NorCalUrban

Church-centric Missions I am a missionary. That’s how I am listed on the annual missions report of a suburban church that supports our work in the city. My picture is placed on one of the bulletin boards that line their main hall, along with a score of other sponsored ministries and missionaries that serve all over the globe. My monthly newsletter is also posted there. I am prayed for regularly and am invited to give a field report at the annual missions conference. For years the financial support of this church body has been one of my most steady, dependable streams of income. I am enormously thankful for their support. They have played a significant role in enabling me to follow the call of God to serve among the poor of the inner-city. I trust that I have been a faithful steward of their investments. A while back I was invited to join their pastor and members of their missions committee for lunch at the church. It was for fellowship and encouragement, they said. Not far i...

Hee's some very insightful words from Bob Lupton calling for truth in advertising for a $2 billion 'missions' industry... Cheerios just got a black eye. For as long as I can remember, those little round “O”s have been a breakfast favorite of both children and adults. Kids have spelled words with them in their cereal bowls, moms have carried baggies of them in their purses for snacks, dads have shoveled down spoonfuls as they hurried out the door on the way to work. In recent years these nutritious, fiber-rich, toasted 100% whole grain oat delights have boasted an amazing ability to lower bad cholesterol. I believed them. Who wouldn’t believe in Cheerios? Then some whistle-blower or competitor cried foul and the Federal Trade Commission took a close look at these health claims. Cheerios may be nutritious but no longer can they claim to lower cholesterol. They got caught doing false advertising. Is it buyer beware or do we want government watchdogs checking the valid...

CCDA board member Bob Lupton from FCS Urban Ministries in Atlanta regularly emails and posts an article called Urban Perspectives where Bob share insights from his work in the South. Bob has been very much leading the conversation around 'gentrification with justice' and empowerment. Today he sent out an article that relates very well to the redevelopment conversation going on in East Palo Alto and like communities. The underlying question is, "How do we reconcile redevelopment with the needs of the poor?"  Thanks for your insights, Bob. Here is Bob's thoughts ( emphasis mine ): “This city has a definite anti-church bias,” the pastor declared, leaning forward across his cup of steaming Chinese tea, brow furrowed with frustration. At every turn he had faced city resistance to his church’s plan to build a worship-community center on the five acre site they owned free and clear. Zoning hurdles, city planning department stonewalling, uncooperative building depa...

Here's an interesting article from Economist.com.   As you know we've been mulling over Bob Lupton's "Betterment vs. Empowerment" concepts as we approach our mission to relieve poverty. Lupton suggests that empowerment is a dignity building activity where betterment (giving without accountability) can create dependence and reliance on the giver thereby robbing dignity. It's important to note the Lupton distinguishes between crisis (i.e. Katrina, the earthquake in China) needs and chronic needs that seem to always be present.  The Economist recently reported the following: New drugs may help to enhance people's mental powers. But a study carried out by Pamela Smith, of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, and her colleagues suggests a less pharmacological approach can be taken, too. Their work, just published in Psychological Science, argues that simply putting someone into a weak social position impairs his cognitive function. Conversely, “empow...

What a great weekend! Last Friday and Saturday we were honored to co-host the Christian Community Development Association's (CCDA) Institute at our church (St. Samuel's). On Friday Noel Castellanos taught the class, "The Church's Role in Community Development" and on Saturday Bob Lupton taught on "Empowerment". Both classes seemed appropiate for what God is doing in East Palo Alto and the Bay Area.  We had an intimate group for both days which made the class interactive and fun. On Thursday night Melissa and I got to spend some time with Noel, and had a great dinner at Palace Barbaque in Sunnyvale. Noel is on a no-carb diet - and there is no better place to eat meat than Palace! I had a major grant application due Friday, so I was in and out for Noel's class - but the couple of hours I spent there were rich. I was able to attend all of Bob's teaching on Saturday. This is my second time through this class - and it seems to get better each time. B...

Join us for the the Christian Community Development Association ( CCDA ) Institute this Friday and Saturday. You can read more  here.   On Friday Noel Castellanos will be speaking on 'The Church's Role in Changing Communities" and on Saturday Bob Lupton will be speaking on "Empowerment".  Classes are from 9 to 4 each day and are located at St. Samuel at 1199 E. Bayshore Rd. in East Palo Alto. Call our office at 650-328-1890 for more information.