An update on the Studies in Urban Ministry (SUM) program at Urban Hope was recently included on the CE National web site. James Holt, coordinator of program, talks about the first three months. Click here to read the complete report.
We are now 3 months into our first full year of the Studies in Urban Ministry Program (SUM) at Urban Hope. In August, six students arrived for the program, five from Grace College and one from the church at Urban Hope. They have seen and heard from leaders of ministries here in Philadelphia and traveled to New York City, Detroit, and Chicago.
It is amazing to see the students growing as they take responsibility in weekly ministries at Urban Hope, some involved with children, youth, or recovery programs as well as hours they volunteer in other ministries around the city. Our students are involved in helping with an after school program, leading children’s outreach, teaching English as a second language, and leading a weekly ministry to heroine addicts. Each week they are involved in classes focused on understanding urban ministry and visiting other ministries to help broaden their view of how God is working in the city.
The month of November we have focused on understanding and adapting to the culture of the city. The cultural makeup of people in the city is extremely diverse as there are 86 different languages spoken in Philadelphia alone. How people view the world and the church is influenced by both their home culture and the dominant American culture they are entering. This pushes us as believers to be wise in caring deeply about our neighbors from different backgrounds and faithfully seeking to better understand who they are as we seek to connect them with the God who made every tribe and tongue. Our students are making observations, interviewing, and analyzing different groups in the city and looking to identify bridges and barriers within cultures for the gospel.
Click here to read the complete report.