Nehemiah Action Assembly -- The Report

All Saints totally rocks! At the Nehemiah Action Assembly last night for ACTION of Greater Lansing, we had a turnout of 88 people from our church. This earned us a certificate for best attendance ... but more than that, it signifies our parish's commitment to acting as a force for good in the greater Lansing area.

Mayor Virg Bernero DID show up (late, but he showed up ...) and he agreed to our requests for 1) to ENFORCE an existing ordinance that requires a certificate of registration in each rental home, with information on how to find out more about the landlord and property, and 2) To set up a database for renters so they can check if the landlord has violations, red-tagged houses, etc., and to be sure they are renting a safe property with a competent landlord.

Just a note for those of you who had to leave early ... ACTION meetings generally do not run this long. This was a special case while we waited to see if the Mayor would actually turn up and answer our request. We ran about a half hour over, but it was worth it, because we effected necessary change. Thanks to all of you for your time, for giving up an evening to come be part of an ecumenical, diverse and committed group of area Christians who want to make our community a better place to live.

We'll reconvene in a Community Problems Assembly next fall on October 8 to determine ACTION's plan for the next year. Mayor Bernero has promised to report to us at that meeting about the status of the database and code enforcement initiatives.

Special congrats to Janet Chegwidden for keeping the energy going over the last few weeks! Let us remember the words of the prophet ... "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"