We recently concluded our annual Christian Union Cities Conference. Held here in New York, June 21-22, the conference theme was taken from 2 Chronicles 17:6, Courageous in the Ways of the Lord. The church in America lives as “exiles in a strange land” as the apostle Peter describes in his first letter to the church in Asia Minor. Therefore, how we engage our city, community, vocation, and relationships becomes a matter of understanding both the culture and our faith, and our courage in stepping forward in engagement.
Just as King Jehoshaphat, in the 2 Chronicles passage stepped into his new role as king with the courage to push back against the dominant culture of his time so it is with us. The speakers and breakouts of the conference addressed the various facets of what it means in the 21st century to be courageous in living rightly and righteously.
Vince Vitale challenged us to extend the invitation of Christ to those who so desperately need and desire it; not as a one-off respond to someone’s crisis but as a way of life. James K.A. Smith unpacked St. Augustine for us in how we understand ambition in light of our calling and of our being made in the image of Christ - being aware of where our fundamental orientation is. And Adrian Mullings helped us look at identifying and assessing our values - are they from the world or from scripture? Living in a culture that largely does not reflect God’s values makes us susceptible to making accommodation to the cultural values and norms of our time.
Video and audio recordings of the conference plenary and breakout sessions will be available shortly and you will be able to find these by visiting the CU New York webpage. And don’t forget to save the date: the CU Cities Conference 2020 will be June 19-20 in New York.
Beginning on July 10, CU New York will host weekly Summer Socials on Wednesday evenings throughout July and August. All are welcome, but especially those who are new or relatively new to New York. Finding spiritual community in the city is a key factor in building an anchored purposeful life and career. Each social will be in a fun place in the city - pub, rooftop, park, or someone’s home - and these will be posted on our website, or you can contact us at cunewyork@christianunion.org. Socials are from 6:30 - 8PM.
Happy July 4th to you,
Scott Crosby
Ministry Director
Christian Union New York
Christian Union DC
For more information on New York City Christian Union Bible Courses and activities, or resources available to you please contact Scott Crosby.
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates, via email, on how to pray for City Christian Union, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
