Out of sight of most Americans, African Christianity is thriving in New York and other cities, here and around the globe. It is a gift in our midst, a vivid reminder that Christ is about flourishing, says the author of “Word Made Global.”
An instructor teaches job seekers at a Jobs for Life class at Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C. Participants meet twice a week for eight weeks. Photos courtesy of Jobs for Life
Jobs for Life grew from a friendship between a businessman and a pastor into an international organization, with a training method and curriculum now offered through churches, rescue missions and community centers in 275 cities and nine countries.
The problem with 'outreach' is that it is 'out there,' and often presumes that we have no needs 'in here,' writes a denominational leader. But we are called to be near, to serve our neighbor both far away and in the next pew.
Mayra Zelaya plays with her son Eliel Zelaya during a church service at San Antonio Mennonite Church. Zelaya, a Honduran immigrant, has been in the United States with her family for 14 months. The church is helping her and other migrants and asylum seekers by providing shelter and resources. Photo by Wendi Poole
For the past three years, members of a Mennonite church in San Antonio have welcomed people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The experience has changed them and their understanding of the gospel.
Josary Moreno Mejia interprets as the Rev. Dr. D.K. Kearney preaches and the Rev. Cesar Moreno prays during a revival on the grounds of Turner Memorial AME in Hyattsville, Maryland. The two pastors and their congregations jointly hosted the four-week event in September. Photos by Pete Marovich
Two pastors built a friendship across barriers of language and culture, uniting their congregations and together reaching out to their community.
Billy Graham speaking in Amsterdam in 1983. Wikimedia Commons
Billy Graham’s method was as important as his message, historian Grant Wacker writes in his new book.
Maria Liu Wong, dean of City Seminary, works on a project outside the City Seminary gallery in New York City. Artists wrap objects with crocheted and knitted patches -- a method called "yarn bombing." The yarn-bombed trees are dedicated to Manuel “Manny” Ortiz, a mentor of the author. Photo by Daniel John/CSNY
His longtime friend Manuel “Manny” Ortiz showed the director of City Seminary of New York the importance of not just leadership but friendship for the future of the urban church.
In this photo from the cover of "God's Internationalists," children run around their school building in a Tanzanian World Vision Area Development Program.
In the first comprehensive study of the history of World Vision, the author of “God’s Internationalists” says that organizations should be ready to listen, change and come together as the world around them changes.
Ulysses Burley III lights a candle during an interfaith prayer service during the 2016 International AIDS Conference. Photo courtesy of Ulysses Burley III
We cannot cure HIV in the United States without people of faith standing up against the stigma, the founder of a faith and human rights organization, UBtheCure, says.
A crane stretches above a building under construction in Atlanta. The author, who lives in the Atlanta area, writes that advocating for affordable housing is part of his call to the community. iStock/stevecoleimages
Housing is a profound and even holy good, rooted in deeper notions of home, says a Presbyterian minister. Christians are called to re-create communities where people of every income level and race can make our homes together.
The Rev. Justin Mathews works the serving line at Thelma's Kitchen, a cafe operated by Reconciliation Services.
Photos by Susan Pfannmuller
In a neighborhood long marked by the trauma of racism and poverty, Reconciliation Services is building community with an entrepreneurial but distinctly Orthodox Christian approach to mission.
Image courtesy of Episcopal Church in Connecticut
The Episcopal bishop of Connecticut says his role is prodding, challenging, inviting and encouraging the faithful to ask the question, “What is God up to in the neighborhood?”
Emigdio Moronta and his daughter chat with Vince Anderson (right, in gray hat) in the bodega Moronta runs in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens. Photo by Whitney Kidder
Twenty-four mostly small-scale grocers in Brooklyn and Queens post art in their store windows in a series of displays modeled on an Advent calendar.