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From Burning Cities to a Burning Bush
The initial ministry efforts of World Impact were birthed from the Watts riots in Los Angeles 50 years ago. A few years later World Impact became officially incorporated as an urban missions organization.
Planting Churches Behind Bars
This is an excerpt of a letter from a TUMI student in one of the prisons in Kansas where we have a TUMI satellite.
Indigenous Church Planters: Alfredo and Salina
Alfredo started attending The Urban Ministry Institute in Fresno and connected right away with Rick Browatzke, the City Director and TUMI facilitator.
Expanding the Kingdom in the East Region
I met Father Andrew Wyns, with the Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC), at one of his favorite eating spots, The Jamaican.
Church Planter Profile: Elwood Jones
Elwood Jones is the lead pastor for the Landmark Church of Alexandria.
Sankofa Experience: Part 3
When I first heard about the Sankofa bus trip, I was not quite sure what to expect. It was explained to me that it is a four-day bus trip to various sites in the deep south that were commemorative of the Civil Rights era.
From Living on the Street to Leading for His Savior
Daryll lived for many years in a self-built shack between the 105 and Imperial Highway.
Building Capacity
Many times functioning in ministry is like trying to navigate in the middle of a desert. When building a team within your organization, professional and personal capacity should be a guiding principle in bringing on new hires.
A New Evangelical Movement
I am both a product of the Black Church and Evangelicalism. I am so honored to have been mentored, developed, and empowered by both Redeemer Missionary Baptist Church and Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Sankofa Experience: Part 2
What kind of person would I have been during the early 1800s? I would like to think I would have been enlightened enough through my deep walk with the Lord to be ashamed and horrified at the reality of slavery, of one person owning another.
When the Poor Rise with Christ
For too many of the poor, marginalized, outcast, and demonized, every day is like Good Friday. They live surrounded by death, judgement, and prejudice.
Sankofa Experience: Part 1
Recently, my wife, Lisa, and I had the privilege to participate in a cross-racial prayer experience that took us on a four-day bus trip to critical sites of past and present racial injustice.
God at Work at Los Angeles Christian School
“Amy” was abandoned by her mother when she was very young. Her dad was never around, and when her mom left, Amy would float between her aunt’s house and her grandparent’s house (which are luckily right across the street from each other).
Building Sustainability in Ministry
Many years ago, I sat on the Board of a large international missions organization. At the time, they were struggling with a common problem that still plagues Christian non-profits today: raising enough revenue to continue Kingdom growth.
Transformation Behind Prison Walls
One of our TUMI sites is located in one of the most violent prisons in the state of California. Thanks to the efforts of a visionary, transformational warden, the doors were opened for us to launch TUMI on the Special Needs Yard (SNY), where prisoners are housed who are in danger because of the nature of their offenses or the gang structure of the prison.
The Impact of Women on My Life
When I was a student at Minneapolis North High School, Rev. Jesse Jackson ran for President. He even came to our school and had a rally in the gymnasium.
Making History
Many of us are familiar with the quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” The women whose legacies have influenced my life, my passions, and my ambitions were not “well-behaved,” as society in their respective times would have defined it.
The Urgency of Reconciliation
This week in the news, a predominantly White (or possibly all-White, I don’t know) fraternity at the University of Oklahoma was caught on tape yelling an impassioned, racist chant at the top of their lungs.