Urban Ministry in North America
A Track at Urbana 06by Randy White
Not everyone who comes to Urbana comes because they sense a call to mission overseas. Many come simply because they sense a call from God to align their lives with God's work, and want to investigate what that might look like. Is that you?
In fact, many at the convention find themselves growing in concern for their own cities in North America, for the homeless, for children whose parents are addicted to methamphetamine, for the poor who cannot find housing, for racial tensions polarizing neighborhood against neighborhood. If you are beginning to wonder whether God might want you to leverage your privileges, your resources, your energy on behalf of the poor in your city, that they might know the transforming power of Jesus Christ and experience the justice of God, the Urban Ministry in North America Seminar Major is for you.
God is raising up a new generation of young leaders who, in the words of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah, will "seek the shalom of the city … and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its shalom you will find your shalom" (Jeremiah 29:7).
That word, shalom, may be the single most integrative theological concept in the Bible. According to Dr. Perry Yoder, shalom means making things away they ought to be, for people (material/physical well-being), in people (moral uprightness and peace) and between people (reconciliation). Theologian Nicholas Wolterstorff says it is the well-being, the flourishing of all that God has created in all of its interrelatedness. How can we align ourselves with God's shalom agenda for the cities of North America, as the gap between rich and poor grows, and as political and social life in cities becomes more polarized?
The Urban Ministry in North America Seminar Major will explore these things from several angles. Every one of them is tied by a practitioner, someone who lives what they teach. There are even some "go and visit" seminars, involving site visits to local urban ministries in St. Louis. (These are first-come first-served, and capacity is limited.) You can take as few or as many of these seminars as you like. Here's a listing of the seminars grouped in this major:
Portraits of God's Work in the City, led by Ray Bakke
Justice 201: Intermediate Steps to Transforming the City, led by Kevin Blue
Mobilizing Your City for Transformational Ministry, led by Michael Mata
Prayerwalking: A Way to Join What God is Doing in Any City of the World, led by Steve Hawthorne
Your Church Can Reach Your City (Church Based Urban Ministry), led by Amy Sherman
Reaching the Urban Hip-Hop Culture, led by Phil Jackson
Short-Term Urban Ministry Options in the US, led by Jen Vettrus, Marshall Benbow, Kim Koi
The Gift of the Poor to the North American Church, led by Ray Rivera
The Simple Way: the New Monasticism in North American Cities, led by Shane Claiborne
Tomorrow's City: Key Trends Shaping the Future of Urban Ministry, led by Tom Sine
What Cities Have Taught Me about Reconciliation, led by Chris Rice
John Perkins's Three Rs of Christian Community Development (Reconciliation, Relocation, Redistribution), led by Noël Castellanos
Encounter God in the City: How to Orchestrate Experiential Service and Learning Events in the City, led by Randy White
Sacred Rhythms for Urban Living, led by Christine Sine
Site Visit to Habitat for Humanity
Site Visit to World Impact
Site Visit to Centenary CARES
Site Visit to New City Fellowship
Site Visit to Jubilee Community Development
Site Visit Grace and Peace Women’s Shelter
The mission that God might call you to at Urbana could very well be in your own backyard. Getting equipped to cross cultural barriers of language and race, economic barriers of class and social station, etc. it is every bit as crucial as if you were preparing to go overseas. We invite you to come explore the amazing God is doing among the poor in the cities of North America. You don't need to register for this major. Just come!
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
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