Article October 14, 1996 Issue

Visions of deliverance

Rosalie E. Dunbar

About fourteen years ago a friend and I first visited Lowell, Massachusetts, the city that is featured in this week's "News & Commentary." At the time, Lowell was only at the beginning of its journey toward renewal, and there were plenty of bumps in the road ahead. What we saw, however, made us both love the city, despite its gritty appearance. A year or so later, through an unexpected chain of events, we were delighted to join a church in Lowell that included people who were actively praying for the city's progress.

It became apparent as time went along that one of the difficulties facing Lowell was a lack of vision. The people seemed so weighed down by the city's problems that they had lost sight of the good that was going on. A major change came when part of a large religious denomination chose Lowell as the site for its annual meeting. People attending the convention told the city officials that they liked the family orientation of the area and the kindness of the people.

When they came back the next year, the city had made progress in many areas, and the return visit reinforced the residents' realization that their love of family, community pride, and goodness could actually be of value. As hundreds of members connected with this religious group flooded the area, residents and public officials got a new view—a vision—of what their city could be. An editorial in The Sun (Lowell, MA) referred to Lowell as "a destination city," and told readers that church members had described it as "beautiful and memorable" (Sept. 29, 1994).

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