Franklin Circle Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
City Of God ~ Resources
- Print/Web/Media
Websites -- National Organizations
Websites -- Local Organizations
Websites -- Denominational/Faith-based Organizations
Sidewalks in the Kingdom: New Urbanism
and the Christian Faith
by Eric Jacobsen
Brazos Press/2003/paperback
Description: There has been much ink spilled in the
evangelical community about "claiming our cities for Christ" and plenty
of lip service paid to the need to address urban concerns. But according
to author and pastor Eric Jacobsen, this discussion has remained far too
abstract. His Sidewalks in the Kingdom challenges Christians to gain a
practical, informed vision for the city that includes a broad
understanding of the needs and rewards of a vital urban community.
Building on the principles of New Urbanism, Jacobsen emphasizes the need
to preserve the nourishing characteristics of traditional city life,
such as shared public spaces, mixed-use neighborhoods, a well-supported
local economy, and aesthetic diversity and beauty.
Sidewalks in the Kingdom includes three appendices: a glossary of urban
vocabulary, an annotated bibliography of related sources, and a detailed
description of the principles and goals of New Urbanism. A companion
website with posted discussion questions,
www.sidewalksinthekingdom.com, makes it ideal for study
groups. Pastors, city-dwellers, and those interested in urban ministry,
politics, and development will be both encouraged and informed by
Sidewalks in the Kingdom.
Author Information: Eric O. Jacobsen is adjunct professor of theology
and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He previously served as
associate pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, Montana.
Jacobsen is a member of the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Street Signs: A New Direction in Urban
Ministry
By: Ray Bakke, Jon Sharpe
NEW HOPE PUBLISHING / 2006 / Paperback
Along your city streets, there are signs of hope pointing to God-given
opportunities for spiritual and practical transformation. With the
explosion of urban growth, cities today present exciting new directions
for church and community leaders. Street Signs challenges Christians to
recognize these opportunities and to build on what God is already doing
in their cities.
Authors Ray Bakke and Jon Sharpe offer transferable models from
consultations held in more than 200 world cities with church, business,
government, and other leaders. This ministry-transforming guide will
equip Christians to become volunteer consultants, bringing together
church and city leaders to mobilize resources for urban renewal. Street
Signs provides basic methodology, stories of how this is successfully
being done all over the world, and practical how-to suggestions.
Ray Bakke is a gifted teacher, author and leader in the area of urban
ministry. As Founder of International Urban Associates, he animated a
network of more than 100 urban churches and missions leaders in many of
the largest cities in the world. He is author of The Urban Christian
InterVarsity Press, 1987, a groundbreaking book on urban ministry which
has been translated into seven foreign languages. He holds a Diploma
from Moody Bible Institute, a B.A. from Seattle Pacific College, a M.Div.
from Trinity International University, and a D.Min. from McCormick
Theological Seminary.
Jonathan L. Sharpe serves as the Academic Dean and Director of the
doctoral programs at Bakke Graduate University. He also serves as a city
facilitator for the Serve Seattle Envisioning Team. Sharpe is an
ordained minister and has held positions including senior pastor,
missions pastor, church planter, and church consultant. He holds a
diploma from Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA, (B.A.), Special
Studies, LAbri, Huemoz, Switzerland, Simpson University, Redding, CA
(M.A.), Graduate Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, Graduate Studies,
Tyndale Theological Seminary, (D.Min.), Asian Theological Seminary,
Manila/Bakke Graduate University, Seattle, WA (joint degree)
~ review from Christian Books at: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=690046&event=CF
Order the book at Cokesbury: http://www.cokesbury.com/forms/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=588187
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Websites -- National Organizations
Franklin Circle
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Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE)
Welcome to the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE)
where we think prophetically and imaginatively about the direction of
our global civilization as evidenced in our cities.
SCUPE offers experiential learning that allows the city to touch the
heart and the heart to reach out to the city. Our academic courses
prepare individuals with information and skills to become effective
agents of transformation in our urban world.
We partner and collaborate with seminaries, universities, denominations,
churches, organizations, community groups, and individuals seeking ways
to join God’s mission in the world with their mission in the city.
Let us hear from you and hopefully we can nurture each other’s prophetic
imagination!
