Over the past several years, our church, located in Chicago's western suburbs, has begun to engage with the under-resourced areas surrounding us. Our church—mostly middle class, Caucasian families—is embarking on a journey to love our neighbors like Jesus commands. The uniqueness of our situation rests in the fact that our church campus is located right on the border between one of the most affluent neighborhoods and one of the most under-resourced neighborhoods in Chicagoland.

This was the reality 11 years ago when our church building was built, but it was just a few years ago that we recognized that our context presents a unique opportunity. We discovered that this calling would mean bringing justice to broken systems while working to restore relationships to a community torn apart by joblessness, racial divides, overcrowding, and an inadequate education system.

We've all heard it said, "It's not about the destination, but rather about the journey," and that has been true ...