Seven Lee University students are trading in the hills of Tennessee for the inner-city streets of the District of Columbia. Their mission: bring the hope of Christ back to the challenged neighborhoods of our nation’s capital, one urban community block at a time.
[1]Delmarva-DC Administrative Bishop Tom Madden, center, participates in Urban Missions on the streets of Washington, DC (click image to enlarge)
The DELMARVA-DC Church of God Region and Lee University teamed up to recently launch a new Urban Missionary strategy in Washington, D.C. The arrival of these seven students from Lee University on May 12 helped usher in the realization of a shared vision to develop strategic ministry in cities. The landmark project comes under the leadership of Administrative Bishop Tom Madden, USA Missions Director William Reid, and Youth and Discipleship Director Sean O’Neal working closely in partnership with Lee officials to launch a comprehensive urban missionary strategy intended to provide laborers for the harvest field.
Ground Zero for this community-transforming ministry is Anacostia, a struggling neighborhood in the Southeast Quadrant of the District of Columbia. Located just two miles from the capital’s steps, Anacostia is a community that’s been historically broken and impoverished, and in desperate need of holistic ministry that reaches people at their point of need. “This is a historic first in the Church of God that will allow young men and women to utilize their gifts in ministry in an urban setting,” Madden said. “I am believing this will be the first step in permanent urban missionaries living and working in DC year round.”
Students will serve in the community through children’s ministry, benevolence ministry, street evangelism, church ministry and prayer ministry from three weeks to ten weeks. Their immersion in the urban context will be mutually beneficial to the urban community as well as the students in their gaining of knowledge through practice. Through this incarnational immersion students live in the community, and travel by public transportation. Their daily schedule includes ministry, coaching, debrief experiences, service projects, and community ministry.
Preparation for this strategic launch moment included twenty months of planning, fund raising, strategic meetings, and renovation projects. During these months, Administrative Bishop Tom Madden, Lee University President Dr. Paul Conn, and Lee University Director of Intercultural Studies Dr. Edley Moodley have partnered to integrate academic learning with practical experience building a bridge from the classroom to the community. The community of Washington D.C. is the starting point to develop viable models of urban missions that can be multiplied. The long-term goal of this endeavor is to open the city to urban missionaries to serve short-term and long-term in all aspects of gospel ministry providing redemption, and lift to people. Incarnational ministry, evangelism, children’s ministry, benevolence, church planting, multi-cultural ministry and all aspects of urban missions are envisioned through this developing mission endeavor.
This vision for urban mission ministry includes Washington D.C. and Baltimore, MD. developing viable strategies and models that can be multiplied to other cities producing fruit that remains. This vision journey includes:
1. A new church plant launched August 2013 in the Anacostia neighborhood of the Southeast Quadrant of Washington D.C. led by Pastor Josh Robinson.
2. Partnership with Kids Konnection Ministry led by Pastor Teri Mullen (kidskonnectiondc.com). Kids Konnection is a Sidewalk Sunday School and children’s discipleship ministry envisioned and launched by Pastor Teri 26 years ago.
3. Remodeling of the Gatepost Ministry Center to facilitate the gathering place for the new church plant. (gatepostdc.org)
4. Remodeling of two apartments providing housing for urban missionaries.
5. Planning and implementation of the Save A City / City Vision Experience (saveacity.com) reaching 2000 people in Washington D.C. and Baltimore, MD. in 2013, and seeking to reach 3,000 in 2014 (July 17-21 2014).
6. Remodeling and preparation for the re-launch of the Victory Praise Church led by Pastor, Dr. Brenda Anderson. Pastor Brenda has led Victory Praise for 15 years, and Compel Them Ministries since 1996, reaching into the Northeast Quadrant and throughout the District bringing salvation, deliverance and empowerment to broken people.
7. Opening the cities of Washington D.C. and Baltimore Maryland to the opportunity for long-term and short-term urban missionaries, and short term missions teams to serve the cause of the gospel in the most broken communities existing in capital region of the United States.
“You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.” John 15:16
(Source: Delmarva-DC Regional Office)