Ambassadors of Reconciliation: Lessons Learned from a Small Ecclesial Community in Columbus, Ohio

precis: The church is called to be an alternative community that promotes reconciliation—that is, missio dei or the mission of God, but how well has the church conducted that mission, and are there examples of ecclesial communities that are faithful in that mandate? This essay answers that question with a case study from Columbus, Ohio. Whereas the construction of the Interstate 70 highway, part of which cuts across an African American community, was meant to benefit the residents in the larger Central Ohio area, the results were the opposite. Communities were divided physically while their social and economic activities were seriously disrupted. Thankfully, J. Jireh Church, a small ecclesial organization, has addressed this challenge by promoting reconciliation in this community, thereby setting an example worth emulating.