It is impressive to see JP continue to be a font of high-profile political activism, with First Baptist Church serving as a home base to the local Black Lives Matter movement, and one of its ministers organizing peaceful demonstration tactics in Ferguson.
JP has a long tradition of effective, sometimes historic, activism. That goes back to the 1800s and JP abolitions, suffragettes and anarchists.
Nearly 10 years ago, First Baptist looked from the outside to be on the verge of dissolution in the wake of a devastating fire. Its pastor, Rev. Ashlee Wiest-Laird, has continued shepherding it along. Now it is an increasingly vital social force in JP.
Such traditions of putting belief into practice are part of what makes JP, JP.