Aug 2011 (original, 2009) by Nile Harper This article is an abridged version of a case study that appears in
Keep ReadingThe following is an excerpt from a conversation between Centre College Professor (and ACSWP member) Eric Mount well-known farmer, writer, and activist Wendell Berry that took place at 3 PM on Sunday, May 18th at Crescent Hill Baptist Church. Read
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As I write, the Presbyterian Church (USA) finds itself in a strange place, at an important juncture. Even as our denomination has affirmed our call to care for creation, we continue to profit significantly from fossil fuel companies. In November 2012, Cool Planet Working Group, one of the small groups
MoreWhen I was in seminary, a guest speaker came to one of my classes to talk about vocation. He said, “In one sentence, write down what kind of ministry you want to do.” I stared blankly at my paper. I want to do more than a sentence worth of ministry,
MoreOn the one hand we are called to play the good Samaritan on life’s roadside; but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed
MoreWhen I was small, my grandfather used to tell me that the shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept.” It made a strong impression on me, perhaps because it was the only verse I can remember him quoting. It was powerful to think of Jesus, the Son of God,
MoreBuilding Vibrant Congregations and Just Communities “And what does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” -Micah 6:8 “The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MoreFrom Ministry Tourists to Pilgrims Maps have always fascinated me. As a child they allowed me to escape the confines of the urban landscape of Chicago’s southwest side. I loved learning to read maps, gleaning insight into faraway people and places with a kind of romanticism. Conversely, as an adult,
MoreI currently live and work at Richmond Hill, an ecumenical retreat center and intentional community in Richmond, VA. Richmond Hill was originally a Catholic convent established in Richmond’s historic Church Hill neighborhood after the Civil War. As the Union army advanced on Richmond, the Confederate army set fire to the
More“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city… a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” -Luke 2:10b-11, NRSV (emphasis added) The “city” has been an important image in Christian theological and popular imagination since its
MoreThe work of urban ministry is a love/hate relationship for me. You have to hate it enough to love it so that your heart breaks for it. I’ve seen urban ministry glamorized a lot recently; it appears to be the “trendy” type of ministry to engage in these days. In light
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My experience with street ministry in San Francisco’s Tenderloin Neighborhood did not save anyone. It did not fix anyone’s problems or end homelessness. But I believe that it made a difference in an important way that continues to ripple out into the world; it has done so in my life. My
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