Many have asked me why I am planting a church in the city.
Some of the various questions and comments that I have heard reveal that, generally-speaking, people see the city through negative lenses. They assume that the city is not only an unimportant and peripheral context for Christians, but that it is too liberal for a church to exist and thrive. Such questions and comments by many also appear to indicate that it makes more sense (to them) to start a new church in the suburbs, due to its apparent infinite expansion and its conservative culture. Therefore, this makes the suburbs more open to hearing the Gospel and becoming part of the Christian culture.
Although these are good initial questions and assumptions, the reality is that due to the explosion of technology and the increasing population (in the U.S., as well as globally), cities are growing tremendously and are becoming powerful forces of influence. In short, cities are centers of cultural dominance.
Think about it....where do we go to watch our favorite sports teams? where are our government centers located at? where are our laws created, discussed, and voted on? where do our young adults go for education (in the university)? where are the best hospitals located at? where do we go to attend venues of high culture (i.e. opera, plays, concerts, museums, etc.)? where are the centers for advanced technology and medical research? where does the communication of information originate from (TV, radio, magazines, etc.)? where does national and international commerce and trade intersect?
The answer to all of these questions is the city. Due to these factors, the city is influential and critically important in how it shapes and directs the rest of our society, including the Christian culture. In short, cities are pace-setters for our society.
Why start a church in the city? If Christians (including myself) are able to reach our cities with the Gospel and renew the culture of the city, then we are able to influence and re-direct the culture and society nationally and even internationally.
As Timothy J. Keller claims, "As the city goes, so goes the culture." May it carry the gospel!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Where in the city of Denver are we planting a church?
We are concentrating our planting efforts in the Curtis Park and Five-Points neighborhoods, which are north-east of downtown Denver. According to the Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc., here are the history and profiles of these two neighborhoods. (It is a bit long, but very fascinating!):
Five-Points:
While the name "Five Points" is often applied to the greater neighborhood to the northeast of Downtown, Five Points is also widely known as the busy retail, restaurant and services corridor on Welton Street. Since Five Points' founding in the 1860s as one of Denver's first residential suburbs, this area around Welton Street has evolved into a vibrant mixed-use district that today offers a direct link to Downtown Denver via RTD's light rail line.
The Five Points area got its name early this century from the city's tramway company, who used the nickname because their street car signs were not big enough to list all of the street names at this end-of-the-line stop. RTD's light rail line connects Five Points with Downtown via Welton Street, which bustles with 75 businesses, including restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, barber shops, salons and other retailers. A bank, radio station and bottled water distributor also have Welton Street addresses. Welton Street is the only predominantly African-American owned commercial strip in the country.
This commercial district was a requisite stop for the world's premier African-American jazz musicians--including Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, and countless others--who stopped in Denver on their way between midwest and west coast tours to play in Five Points clubs and performance halls. Many of them stayed at the historic Rossonian Hotel, which still stands today.
Five Points features many cultural amenities, including the Black American West Museum, the brand new Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, Brother JeffÕs Cultural Center & CafŽ, Roundtree Art Center and the nationally-recognized Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble studios. Five Points' Juneteenth celebration--an annual parade and festival commemorating the day in 1865 when African-Americans in Texas first heard word of the Emancipation Proclamation--is one of the biggest such festivals in America, attracting upwards of 120,000 people over four days each year.
New housing developments are popping up in Five Points, including Downing Street Station at 29th & Downing and The Point at 26th & Washington. Both have great connections to Downtown Denver via light rail.
Curtis Park:
Curtis Park was developed in the 1860s and 1870s as a fashionable residential suburb north of Downtown Denver. Today, Curtis Park remains one of the center city's most accessible neighborhoods for Downtown workers, characterized by its tree-lined streets, its broad range of housing types, and its social, economic and ethnic diversity.
Curtis Park's housing mix is wide ranging: single story duplexes stand next door to recently renovated grand Victorian mansions; flat-roofed rowhouses next to classic, two-story Denver Square brick houses; Queen Anne-style houses with second floor porches are also numerous. There are three designated historic districts in the Curtis Park neighborhood: Clements, San Rafael and Glenarm Place.
Since its founding, Curtis Park has always been a mixed-income neighborhood. Interspersed among the neighborhood's turn of the century mansions are smaller houses built by waves of immigrants who came to Denver to join the workforce during the city's early years. Throughout the neighborhood's history, many of Curtis Park's residents have worked in Downtown Denver, which is only a 15-minute walk or a quick ride on RTD's light rail--or, in past decades, on streetcars--from Downtown's businesses and office buildings.
Curtis Park is also a remarkably diverse neighborhood. Approximately 30% of the residents are African-American, 30% are Latino, and 40% are white.
