TUMI-LA Graduation 2011

Saturday June 25th was not just another beautiful day in Southern California. It was also graduation day for a select class of students who have persevered through the course of studies known as the CAPSTONE of Christian Leadership Studies of the Urban Ministry Insitute of Los Angeles. The graduates--four men and one woman--have studied hundreds of pages of theological material, written dozens of papers, and attended hundreds of hours of evening and weekend classes, all while balancing job, family, and church-ministry responsibilities! The CAPSTONE certificate prepares students for ministry leadership in a variety of settings, by introducing them to the disciplines of Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Ministry, and Urban Mission, and requiring them to integrate what they are learning with their ministry assignments, with the assistance of mentors. This is a holistic, experiential, ministry-equipping approach to transforming urban America, through empowering ministry leaders from among the urban poor.

The Crips

Last Saturday, a fellow missionary hosted a film documenting the start of the two most famous gangs in the U.S., the Crips and the Bloods: Crips and Bloods: Made in America. The film interviewed past and present gang members, as well as former gang members and historians. It was a sobering account of what happens when people treat each other as less than the image bearers of God that we are. One of the original Crips, Zane Smith, watched the film with us. He had not seen the film before and had declined to take part in its production. He shared his perspective about the beginning of the Crips after the film was over. See his story at Part One and Part Two. He especially challenged us as Christians to be part of the solution to the issues that have given rise to gangs. A very interesting afternoon.

June Prayer Letter

June 1, 2011

Dear co-laborers in the harvest,

Can you picture Jesus as the Good Shepherd? That is what we have been doing for the past year at World Impact, as the biblical image of Christ as Shepherd has been our focal theme. This began with a conference in spring of 2010 on “Christ our Good Shepherd,” a gathering of pastors and teachers from satellite campuses of The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) located throughout the nation as well as from several international locations. The year concluded with an in-depth study of Psalm 23 during our Thursday-evening family groups and a reading of Philip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 in the spring of 2011.

The imagery of this familiar Psalm was reinforced for me during a recent visit to THE OAKS, World Impact’s beautiful mountain camp and conference center in Lake Hughes, California, with its pastures greened by melting snow. As I write this letter, however, my mind struggles to reconcile the serene beauty of the camp setting with scenes I daily encounter on the street in Los Angeles. And I am wondering how to square David’s spiritual declarations with the reality of this city.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…” Many people are in want in this city. On any given night more than 80,000 are homeless in Los Angeles County alone. About half of these are women, many are physically disabled or mentally ill, and there are children and many youth among the homeless. “Listen!” I want to tell them, “There is a Good Shepherd who invites you into His flock, and who will care for your needs!”

“He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul…” One day I arrived at the TUMI office on Vermont Avenue to find a young African-American male (perhaps seventeen years old) waiting at the door. He wanted to know if there was room in my office where he could lie down and sleep. His inarticulate speech and dilated pupils betrayed his drug use. “Look,” I wanted to explain, “my Shepherd has a safe haven for you—a sheepfold where you can find good pasture!”

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thy rod and thy staff they comfort me…” One morning, at about 3:00 a.m., I woke to the sound of an argument coming from the street. A car had stopped in front of our staff house, and a man and two women had gotten out. The man, who had been driving, was threatening the women. Periodically he would climb back into the car to gulp from a bottle of whiskey. Eventually he drove off with one of the women, leaving the other to walk. “Hey!” I wanted them to know, “Those who come under the Good Shepherd’s staff enjoy His protection and comfort, even in dire circumstances.”

Please pray that we will continue to keep our eyes fixed on the Good Shepherd as we daily encounter scenes of bondage and brokenness in this city. Pray also that we will act wisely but courageously on behalf of Him who had compassion on the people because “they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36b ESV). In addition, please let us know how we can be praying for you.

Bob and Chris Lay

NATIONAL OFFICE:
2001 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007
323-735-1137
E-mail: wiinfo@worldimpact.org
Website: www.worldimpact.org