Prop Y lifts all boats: Good for all of our city

We love our city!

As senior pastors of La Croix United Methodist Church and Cape First we have served a combined 59 years in Cape Girardeau. We are not only fellow pastors but friends who have together and put down deep roots in this city.

We love ALL of our city!

It is easy to focus merely on your own thing or your own neighborhood, but our churches have made deep commitments over the years to love and serve every sector of Cape, including the most underserved and under-resourced parts. Hundreds of our members serve in a variety of capacities loving the poor and those with little voice. With this long history behind us, we are excited to get behind Proposition Y, the school bond issue before voters on April 2. Not only do we support and love our schools, we are most excited by what this proposal can mean for South Cape.

A swimming pool is a swimming pool. But this proposition represents more than the construction of a new athletic complex. It represents and provides us with the opportunity to bless a part of our city that gets little investment and often feels left out and left behind. Further, it gives the opportunity to demonstrate that we in Cape care about all of Cape.

In the past 30 years, we have witnessed the continued growth and development of our city. The quality of life in much of our town is higher and better than ever. Not so with South Cape. If anything, it can be argued this part of our community has fallen behind — and the gap between the haves and the have nots has grown wider. From a Christian perspective, we are not OK with this. A rising tide should lift all boats.

Proposition Y provides capital investment in all our schools across the city. But, the addition of the swimming complex at Jefferson Elementary is a bold and positive statement. It dovetails beautifully with the long-range dreams being addressed through the Purpose Built Community initiative. It will not only raise a new building but lift spirits. To quote the Apostle Paul in reference to the body of Christ, the church: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.” We believe the passage of Proposition Y will be a source of rejoicing for one part of our city — and thus our whole city.

We pray that the day soon comes when we no longer speak of “South Cape” except in merely geographic terms. We dream of one city, united and strong where every neighborhood pulls for and has the back of the rest of the city. Passing Proposition Y is a step in that direction.

Watts is pastor of La Croix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Brothers is pastor of Cape First in Cape Girardeau.