As you drive down University Avenue toward the Midway neighborhood, you will quickly realize that you are no longer in the suburbs. The first thing you will most likely notice is the hodge-podge of ethnic restaurants ranging from Mexican food to a Thai-French Bakery. It also seems as though each ethnic group has their own grocery store. And, unlike many of the “cuter” areas, there are no quaint brick buildings with their row of coffeehouses, restaurants and local pubs. No, University Avenue is an eclectic arrangement of buildings and businesses that seem to have no rhyme or reason.
Although the Midway neighborhood is not considered to be a “nice” area of town, we are realizing just how much we enjoy living along the University Avenue corridor. First of all, we love that it is very centrally located. We can find most of what we need in and around our neighborhood, and nothing seems to be more than a 20-minute drive away. Not bad considering we are in a metropolitan area with more than 2.5 million people. In 5 minutes we can be in downtown St. Paul, and in 10-15 minutes we can be in downtown Minneapolis.
We also love the diversity. One stop at the local Walmart and you will quickly realize just how many different ethnic groups are represented in our neighborhood. I was recently shopping at a nearby store and there were three ladies working together and each of them was from a different country of origin. Then, when I left the store, I read a bumper sticker that said, “As for me and my house, we will serve Allah.” That was a new one for me.
We also enjoy the fact that many of the local businesses are run by people, who live in our neighborhood. While I've been working on this newsletter here at Groundswell (Thirdway's coffeehouse), I've met two different local business owners. And, yesterday, Daleen and I had an interesting talk with the owner of a local bookstore about the new light rail system that will run along University Avenue.
We've heard a
lot of mixed messages regarding the new light rail system that would connect downtown St. Paul with downtown Minneapolis. Some think it will bring in a lot of business to our neighborhood. Others are concerned that the process of building the light rail will actually be the ruin of local businesses as the road will be torn up and electricity could be turned off for up to four months at a time. Some people look forward to a rise in the price of their home, while others fear that middle- and low-income residents will no longer be able to afford to live in the area. Needless to say, there is a lot of concern for the future of our neighborhood and the people who live here. Whatever the outcome of the light rail system, we look forward to walking alongside our neighbors as they navigate the changes to come.
While some are pulling out of places like Midway, there are people, like Thirdway, who are moving into the neighborhood. And, we believe that such missional communities are strategically positioned to bring the realities of God's kingdom into these culturally diverse, transitioning neighborhoods. We are excited to collaborate with churches like Thirdway, who seek to be a blessing and contend for the people who live along the University corridor.
Grateful to be in the neighborhood, B, D, K and Z
