Dear Stockton

Dear Stockton,

You will have a piece of my heart for a very long time.

I like Sacramento and its plethora of eating options, recreational leagues, and interesting people doing different things. But I also like how many people I know in Stockton, and the fact that I can run errands in Stockton and run into three people I know, see a familiar face at Mama's Pho, run into another friend at Manny's. I can drive down Miracle Mile and see that ridiculous jeep-van thing that looks like it survived a war and is using bumper stickers to prove it. I can sit in Empresso and smile gently at the characters that show up regularly: the artist sketching on the patio, the old man with a newsboy cap who sits with him, and bikers parking their fixie or one-speed just inside the door as they pick up a drink.

I drove down on Wednesday night for Pastor Jim's goodbye dinner at my old church. The gym was full of people who have been touched by Jim, and his charge at the end of the night was reflective of his nine years of ministry there: marked by humility, a challenge for risk and failure, and belief in hope and God's grace. I miss Quail and the family I had there, how they redeemed my view of large churches, how the older women at Sunday school took me in despite how young I was, how they loved the ministry at Pacific and also the city. And while they were never my best friends, I miss the young adults and how often they were a reality check for me in contrast to the average upper-middle-class student I worked with. I saw the core group stand up and was in awe that I didn't even know half of them. Who had God brought in in the ten months I've been gone? Almost as if he is setting up for his next round of work. Do good for the kingdom, my friends.

There are so many good things happening in Stockton. Tipping Point was one of them--the house band for a church I loved, a go-to at a number of local events. But even as I sat at their farewell concert, rocking or tapping to every song (because really, their songs just make you want to move), I knew their influence has spread far beyond that room at Congregation of Zion. And I remembered the stories of these friends: when Della and I were roommates and she would share the ups and downs of the band, when they would play at UOP for student events, when Mark would excitedly tell me about their next journey or step as a band. I shot photos of them year after year at Trilogy/Journey as they blessed hundreds of students with Spirit-led worship. And even though their time as a band is over, they're all still doing good things, all still making music too. And mostly in Stockton.

When people hear I moved here from Stockton, I get a response along the lines of, "Sacramento is a step up, isn't it?" or something along the lines of pity and awe. They ask about bankruptcy, gunshots, and gangs. Today someone even asked me if I knew any gang members. I said I know former gang members and people who are working with gang members. It saddens me that this is the reputation, that this is all people know. But it also gives me the chance to defend Stockton and give them potentially the first good news they've heard about this place: that yes, there's a lot of crap, but there's also a lot of good. That there are people who care about and love Stockton and want to see things change, and if you are one of these people, you will quickly meet others who are doing the same because they are so networked, because they care deeply about their city. That churches know each other, do things together, pray together, and various outreach activities are done as a joint effort. That Christians get together downtown to pray for people in leadership: government, police force, administration, etc.

I think about the sunrise Easter service that happens every year, how believers across the city come together for a joint service celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. I think about how the worship and speaker rotates and you hear from people who are not from the bigger churches you usually hear from. I wonder who on earth even puts it together, but it happens.

A big part of me loves Stockton for the familiarity, the friends, my Alma mater, my favorite coffee shop, and Sunken Field. Those things carry nostalgia and memories that can't be replaced, and, along with dear friends, these are the things that refresh and energize me every time I visit. Those friends--alum, Quail, or randomly networked acquaintances--I miss them, they are good for me, they are good for the city. And I'll keep coming back for those people, but I'll also come back to do a photoshoot for the rescue mission I still support, for a church family I stand behind, for walks through a beautiful campus, and for a city that is still home to me.

Dear Stockton, I think you will forever have a piece of my heart.
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I finished this blog and was reminded of the Dear Stockton project, probably why the rhetoric sounds so familiar...