Events of Steve's Funeral

Steven and his daughter, A'zharia

Well, I am delaying my Shane Claiborne posts again for a little while longer, due to unforeseen events. Yesterday, I went to the funeral of one of my former students, Steven Ivy, whom I mentioned was gunned down last Friday. Last week I didn’t know much of the details, only that Steve, who was the cousin of a student that I mentor, was shot and killed in the house next to my church, Berean Baptist. However, after doing a little bit of research, I realized he was one of my former students when I ran the after-school program at Coit School for Camp Fire Boys and Girls about ten years ago and at the Rock when he was around sixteen or seventeen. Having worked with over two-thousand inner-city youth with the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation, Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Servants Center and Urban Transformation Ministries during the past fifteen years, sometimes I mismatch a few names and faces.

About four hundred people packed themselves into Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church. At least thirty of them were either current or former students of mine. During the first hour, people paid their last respects to “Coo.” Since his father shared Steve’s testimony as someone who believed and had a relationship with Christ, his wish was to celebrate his life rather than mourn for him. Sadly, there was a lot of mourning and wailing among his friends, especially from his baby’s mamma and another girl that Steve knew well.

There was one very tense moment during the service. One of his friends wrote a poem about Steve, celebrating his life. The majority of the poem was very moving, speaking of who Steve really was as a person. However, the last part talked about “poppin’ bottles” which refers to partyin’ and drinking, which some knew was a part of Steve’s life, albeit a small one. Steve’s Grandmother went hysterical on his friend yelling, “I didn’t raise my grandson like that! “Who does he think he is?” And so on as she was accompanied out of the service until she calmed down. Pastor Jones, who resided over the funeral, used the “poppin’ bottles” as an illustration of what not to be or do, and then pointed young people to accept Jesus. Since almost half of the people in the service were teenagers and young adults, Reverend Jones also took advantage of the opportunity several times to rebuke young folks for thinking that they know everything, that they do not listen and obey their parents, and that they live for money and pleasure rather than for Christ.

As I observed the nodding and obvious vocal support of the forty and older crowd for what Pastor Jones was saying, and then observed the stone face response of the teenagers and twenty-somethings, it reinforced a reality that among African-Americans there is a noticeable gap of worldviews between the older and younger generations. The civil rights or soul generation valued the authority, and therefore the message of this larger-than-life saint, Reverend Jones, who has pastored for some sixty or so years (give or take) at Pilgrim Rest Baptist church. However, the hip-hop generation seemed more in tune with the poet friend of Steve’s, who not only looked like an MC, but who also kept it real by juxtaposing the glory of God and “poppin’ bottles” without seeing any conflicting message between the two.

Perhaps the most ironic aspect was an old Helen Baylor song sung at the funeral, “Can you reach my friend?” To me it represents the desire of one generation who has the answer in Jesus, but has lost touch with its younger generation.

I got a call from an old friend. We laughed about how things had changed.
But I could tell things weren’t going as well as he claimed.
He tried to hide his feelings, but they only gave him away.
The longer I listened, the more I kept wishing that I had the right words to say.

Can You reach my friend? Bring his searching to an end.
Lord, I know you love him, Help him understand.
Can You reach my friend? You’re the only One who can.
Help him give his heart to You.

We talked for more than an hour, I smiled when he mentioned Your name.
I said that I knew You.
I told him the difference You made, but he never though he would need You
But may he’s changing his mind, As we said goodbye Lord
He told me that I had found something he’d like to find

Chorus

Maybe he’s ready tonight. Lord, he said that he might need to call You
Help him give his heart to you.