Urban Ministry

Urban ministry in American church culture is sometimes portrayed as an optional extra for the Body of Christ, a specialized branch of the church that does something the rest of us don’t really need to worry about.

Although we know that the Church has an obligation to live and proclaim the Gospel to everyone in every place, we see in the whole sum of the scriptures God’s special concern for the poor. From God’s commands to Israel to care for the poor, widowed, orphaned, sojourner and oppressed (see Leviticus 25 ect…) to the Prophets rebuking God’s people for neglecting justice for those same people (Isaiah 58, Amos 5 ect…) and not least in the life and teachings of Jesus (Matt 3, 5, 19, 25 ect…) and the witness of the early church (Acts 2, 4, 10 ect…) we see God cares deeply for the oppressed and poor of the world.

Today the inner city areas of America and specifically Fresno are full of people who although may be looked down upon by society, are enormously precious to God. Jesus shows us in his parable of the good Samaritan that “loving our neighbor” is synonymous with helping those in need. Urban ministry is a concrete response to God’s call for the church to bring the good news of Christ’s Kingdom to the places of need and brokenness.

 “Vocation is where our greatest passion and the world’s greatest need collide”

Those who have heard God’s challenge to put Christ’s love on display to the world have a unique opportunity to serve in Fresno. Our home has been identified as the city with the most neighborhoods of concentrated poverty for a large city in the nation. This could be looked at as a reason to pack up and leave or a challenge to see the Gospel tangibly make it’s way through these neighborhoods, mending broken hearts and re-weaving the social and spiritual fabric of the community.

At The Hub we believe incarnation is an essential element of Urban (or any kind of) ministry. Jesus didn’t just sit in heaven and shoot us some cosmic “forgiveness rays” from his comfortable throne. Jesus “who though he was in the form of God…made himself nothing, taking the from of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) He became one of us to show how much he loved us. We take that example as supreme for how we are supposed to reflect God’s reconciling love to others. Solidarity with the people of the city is a powerful tool to change lives that we have been learning about at the hub.

The Hub’s ten-month internship will teach you and push you to seek the Shalom of Fresno in new and exciting ways, If you feel God’s call to serve the people of your city I don’t think there is a better way to get equipped and discipled into this challenging and exciting mission field.    

  - Erik Foss

Apply your life for one year in Biblical Community, Leadership Development, and Urban Ministry through the Hub or Pink House. Visit www.fiful.org or www.highwaycitycd.com to apply. Applications for the Hub or Pink House 10-month internship are due April 20, 2011. Apply yourself today.