Methodist Blogger Profile: Jeffrey Croft

Jeffrey Croft of Pjeffy's Posts

My name is Jeff Croft and I live in Mansfield, OH. Two years ago I started an inner-city church called All God’s Children, the Church in the ‘Hood.. The target of this church are those who have fallen through the cracks of the traditional church. We create a sacred space where the at risk and poor can call home, not just a church home. Our primary focus is on urban youth and children. We simply try to learn the language of the street in order to communicate the love of God. The name PJeffy is my “street name.” Everyone in the ‘hood calls me that. I do this ministry, living in the city, with my family working with me. My wife, Jennifer is an air traffic controller (I look for lost sheep, she looks for lost airplanes.) We have a beautiful 5 year old son, Aaron and are expecting our second child in May.

Why do you blog?

I’ve never been good at journaling, I guess I’m too much of a techno geek. Blogging is a perfect way to use the discipline in a modern way. It also allows for us to engage in an ongoing conversation with each other. The medium is focused on community and expression, two areas the church needs to always grow and learn in.

What has been your best blogging experience?

The first time someone posted “Well said.”

What would be your main advice to a novice blogger?

Be honest about what you write. Don’t write for an audience, just write what you feel. Whenever you feel the spark of an urge to post something, do it.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, what would they be?

scott... diagonally parked in a parallel universe, Urban Onramps, a tie for (props) Wesley Blog & Locusts and Honey

Who are your spiritual heroes?

For me, spiritual heroes are not necessarily great thinkers or theologians. Spiritual heroes are those who are willing to take a stand for who they are as children of God no matter what the adversity is. In my current situation, the kids I work with are my heroes. These kids live in a violent world. They have to be tough to make it on the street and yet they willingly are a part of this church. Just about everyone involved with our church, the church in the ‘hood, are there because these kids brought them. It may not be in a traditional sense, but they walk the walk.

What are you reading at the moment?

Just finishing Practitioners; Voices Within the Emergent Church & just starting Christ the Lord, Out of Egypt by Ann Rice.

What is your favorite hymn and why?

Be Thou My Vision. I love the haunting Celtic feel and the focus on God being the source of vision. It’s too easy to make up our own. The lyrics remind us to see through the eyes of Christ.

Can you name a major moral, political, or intellectual issue on which you've ever changed your mind?

I used to come from the camp of having a tough criminal justice system. Since working in the inner city with at risk youth and families living in poverty, I’ve learned that the power structure tends to be tilted against the underprivileged. People find themselves in tough situations with very few alternatives for escape. Trying to reform the situation through criminal “rehabilitation” does not seem to be the answer that our society needs. It’s time for the spiritual heroes of the church to stand up and do our jobs of not only proclaiming hope but issuing the invitation of the radically alternative Jesus.

What philosophical thesis do you think is most important to combat?

That people are poor because of the choices they make.

If you could effect one major change in the governing of your country, what would it be?

Throw out the two party system. Everything has become us vs. them, no matter what side you are on. Society is not about sides.

If you could effect one major policy change in the United Methodist Church, what would it be?

The basing of appointments on the previous salary level. In an environment where we say that material things and money are not a primary issue to life, we have made it a primary focus for matching pastors and churches.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?

Be real to who God made you to be. Nurture the relationships you are in, and seek to create more. Learn about love from the God who created love, and share it with everyone you see.

What, if anything, do you worry about?

As a parent, I worry about the well being of my child(ren).

If you were to relive your life to this point, is there anything that you'd do differently?

The past got me to where I am and the future is wide open…I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you do now)?

Anywhere near the beach. There is something about the open expanse of the ocean. What lies beyond these shores?

What do you like doing in your spare time?

Anything geeky. Computers, video games, and re-enacting the Revolutionary War in the 23 Regiment of Foote, the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

What is your most treasured possession?

The only thing I truly posses and treasure is what I see when I close my eyes, my family past & present, those that I love & those that love me. I also see where I’ve been and a vision of where I’m being led. Everything else, I’m just holding onto for a while.

What talent would you most like to have?

The art of small talk.

If you could have any three guests, past or present, to dinner, who would they be?

John Wesley (not just a token but to pick his brain,) Martin Luther King Jr. (to capture the essence of his dream casting beauty,) and George Washington (to learn about doing much with very little.)