As you may have heard, in January the Coalition of Urban Youth Workers transitioned leadership from co-chairs Walter Sotelo and Kevin Young to me as its new Chairperson. After serving the Coalition for three years in a supportive function as the architect of 20/20 Vision for Schools, it is an honor to have been asked to assume a leadership role again after that assignment ended.

This Monday, February 8, is our regular network meeting from 10-12. In January, Coalition presented a vision for 2010 that includes connecting youth workers, cultivating leadership, collaborative partnerships, and communicating for greater Kingdom effectiveness.

This month, we will unpack those ideals in an effort to bring training resources, collaborative opportunities, and connecting points with other youth workers closer to where we actually serve in ministry.

What: Network and Planning Meeting
Where: Nyack College Manhattan Center
361 Broadway (b/w Leonard and Franklin Streets)
6th Floor Conference Room
When: Monday February 8, 10 am – 12 pm
Who: NYC church and para-church youth workers
Why: Trained youth workers collaborating for exponential Kingdom impact

Please RSVP your attendance via email. Thank you!

In Service,
Jeremy Del Rio

+ Fulton Street

+ Reload

Jeremy Del Rio @ UYWI 2007

RELATED

+ AUDIO: Adopt-a-School: An Idea whose Time has Come – NEW from UYWI 2007
+ BOOK: Playbook: A Campus Ministry Primer for Cities
+ POWERPOINT: Adopt a School: An Idea Whose Time Has Come – NEW from UYWI 2007
+ BLOGPOSTS: Blog posts tagged with Adopt-a-School.
+ TIMELINE: Adopt-a-School Timeline (May 2007)

We hear a lot about “justice” these days, and about the importance the Bible puts on practicing justice. But what is justice–is it adhering to a certain political philosophy, or giving to the right charities, or dedicating our lives to the right career? In a new article at Youth Specialties, Jeremy Del Rio suggests that justice is much simpler than we think. Read the full article, in which Del Rio argues that justice is something we can all innately grasp, and something that we can all put into practice, regardless of our age, background, or life circumstances.

Here’s a flavor.

Jesus loves justice so much that he built it into his response to the most fundamental of evangelical questions: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The question sounds innocent enough, but its questioner, a lawyer, was attempting to test Jesus. Jesus deftly turns the tables. “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” he asked. The man replied simply: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus said. “Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:25-28).

Do this, and you will live. Coming from Jesus, those six little words burst with meaning. The unending life he offers brings joy and peace and abundance, and its citizenship rests in his Kingdom. If that’s the life to which we aspire, we must first understand “this” thing he requires of us.

Curiously, “this” is not the salvation formulation we evangelicals describe. There’s nothing in the lawyer’s response about repeating a prayer or responding to an altar call or attending a 12-week discipleship class. Instead this life he promises grows in proportion to obedience to three—not two—commands.