Bridging as a Means of Grace

John and Charles Wesley were adamant about the spiritual benefit of engaging in works of mercy that kept the Methodists in touch with the poor.  A person-to-person interaction that allowed people to get to know one another, one that broke down social barriers, that was the ideal form of a Methodist work of mercy.  The opposite, works that did nothing to reverse class isolation, would be the antithesis of this model.

For several years now I've been pondering the findings of Richard Florida, which suggest that wealth is concentrated in several global cities.  These are the places where economic opportunity exists now; those living elsewhere are being left behind.

His latest map of wealth disparity diagrams salary ranges in the US for several professions that he lumps together into what he calls the Creative Class--
Given these conditions, a work of mercy would be one that put folks from the darker areas on the map in touch with those from the lighter areas.