Street Cred (credibility) for Biblebob

Street cred is earned by walking with integrity through the valleys and mountains of life. The saying, "Jesus loves you and so do we," gained acceptance and credibility in the hearts of young people because there were actions beyond the words. No matter who did what. No matter who treated you good or bad. No matter what anybody believed or didn't believe. They knew they were loved. They knew they would never be rejected or abandoned. They knew they had somebody who believed in Jesus and believed in them.

Thousands of young people came through the doors of Hoy Cross Church on the West Side of Buffalo, NY. We were located on 7th Street which the Buffalo News called, "World War III" because of all the shootings in the area near downtown Buffalo. In a city ranked among the country's leaders in poverty, segregation and violence, young people came to the youth center for food, friendship and to feel valued.

Our youth center was in the basement of an old church. The gym had ceiling tiles that would fall if the arc on your basketball shot was too high. We had no "state-of-the-art" equipment. When the community center one block away reopened, I thought it was the end of the line for us after three years. I figured that our old facility couldn't compete with a modern recreation center.

The Belle Center had everything a kid could want; a pool, beautiful hardwood basketball court, a weight room, computer room, food, programs and a lot more. Ironically the original name of the place was the Father Vincent L. Belle Community Center. Father Belle was a beloved Priest at Holy Cross. On New Year's Day, 1960, Fr. Belle was out delivering Holy Communion to sick and homebound folks. He was shot dead while starting his car in the parish garage. He was only 37 years old. Somewhere along the way the name of the community center was changed to the Belle Center. I wonder how many folks hear about Fr. Belle today.

Strangely enough, even with the reopening of this beautiful facility, young people kept coming to our bare bones youth center. When I asked the young people why they were still coming to Holy Cross when the Belle Center had so much more to offer, this was their reply:

The beautiful building didn't matter. What mattered was knowing they were worthy of being loved, valued and respected. That's what the video/podcast called Biblebob is all about; taking the time to share a good word. And there's no better word to share than God's Word.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

#Biblebob #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

Please add your email address below and subscribe to Biblebob so we can keep you updated on our launch date in June 2025. Thanks.

"Street cred is related to Word cred when the Truth spoken becomes the Truth acted upon."

"Because you talk to us. Because you ask us about our day. Because you spend time with us."