the Pavement is responsible for the initiative of “street paints.” The aim of these street paints is to develop relationships and social networks; creation of a community gathering place; calmed traffic; crime prevention; and, a local neighborhood identity.
A fun fact about Midway - Peanuts cartoonist, Charles Schultz, came from this neighborhood.
Third Way
It is into this neighborhood called Midway that God is leading our family to “pitch our tent” for the next season of life. We will join a missional community, who call themselves Third Way. The name of the community comes from the teachings of Jesus to express God’s love at all times by choosing new creative responses to the brokenness in our own lives, and the brokenness we find in the world. This means we are always looking for the third option in a world of violence and withdrawal.
Third Way is also experimenting with different ways of living out the shared life of community, and they are asking hard questions about what it means to contend for your neighbors. Whether they are running their coffeehouse, Groundswell, or working with Somali refugees, this community of 30-40 people seeks to be a redemptive presence in the Midway neighborhood.
We desire to use our gifts to assist in the shaping of a dynamic, creative, healthy community. We hope to help expand Third Way's mission in and around Midway, as well as network with other missional communities in the Twin Cities. We trust that this is the beginning of a journey that will surpass what we can think or imagine at this time.
