Composite illustration / Nongkran_ch
Underneath and behind and inside everything is a deeper wisdom and reality, the heartbeat that keeps the whole world alive: We belong to God; we belong to each other. Let it pulse through you. Let it bring you back to life, says a Minnesota pastor in this sermon.
The Rev. Starsky Wilson, center, wearing stole, links arms with scholar and activist Cornel West as they participate in a direct action at the Thomas Eagleton Federal Court Building in downtown St. Louis on Aug. 10, 2015. Photo by Wiley Price/The St. Louis American
Part of the difficult witness for the privileged within the church is to renounce a bit of that privilege and work on behalf of the marginalized, says the co-chair of the Ferguson Commission.
Emile Nsengiyumva is a member of Westbury UMC, where he organized an African youth choir. Nsengiyumva has an entreprenerial spirit; he wants to create a comprehensive organization for African high schoolers in Houston. Photos by Mark Mulligan
Moise Mukanya, Nusura Mtendamema and Emile Nsengiyumva all experienced horrific violence in their home countries and in refugee camps before resettling in Houston. There they found a new home at Westbury UMC, where their presence has enriched the life of the congregation.
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If the recent violence in Baltimore is all you know of Sandtown, then you do not know Sandtown. There, God is present, active and alive, says the former pastor of New Song Community Church.
Image courtesy of Erin S. Lane
Belonging is a two-way street, says a young Christian writer. Before she joins any church, she needs to hear the same words Jesus heard at the end of the walk to Emmaus: “Stay with us.”
Detail from a graphic record of a facilitated discussion in Vancouver, B.C., in which participants talked about what belonging and community mean. The artists included examples of local community development in the drawing. Illustration by Liz Etmanski and Aaron Johannes/Spectrum Consulting
People who want to help low-income communities should see them as “half-full glasses” -- places with strengths and capacities that can be built upon, says the co-developer of the asset-based community development strategy.
A New York City church has welcomed in congregations from other faiths and denominations. This thriving community is marked by hospitality, listening and humility.
Members of Southlake Church paint the Roosevelt High School gym. Photos courtesy of CityServe
In a divisive time of culture wars and hot-button social issues, CityServe Portland focuses on what people have in common, bringing them together to love and serve their city.
The theologically trained president of MDC, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating barriers to opportunity, describes his work as a “secular expression of faith.”
The founder of Urban Bush Women talks about the values that underlie the dance company: community, collaboration and multi-disciplinarity.