UrbanMinistry.org is TechMission's
Web 2.0 portal for the faith-based social services sector and those who
serve in it. The site is both a social network and shared resource bank
for thousands of faith-based social service organizations and
individuals.
As an UrbanMinistry.org visitor, you are welcome to share your knowledge
with others through the site's wiki. We have partnered with the top
faith-based social service conferences to provide an archive of audio,
video and materials of 15+ years of workshops on nonprofit training, but
we need your help to expand this collection.
Since last April, TechMission staff, partners, and users have submitted
over 5,600 free Creative Commons-licensed workshops, podcasts, videos,
documents, books, stock photos, and curriculum materials. We have a goal
of hosting 25,000 items in 5 years.
Click here to take the site tour and learn more about how to use the
site.
We also have made a list of the top 10 tips for getting involved on
UrbanMinistry.org. Check it out
here.
UrbanFaith.com
UrbanFaith.com is a blog and online community that will carve out a place on the Web as the premier Christian site for news, opinion, and lifestyle features from an urban perspective. Though rooted in African American culture, UrbanFaith.com will be ethnically inclusive and an online destination for anyone who cares about the people, culture, and issues related to urban life.
Metanoia CDC/PushingForward.org
http://www.pushingforward.org/
Pushingforward.org is the official website of Metanoia Community Development Corporation (CDC) of North Charleston, South Carolina. Metanoia CDC is a movement of people rooted in faith. We invest in neighborhood assets to build leaders, establish quality housing, and generate economic development. We are pushing forward into new relationships with God and one another to create strong communities.
Three central priorities guide our work in N. Charleston. We are.
. .
Community Based: We seek the input and involvement of community
members, acknowledging that they are the true experts on how to address
issues within their own neighborhoods. Though individuals and
organizations from around the nation support Metanoia, we acknowledge
that it needs grassroots direction from the community to survive and
thrive.
Asset Driven: Metanoia recognizes that all communities have both
deficits and gifts. We believe that the best way to bring strength to a
community is to invest in its gifts and not focus on its deficits. This
enhances the community’s esteem and makes real change possible.
Rooted in Faith: We seek to embody the Spirit of God within a
specific community (The Chicora/Cherokee Neighborhood of N. Charleston).
We gain our primary sense of direction by asking how God would have us
respond to particular issues within our neighborhoods.
As you browse our website we invite you to look for where these
priorities shine through in our work. And thank you for visiting – by
checking us out you are becoming part of the Metanoia or "positive
transformation" that we are working for.
Urban Spirit ~ Louisville, Kentucky
What kind of church has no members?
UrbanSpirit is a different kind of church. We figured that the biggest
need in this neighborhood wasn't an organization to collect members. We
focus instead on teaching ministries, lending our voice to those who
live in poverty, bringing change through new perspectives. We believe
poverty is an impediment to the common good and inconsistent with most
faith traditions. And most people of faith don’t really want it to be
that way. We believe that if you could see what we see here, you would
agree. So, we invite you. Through our gospel service, we reshape
community; through our educational leadership and scriptural reflection,
we reshape perspectives. Come and see!
In 2001, Grace Lutheran Church closed its doors after serving 110 years
in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood. Church leaders gave the
properties to UrbanSpirit for the work of social change through social
awareness. We are a new church for a new day.
Our Vision
Imagine a place where people-of-faith and
people-of-no-particular-faith-at-all work together to renew a community;
where teachers are learners and learners are teachers; where people with
little in common have radical conversations over coffee; where we
challenge the systems and change the world. An urban village, where
strangers are welcomed and anything is possible. It is Church for a new
day, a new world...
That is UrbanSpirit: an urban village, built on partnership, justice and
mutual care. We are a faith community where people from all kinds of
circumstances come together -- for service, for study, for sabbath.
Urban Spirit is a Mission Center of Disciples Home Missions. Check it out at: http://www.homelandministries.org/MissionCenters/UrbanSpirit.htm
National Crime Prevention Council
The
National Crime Prevention Council’s mission is to be the nation's leader
in helping people keep themselves, their families, and their communities
safe from crime. To achieve this, NCPC produces tools that communities
can use to learn crime prevention strategies, engage community members,
and coordinate with local agencies, including
Publications and teaching materials on a variety of topics
Programs that can be implemented in communities and schools
Local, regional, and national trainings
Public service announcements broadcast nationwide starring McGruff the
Crime Dog
Support for a national coalition of crime prevention practitioners
NCPC was founded in 1982 to manage the National Citizens’ Crime
Prevention Campaign and McGruff the Crime Dog and to administer the
Crime Prevention Coalition of America. Now 25 years after McGruff’s
first TV appearance, more than 75 percent of children recognize McGruff
and over 4,000 law enforcement agencies own a McGruff suit. That’s a lot
of people who know how to "Take A Bite Out Of Crime!"
