On October 13th, after six days of navigating bomb shelters in Jerusalem, I arrived at Logan International Airport. As I shuffled toward customs I watched the sunrise over Boston. I resented its beauty because it increased the weight of privilege: I was relieved to be out of a war zone and ashamed [...]Read More
When Worship Develops a Community
If I asked you, “What’s the one thing most needed for Christian community development?” What would you say? Strategy? Relationships? Funding? These are all essential ingredients, but is there one thing that is most important? The last year and a half have taught me and others in Cleveland, OH, that [...]Read More
Life Together Beyond Sunday Religion and Social Activism
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and [...]Read More
Religious Liberty, Ableism, and Racism
An excerpt from Lamar Hardwick's book, How Ableism Fuels Racism.In 1974, Larry and Sandi Zobrest gave birth to their first child, Jim, while living in Erie, Pennsylvania. Jim was diagnosed as profoundly deaf after a routine medical examination before his first birthday. Jim would later attend a [...]Read More
Juneteenth and God’s Redemptive Blessings
Juneteenth celebrates the effective end of lawful slavery of African American people on June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people would be freed. The troops arrived two and a half years after the signing of the [...]Read More
Healing Through Trauma-Informed Community Development
Upon returning from several military tours in Iraq, Rev. Paul Abernathy became aware of an alarming fact. He noticed there were higher instances of people affected by trauma in his hometown of Pittsburgh than there were among those he engaged with in a war-torn environment. Understanding that [...]Read More
Collective Imagination: Seminary Students in Portland Embrace Collaborative Influence
An Old Question with a Dangerous New MeaningSince the Covid-19 pandemic my pastor friends here in Portland, Oregon have been asking an important question: “What is our new vision?” In a place like Portland, this question has a history of leading the church toward collaborative partnerships between [...]Read More
From Expectations to Partnership
What expectations do you have of the communities you are engaged with? What expectations do the people in the communities feel are being placed on them? Do you expect to help or to partner with the individuals in your community?During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and [...]Read More