A current effort that is changing the landscape of Curtis Park is the rebuilding of the neighborhood's housing projects through a $26 million federal HOPE VI grant. Four blocks of two-story apartment buildings that were built for public housing in the 1950s were demolished in 2000. The area is being rebuilt to accommodate market-rate apartments and condominiums alongside affordable and low income units, creating a more economically diverse community. Construction of the new housing is underway, remarkably transforming the neighborhood.
Curtis Park's landmarks include the Denver Enterprise Center (3003 Arapahoe Street), an innovative small-business incubator that utilizes the labor force from the surrounding neighborhood; the Women's Bean Project (3201 Curtis Street), an entrepreneurial business and job skills program for low-income women that is housed in a renovated firehouse; and Sacred Heart (2760 Larimer Street), Denver's oldest Catholic parish whose church recently completed significant renovations. The neighborhood's namesake open space--Mestizo-Curtis Park--lies in the center of the neighborhood, and was created in 1868 as Denver's first public park.
Quoted from: www.downtowndenver.com/UrbanLiving
Five-Points:
While the name "Five Points" is often applied to the greater neighborhood to the northeast of Downtown, Five Points is also widely known as the busy retail, restaurant and services corridor on Welton Street. Since Five Points' founding in the 1860s as one of Denver's first residential suburbs, this area around Welton Street has evolved into a vibrant mixed-use district that today offers a direct link to Downtown Denver via RTD's light rail line.
The Five Points area got its name early this century from the city's tramway company, who used the nickname because their street car signs were not big enough to list all of the street names at this end-of-the-line stop. RTD's light rail line connects Five Points with Downtown via Welton Street, which bustles with 75 businesses, including restaurants, cafes, boutique shops, barber shops, salons and other retailers. A bank, radio station and bottled water distributor also have Welton Street addresses. Welton Street is the only predominantly African-American owned commercial strip in the country.
This commercial district was a requisite stop for the world's premier African-American jazz musicians--including Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, and countless others--who stopped in Denver on their way between midwest and west coast tours to play in Five Points clubs and performance halls. Many of them stayed at the historic Rossonian Hotel, which still stands today.
Five Points features many cultural amenities, including the Black American West Museum, the brand new Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, Brother JeffÕs Cultural Center & CafŽ, Roundtree Art Center and the nationally-recognized Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble studios. Five Points' Juneteenth celebration--an annual parade and festival commemorating the day in 1865 when African-Americans in Texas first heard word of the Emancipation Proclamation--is one of the biggest such festivals in America, attracting upwards of 120,000 people over four days each year.
New housing developments are popping up in Five Points, including Downing Street Station at 29th & Downing and The Point at 26th & Washington. Both have great connections to Downtown Denver via light rail.
Curtis Park:
Curtis Park was developed in the 1860s and 1870s as a fashionable residential suburb north of Downtown Denver. Today, Curtis Park remains one of the center city's most accessible neighborhoods for Downtown workers, characterized by its tree-lined streets, its broad range of housing types, and its social, economic and ethnic diversity.
Curtis Park's housing mix is wide ranging: single story duplexes stand next door to recently renovated grand Victorian mansions; flat-roofed rowhouses next to classic, two-story Denver Square brick houses; Queen Anne-style houses with second floor porches are also numerous. There are three designated historic districts in the Curtis Park neighborhood: Clements, San Rafael and Glenarm Place.
Since its founding, Curtis Park has always been a mixed-income neighborhood. Interspersed among the neighborhood's turn of the century mansions are smaller houses built by waves of immigrants who came to Denver to join the workforce during the city's early years. Throughout the neighborhood's history, many of Curtis Park's residents have worked in Downtown Denver, which is only a 15-minute walk or a quick ride on RTD's light rail--or, in past decades, on streetcars--from Downtown's businesses and office buildings.
Curtis Park is also a remarkably diverse neighborhood. Approximately 30% of the residents are African-American, 30% are Latino, and 40% are white.
A current effort that is changing the landscape of Curtis Park is the rebuilding of the neighborhood's housing projects through a $26 million federal HOPE VI grant. Four blocks of two-story apartment buildings that were built for public housing in the 1950s were demolished in 2000. The area is being rebuilt to accommodate market-rate apartments and condominiums alongside affordable and low income units, creating a more economically diverse community. Construction of the new housing is underway, remarkably transforming the neighborhood.
