I was pleasantly surprised this week to stumble upon a blog written by Clay Allard, pastor of Oak Cliff Presbyterian Church. He calls it "The Right Side of the Trinity River", which hearkens back to his statement in our October cover story that neighborhood churches who have found their mission have something “stronger than race, stronger than class, stronger than generation that binds us,” and that’s what makes living south of the Trinity exciting. They’re all wrong up north — this is the best place to be.”
My interviews with various pastors and parishioners of neighborhood churches was the highlight of working on this story, and talking with Allard was especially inspiring. He is a visionary, and as he mentions on his blog, this sometimes places him at odds with the powers that be. This month he has posted about a lot of "dead ideas", such as respectability=piety. The goal of his blog, he states, is "1) An attempt to publish an explanation for the Hope that it is within me, and to further the cause of Christ in Dallas, Texas, and the world 2) A goad to rebirth for Oak Cliff, and the PC(USA)".
