The LA Experience

Bluffton U. May Term

2007-05-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we just concluded a major LAX event. For 18-days, we had hosted a group of 20 students and 2 faculty leaders from Bluffton University for an urban service and learning experience which satisfied the students' cross cultural requirements for graduation. This type of young adult leadership formation and urban theological reflection is exactly what LAX is about, so it was great to work with Bluffton and these students in this partnership.

The experience started out by getting the students into the city to get a feel for what LA is like. The first day we did a recreational field trip to Olvera Street, and the second day we were with Bob Linthicum of Partners in Urban Transformation for an LA "Power Tour." It was a great way for the students to learn the history of LA and how power has shifted between 5 different groups in LA's history. Perhaps the most significant learning the students came away with was the realization that LA is the only US city not founded by Anglos - a reality that still gives shape to the city today.

After this we took a more academic approach for a few days with lectures on urban ethics by Erin Dufault-Hunter and the theology of Los Angeles by my boss, Jeff Wright. We also took part in some community organizing training with OneLA/IAF and gained a more nuanced and complete understanding of the multiple kinds of experiences and stories of Latinos in the United States from Juan Martinez (a professor of mine at Fuller Seminary and Shalom Ministries board chair). In conjunction with Juan's lecture we hosted a panel discussion with several Latino students who I've met at Fuller to help the students build relationships with young adults closer to their age who come from different backgrounds. Thanks to Damaris for making that happen.

We then departed for a weekend trip to San Diego and Tijuana. Our time there was facilitated by a good friend and colleague of mine, Jason Evans and his wife Brooke. Jason wrote a bit about this trip on his own blog. While there, we took a maquiladora tour in TJ to learn a bit about the injustices of global economic systems. We also got a chance to connect with CITTAC and speak with some of the workers in the maquilas to learn about their struggles and the work they are doing to organize for better working conditions. It was an eye opening experience , especially when one realizes how dependent both TJ and San Diego are on one another yet they exist on opposite ends of the global economic scale. It's a stark contrast given how close they are to one another.

The trip to Mexico was on Saturday, and ten on Sunday we visited a variety of churches and had a discussion with Jason afterwards about what it means to have a relevant expression of church in urban contexts in a post-Christendom, globalizing world.

We were back in LA for the remainder of our time, concluding our experience volunteering at Harambee Ministries in their after school program. In addition to that the students also did a considerable amount of yard work, gardening, and organizing offices. Rudy and the folks at Harambee definitely appreciated all the work that was done.

Also in the final week there were a few more lectures on ethnicity, culture and multi-cultural ministries with Kevin Blue, and one on legal issues surrounding immigration with Shalom Ministries staff member Mukarabe Makinto. We also held a discussion of the movie Crash. If you haven't seen that movie, I highly recommend it. It's graphic, intense, at times humorous, and definitely tragic. But it's also the most accurate and honest depiction of race relations in LA and all over the world for that matter. However, you can't understand the movie if you just watch it for entertainment purposes. You need to have some intentional reflection and discussion afterwards. There are plenty of good resources out there for you to use. Here's one.... and here's another.

Despite a few illnesses toward the end of the trip, the entire thing went smoothly. It was our first time organizing a cross-cultural learning experience, and it was Bluffton's first time coming out to LA. We learned things along the way and definitely want to continue this relationship with Bluffton. They are coming again next year and we also hope to attract more colleges, youth groups, etc. to take part in a similar experience.

God is definitely at work in this city. It's good to be a part of it, and it's good to invite others to be a part of it and learn from it as well.

Pastoral Ministry Students from Hesston College take Urban Plunge

2007-05-29T14:32:00.001-07:00

In May 2006, a group of 5 students from the Hesston College Pastoral Ministries program visited us for a one-day session on urban theological education. We started the day with a brief overview of our ministry and the diversity of Mennonite Churches in Southern California. Then we conducted a training session on strategies for urban mission before going out into the city. We took the group on our urban plunge tour of Los Angeles which includes stops with historical input at Union Station, Olvera Street Plaza, Our Lady Queen of the Angels Church, and lunch at Central Market (I still say that one of the best ways to learn about LA is through its food - and one of the best places to eat in LA is central market!). To conclude the tour, the group was taken to the top of the Wells Fargo parking lot in downtown LA and given an interpretive analysis of the layout and dynamics of the city and its implications for urban ministry.

Thanks to Palmer Becker, outgoing director of Hesston College's Pastoral Ministry Program, for his efforts in making this possible. And thanks to David Greiser, incoming director of the program, for his interest to continue partnerning with our organization.

Mennonite World Conference Gathers in S. Cal.

2007-05-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

In March 2006, LAX provided local logistics and support for Mennonite World Conference (MWC) General Council and Mini-Assembly. This was the largest conference ever hosted by our organization, with over 225 persons in attendance. At 11 days in length, it was also our longest conference ever hosted.

In addition to local logistics, our staff provided the resources necessary for significant events which connected and educated the global Anabaptist community with the local leaders, faith communities, a theological perspectives in S. Cal.

We provided opportunities for Mennonite Leaders from around the world to build relationships with a diverse array of local congregations.
In partnership with Fuller Theological Seminary, we held a symposium on Global Anabaptism and Global Pentecostalism. This symposium was held in recognition of the significant Pentecostal influence in the Mennonite churches of Southern California, and in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles - considered by most scholars to be the birth of the modern Pentecostal movement. Speakers for the symposium included Dr. Juan Martinez, Shalom Ministries Board Chair and Fuller faculty, and Dr. Mel Robeck, also of Fuller Seminary.
Staff member George Makinto coordinated daily worship events in addition to giving overall direction to two public events. 1) Fiesta 133 was a night of celebrating cultural diversity for about 450 persons from MWC and the Southern California Anabaptist churches. 2) An estimated 600 worshipers gathered together to celebrate God’s global urban mission on Sunday March 12.
In conjunction with AMIGOES, the young adult leaders branch from MWC, we hosted a youth rally for about 60 youth and young adults at Pasadena Mennonite Church

In total, 75 persons volunteered at least one-half day in service to hosting the MWC events. And as a result the event was a testimony to the power of God's Holy Spirit through both the union of the Global Anabaptist family and the local flavor of Anabaptists in S. Cal. Indeed, "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" Psalm 133