Yesterday I was reading Kirsten Strand's Community 4:12 blog.
Community 4:12 is an outreach ministry of Community Christian Church of Naperville, Illinois, which brings compassion, social justice, and community development ministries to under-resourced communities.
In her latest blog entry, Kirsten shared about an opportunity for her and CCC of Naperville to join forces with Christian Community Development, as they seek how to "merge these two arenas so that we can create a single movement that is about reaching cities for Christ in a holistic way."
It is such a great testimony when the church and other para-church ministries and even non-religious not for profits can come together. The potential for impacting a community is much greater with a combined effort. I love what CCDA does in that they are serving as a bridge between the church and community development. Even unchurched people appreciate seeing a community revived and restored, and it becomes a great way to show the grace and love of God to a lost world.
I am thinking we need to have our own urban church planting summit here in New York's capital region. I attend a one every December in NYC, but we need to focus on our own urban areas upstate. Urban church planting is growing as our cities grow in population and become more ethnically diverse. There are new challenges to be embraced by urban church planters if they are going to reach urban communities. Working with CCDA and other community minded ministries is a great way to maximize our efforts and truly make Christ's name known in our cities.
