Urban theology must, of its essence, be praxis-oriented, trenchant, impatient, observant, and engaged within the reality of life in all urban communities, as well as understanding the dysfunctional realities that produce areas of multiple deprivation. It must have a vision of how the future must be different and be committed to finding some of the mechanisms to make that a reality. (Davey 2002: 11)
Ministering inner healing to street children is a particularly tender business, particularly because children are open to such manipulation and suggestion by adults. The scandal in the Congo in recent years is one horrible example of how deliverance has been used to manipulate street children, as the Human Rights Watch reports:
“Children are blamed for economic or social ills which befall an extended family member, particularly a death related to HIV/AIDS, and are accused of being witches. Boys and girls accused of sorcery are often physically and emotionally abused at home or in churches at deliverance services led by self-proclaimed prophets in an attempt to rid them of "possession…" Save the Children UK estimates that as many as 70 percent of street children in Kinshasa have been accused of sorcery” (Jubilee 2005).
Perhaps it is due to these rampant abuses that no documented cases of an inner healing ministry with street children could be found, apart from the Baker’s itinerate ministry of healing and deliverance, often simply through their embracing of a child. Clearly, there is a wide-open space for discovery and documentation in this area, as it is a ministry needing to be pioneered by a tactful, discerning team of individuals.
In light of Judith Ennew’s extensive study on development in her Street and Working Children: A Guide to Planning, in which resource-gathering and child-participation is of the utmost value, I propose that a pilot ministry of inner healing for street children be prepared in Naples, along the course of four years. This ministry should work alongside of already-present ministries to those on the streets, such as the Betel Center—a family-style ministry to Neopolitan males who are drug-dependent.
A Simple Plan:
The first two years of this ministry should focus simply on building relationships with the street children in the poorest neighborhood of Marianella. These two years should be wholly devoted to going to where street children are, living in their world, listening to their stories, and getting to know their deepest needs. This stage of the ministry is of the utmost value, as it is the foundation of any action that will take place. Surely, ministry will occur through the course of these friendships, as love and affection, as well as prayer and counsel may be offered to these street children, but the bulk of the work will be unseen by the community, as trust is built in relationship. Likewise, natural and intentional connections should be made with others in the community with a vested interest in the children’s well-being such as parents, teachers, social workers, NGO’s, and any existing ministries present in Naples, such as Mother Theresa’s Sisters of Charity.
In the following two years, a small team of discerning, prayerful adults should begin inviting street children to begin what I’d term simple “prayer conversations.” These conversations would be the initial steps of inner healing ministry, as described by John Wimber and Chuck Kraft. Does the child have anyone they need to forgive? Then encourage the child to talk through that person or incident. And as the child is willing, welcome the Holy Spirit to carefully bring light and healing to those wounded parts of the child’s heart.
Clearly, these conversations must be age-appropriate, and surrounded by love. The context of these initial steps of inner-healing for the child must be wrapped in the earned trust and proven love that the adult team had achieved in the first two years. And all throughout the process, the distinguishing mark of these “prayer conversations” must be the love of the Father, as made manifest through the prayer-team’s interaction with the child. Likewise, throughout the process, a careful record should be kept of what went wrong, what proved helpful, as the prayer-team “debriefs” together after each ministry time.
Following any of these “prayer conversations,” the child should always leave feeling loved and valued. No matter what the deeper-level spiritual outcome may be, the prayer team must have tactfully communicated God’s love to the child in an appropriate manner. In the absence of this environment of nurturing and the primary motivation of love there is room for great misunderstanding and abuse, as made clear in the Congo. However, through this simple plan for ministry, and through the perseverance of a prayer team, I believe the street children of Naples will discover God’s love through the disclosure of his power towards them. And likewise, a firm foundation can be built for the development of the inner healing ministry to move in more dynamic ways in the future, especially as the prayer team grows in their experience of the children and in their experience of the Holy Spirit.
(Naples map from Univ. of Texas at Austin Map Collection.)
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