Curtis Park's landmarks include the Denver Enterprise Center (3003 Arapahoe Street), an innovative small-business incubator that utilizes the labor force from the surrounding neighborhood; the Women's Bean Project (3201 Curtis Street), an entrepreneurial business and job skills program for low-income women that is housed in a renovated firehouse; and Sacred Heart (2760 Larimer Street), Denver's oldest Catholic parish whose church recently completed significant renovations. The neighborhood's namesake open space--Mestizo-Curtis Park--lies in the center of the neighborhood, and was created in 1868 as Denver's first public park.
Quoted from: www.downtowndenver.com/UrbanLiving
What am I reading right now?
In the Bible, I am studying the Gospel of John in order to prepare for my teaching nights starting Thursday November 1st. The topic of these teachings will be: 'Revealing the Identity of Jesus.'
Also, I am reading through Nehemiah and 1 Corinthians.
Elsewhere, I am reading Urban Ministry by Harvie Conn & Manuel Ortiz; The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter; A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson.
Also, I am reading through Nehemiah and 1 Corinthians.
Elsewhere, I am reading Urban Ministry by Harvie Conn & Manuel Ortiz; The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter; A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson.
What do we sense God calling us to do (mission/purpose)?
By building genuine friendships and engaging in acts of service, we seek to renew our city spiritually, socially, and culturally.
Who are we (so far)?
We are a community of individuals in Northeast Denver that meets throughout the week in homes, pubs, and coffee houses to build friendships, pray, serve, and study. On Sunday nights, we join together as a community both to honor our Savior and Leader-- Jesus Christ and to share in His grace.
What are our Core Values?
Core Values:
· Gospel Centered: we proclaim and practice the good news of Jesus Christ, recognizing that it is God’s power to transform individuals, families, communities, and the world.
· Community Oriented: we love our neighborhood, the city of Denver, and its residents, intentionally committing ourselves to the good of the whole city.
· Culturally Engaged: knowing its powerful influence, we are continually seeking to identify and redeem the valuable spiritual, emotional, intellectual, artistic, and social aspects of our culture.
· Collaboratively Focused: we are not the only church in the community and we do not possess every strength, insight, and resource. Thus, we intentionally are seeking to partner with other churches and ministries to accomplish God’s mission and advance His Kingdom.
· Reconciliation Minded: believing that Jesus Christ broke down the barriers of hostility between all people, we are active participants in the healing and restoration of broken relationships in families, neighborhoods and cultural groups.
· Sharing & Serving Leadership: we follow the perfect leader--Jesus Christ, imitating His example of humility, selflessness, and equipping others in order to accomplish the work of God. Our power as leaders is to be used to serve others.
· Historically Connected: we affirm our family ties to the historic, orthodox, and reformed Christian faith and through our affiliation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
· Gospel Centered: we proclaim and practice the good news of Jesus Christ, recognizing that it is God’s power to transform individuals, families, communities, and the world.
· Community Oriented: we love our neighborhood, the city of Denver, and its residents, intentionally committing ourselves to the good of the whole city.
· Culturally Engaged: knowing its powerful influence, we are continually seeking to identify and redeem the valuable spiritual, emotional, intellectual, artistic, and social aspects of our culture.
· Collaboratively Focused: we are not the only church in the community and we do not possess every strength, insight, and resource. Thus, we intentionally are seeking to partner with other churches and ministries to accomplish God’s mission and advance His Kingdom.
· Reconciliation Minded: believing that Jesus Christ broke down the barriers of hostility between all people, we are active participants in the healing and restoration of broken relationships in families, neighborhoods and cultural groups.
· Sharing & Serving Leadership: we follow the perfect leader--Jesus Christ, imitating His example of humility, selflessness, and equipping others in order to accomplish the work of God. Our power as leaders is to be used to serve others.
· Historically Connected: we affirm our family ties to the historic, orthodox, and reformed Christian faith and through our affiliation with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Why are we called Denver Mosaic Church?
The name was chosen because it is a metaphor of who we are and who we hope to become.
A mosaic is a form of art in which an artist brings together unique, fragmented pieces of glass or tiles into a unified and beautiful creation.
Likewise, God is joining together diverse people from different cultures, experiences, and spiritual backgrounds to form a united, life-giving community through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, this creation is a real and tangible picture that reflects God’s glory.
The imagery of our name is reflected throughout the Bible, especially in 1 Peter 2:4-5 and Revelation 7:9.
A mosaic is a form of art in which an artist brings together unique, fragmented pieces of glass or tiles into a unified and beautiful creation.
Likewise, God is joining together diverse people from different cultures, experiences, and spiritual backgrounds to form a united, life-giving community through Jesus Christ. Ultimately, this creation is a real and tangible picture that reflects God’s glory.
The imagery of our name is reflected throughout the Bible, especially in 1 Peter 2:4-5 and Revelation 7:9.
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