52 Kinds of Neighbors

Kennard Friends Church

January 29, 2012

“52 Kinds of Neighbors in Kennard”

There was a song in the ‘70s called “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover”. Anyone remember the song? Anyone remember any one of the ways to leave? Slip out the back Jack. Make a new plan Stan. You don’t need to be coy Roy. Hop on the bus Gus. Drop off the key Lee.

There is a popular song at Christmas called “The 12 Days of Christmas”. Anyone remember what is on day 3? 3 french hens! By the way, did you know that French hens were an actual breed of chickens in France developed in the 1860s? You’re not going to get this kind of learnin’ from many other pastors!

Did you know that there are 52 kinds of neighbors in our little community of Kennard? Actually there are more, but I have identified 52 to share today. Don’t worry this message will be finished long before it is time for dinner… tomorrow!

No need to try to remember all 52 as I am going to give you the entire list before the end of service.

Let me tell you when and how this idea got its genesis. At our recent Wednesday night Bible study and prayer meetings, I have mentioned specific kinds of people in the community to pray for. Let me compliment this congregation for listing “The Kennard Community” as a specific prayer request. That is wonderful. Well, a few weeks ago I was thinking about that request and I felt a need to pray for the community in a more specific way. That night we prayed for the YOUTH in town!

Of the approximately 471 residents of Kennard, about 144 are under age 17 and younger. That’s almost one-third of our town. Youth make up a significant part of our neighborhood. They need special prayer.
Here is an excerpt from Family Times, a parenting magazine… the title of the article is “The biggest problems facing youth”:
What are the biggest problems facing youth today? We could start with the age-old alcohol, drugs and relationships, then move on to more recent developments such as Facebook, texts, emails and the entire internet which all pose potential hazards such as bullying, stalking and abduction.
Strangely enough all of these potential minefields can cause further problems such as low self-esteem, learning difficulties and loneliness,etc.

In my research, I also found this list of the top 10 issues facing our youth in the country:
10. Single parent households; 9. Drug/alcohol abuse; 8. Growing up too fast; 7. Violence in schools; 6. Materialism; 5. Obesity; 4. Education disparity; 3. Shifting economy; 2. Poverty; 1. Erosion of National Pride (remember when school days started with the Pledge of Allegience?)

What does the Bible say about youth?
Psalm 127:3
Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Matthew 18:3
And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:2-4 (in Context) Matthew 18 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 18:4
Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3-5 (in Context) Matthew 18 (Whole Chapter)
Matthew 18:5
“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.
So back to that Wednesday night prayer meeting… we prayed for the youth of Kennard as specifically as we could. One of our 52 kinds of neighbors is the “youth”. Would you consider keeping them in your prayers?

A couple Wednesday nights ago, we then prayed specifically for the SENIOR citizens of Kennard. They are another of the 52 kinds of neighbors. The 2010 census revealed 66 people are age 65 and up. That is about 15%. We prayed for the specific needs of this neighbor. They may be facing challenges moving from being in the work force to being retired. They may have lost a spouse and have a number of issues that can bring to deal with. They may be living on significantly less income, but have too much pride to ask for help. And physically, some are struggling with simple tasks of living. Would you consider keeping the senior neighbors in your prayers?

And last Wednesday I had us pray for yet another of the 52 neighbor-types. Single parents. The census reveals stats on this too. 10.4% of households are single moms raising kids. I could not find information on single dads. According to the top 10 issues facing our youth article is said this about number 10. Single parent households:
The problems begin at home. Since the 1950s, the number of single parent homes has consistently increased to the point of catastrophe. Today, 14 million single parents are responsible for 28 million children. Raising a child is difficult enough in a two parent home, especially in tough economic conditions. The situation is even direr when there is only one parent. Economically, a single parent is likely to bring less income home. This equates to fewer opportunities for such vital necessities as education. Trying to make ends meet also takes time – time that is spent away from children who need a parent’s guiding/influence. Absent a parent’s diligent guidance, children become subject to higher dropout rates, higher risk of dangerous sexual behaviors and pregnancies, higher chances of drug and alcohol abuse. It really does take a village to raise a child!

So I have given you only 3 kinds of neighbors we have here in Kennard. Those 3 types alone represent well over half the population (about 60%). Would you consider keeping single parent neighbors in your prayers?
Here’s a few Proverbs that give wisdom for parents, grandparents and youth:
Proverbs 17:6
Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.

Proverbs 17:21
It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.

Proverbs 28:7
Young people who obey the law are wise; those with wild friends bring shame to their parents.

Okay, let me finish up. I am going to give each one of you a complete list of the 52 kinds of neighbors. There are probably more. But why 52? Well, there are 52 weeks each year. Over the next year, we as a congregation (at Prayer meeting, in our worship services, and hopefully in your homes) will pray for each of our neighbors more specifically. From now on, “The Kennard Community” has a face. It’s the face of the unsaved, the sick, those in debt, and those in addiction, the poor and the rich! It is the Christian Church and the Baptist Church. It is the school, the fire department/law enforcement, and the town board.
Now you have one more tool in your toolbox to help you “love your neighbor as yourself”. God will bless you for your obedience. God will bless our church for our obedience!

Let’s “go” and “do” for as long as we live.






Kennard Friends Church
Connected to Christ – Connecting to Community

52 Kinds of Neighbors in Kennard: Each week of the year the Kennard Friends Church will be praying for one of the following specific kinds of neighbors in our community.

1. Youth
2. Seniors
3. Single parents
4. The unsaved
5. The sick
6. Those in debt
7. Those in poverty
8. Those in addiction
9. The abused
10. The possessed
11. The rich
12. The grieving
13. The lonely
14. The believers
15. The worried
16. The suffering
17. The rejected
18. Singles
19. Widows
20. Working parents
21. The school
22. Town Board
23. Fire Department
24. Christian Church
25. Baptist Church
26. Liars
27. The jealous
28. The lazy
29. Hypocrites
30. Those in sexual sins
31. The hopeless
32. The hated
33. The haters
34. Heroes
35. Gossips
36. Greedy
37. Doubters
38. The depressed
39. The discouraged
40. Caregivers
41. Backsliders
42. The angry
43. Pastors
44. Businessowners
45. New residents
46. Newly married
47. The proud
48. Law enforcement
49. Widowers
50. Our visitors
51. The disabled
52. The unemployed
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.