Since I work and serve among emerging leaders and those being discipled in the heart of our city, I have opportunity to “do life” with many of them. The last few months I have had opportunity, along with team members, to comfort a formerly incarcerated brother who is fighting cancer, to walk with a family who lost a new baby, to help a sister fight an unjust eviction, and to take incarcerated leaders as far as we can through classes while they wait on “the bus” to take them to prison.
As always, there are times of waiting while God helps untangle believers’ lives as they battle addictions, restore relationships or wait for jobs. I have observed strength in times of crisis, seen people stay in forward motion by God’s grace, and been amazed at God’s love, patience and determination to win.
2016 holds many opportunities in all of World Impact’s focus areas. World Impact Topeka will host our first Evangel School of Urban Church Planting. We will see new TUMI classes begin, train Siafu leadership and TUMI mentors and continue to be a center of encouragement, training and empowerment for those called to serve and help advance the Kingdom in the darkest corners of our community through the Church. In October, we will celebrate milestones at our fourth Annual Dinner, WIN THE CITY 2016.
We are preparing for first quarter classes at TUMI Topeka. At our orientation, we will be joined by students from Topeka Rescue Mission’s Center for Biblical Leadership Development, and will welcome approximately eight brand new students. One of our graduating students will teach this new group! Our student body representing both satellites in the community should total about 32 and will include students from several area churches. In addition, we have three classes in Shawnee County Jail. One of our teams teaches Fight the Good Fight to several men in the Annex each week, and there are 15 in my Fight the Good Fight class in the main jail. Four men from our previous class have moved forward with TUMI’s first Capstone module and are full-fledged seminary students taught by another TUMI Topeka community student. One of our major goals for 2016 is to increase our jail class teams!
We are celebrating our first graduation! Six students received their Certificate of Biblical Leadership at Central Park Christian Church on February 6. Four years of diligence and ministry were recognized and celebrated! I had the privilege of watching strong, determined men and women walk across the stage to graduate from our TUMI program and finish something they started four years ago in spite of countless obstacles and crises…men and women who are already effective servants.
God is doing amazing things in Topeka and we look forward with great anticipation to see all He will accomplish in the coming months.