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Websites -- Local Organizations
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Conference: Urban Ecology: Nature in the City
For more info, go to: http://www.cmnh.org/site/Conservation/ConservationSymposium.aspx
Changing Gears: Our local NPR station, WCPN, has teamed up with other public radio stations in cities from what is called the "rust belt" to look at the state of industry and manufacturing and how things have changed and are changing in the 21st century. For more information, go to: http://www.changinggears.info/
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs
Cleveland State University
30th Anniversary Forum Series and Activities
Our Place in
the Urban Age is a year-long series of events celebrating of the 30th
anniversary of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs.
The forums in this series will explore the dynamic role of cities in a
world transformed by technology, climate change, modern lifestyles and a
global economy. What will America's urban centers look like in what some
are calling the Urban Age? What economic functions will cities
serve, how will the quality of life change, and how will Cleveland and
Northeast Ohio adapt?
Check our upcoming forum events for more information about forums in
this series.
Envisioning Cleveland Photo Exhibition
The Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State
University is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in 2007. To
celebrate this event, the Center for Civic Education will be putting on
a series of forum programming looking at Our Place in the Urban Age.
Envisioning Cleveland is an exhibition of photographs by
Northeast Ohioians which is part of Our Place in the Urban Age, a
year-long exploration of the issues and opportunities facing Northeast
Ohio, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Maxine Goodman Levin
College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.
The exhibit runs through December 2007. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is
located at Glickman-Miller Hall, 1717 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH
44115.
RSVP to (216)523-2330 or register online.
Urban Issues TV Series
The Dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University hosts Urban Issues, a cable television program that focuses on public policy issues and Greater Cleveland's future.
Urban Issues is aired by all Northeast Ohio cable television networks as part of their public service responsibilities. Urban Issues is produced by students from the University's Department of Communications and is recorded at studios located on the Cleveland State University campus.
TV Schedule
Smart TV
An educational and community interest program of
Adelphia Cable of Cleveland.
Sundays at 5:30 PM
Cox Cable
Wednesdays at 8:30 PM
Cleveland Neighborhood Development Coalition
Established in 1982, the Cleveland Neighborhood
Development Coalition (CNDC) has successfully
brought together critical players in the community
development arena to exchange views, identify issues
of common concern and mobilize for action. Under the
CNDC umbrella, people representing the breadth of
neighborhood development in the Cleveland area,
including community development groups, government
officials, educational institutions, related
nonprofit agencies, private sector firms, funders
and foundations have come together to sustain the
phenomenal change happening in the neighborhoods.
By participating in CNDC programs, members shape the
ways they are restoring their neighborhoods. Whether
CNDC action involves advocacy, training and
education, information dissemination or industry
research, CNDC embodies the essence of Cleveland
area neighborhoods.
http://www.cndc2.org/
GREAT Review Of Cleveland Restaurants, Shops, Etc.!
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/07/cleveland-design-guide.html
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Websites -- Denominations/Faith-Based Organizations
Evangelical Lutheran Church In America
Urban Ministry Website: http://www.elca.org/outreach/urban/
Mennonites
Special Issue of The Mennonite on Urban Migration
When
graduation time nears for college students, making future plans becomes
more urgent. Many find themselves ready to venture beyond the rural,
college town they may have spent their entire lives in, but they also
have a strong desire to hold on to the relationships they invested their
last four years in. Holding both priorities, many young people make
plans to move to a new city with their friends.
Young people feel drawn to cities that they or their friends lived in
during a year or semester of service. They may like a city for the arts
scene or the outdoor activities available. Or they may be attracted to
the Mennonite community already established there.
[Read more by going to:
http://www.themennonite.org/issues/10-19
]
Watch this page for more items of inspiration and information especially related to ministry and mission in an urban setting. God loves the city, just as God loves the world!