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OUR PURPOSE is to create the environment and relationships necessary to equip, empower, and engage Christian mission and ministry in the city cores that is characteristically incarnational and transformational. WE WILL pray for kingdom power, pursue kingdom values, partner for kingdom goals.
3/22/2004
Up-Date: City Core Initiative
MONDAY MORNING
March 22, 2004
UP-DATE: CITY CORE INITIATIVE
The Week Ahead
MONDAY Dallas, in office
Bryan Houser and Dennis Hochgraber, Shiloh Terrace Baptist
TUESDAY Dallas, in office
Rick Davis, BGCT Strategic Evangelism Center
True Believers Baptist Church, African-American Pastors’ Fellowship
WEDNESDAY Waco, Community Leaders Lunch
Gaynor Yancey and Kelly Atkinson, Baylor University
THURSDAY Dallas, in office
Eddie Sanchez, Ross Avenue Baptist
Diana Luck, Episcopal Diocese of Dallas
FRIDAY Dallas, in office
Praise and Prayer
This one thing WE CAN DO is to pray for our cities... in groups of ones, twos, tens, hundreds, thousands... will you be the one to launch or lead this in your home, your church, your community, your city? If so, PLEASE REPLY AND SAY SO to me at the return address.
THERE ARE ALREADY CITY REACHING PRAYER MOVEMENTS IN MANY OF OUR CITIES, HOWEVER, THERE IS NOT YET A CITY CORE PRAYER MOVEMENT PRAYING “GOD’S WILL BE DONE, GOD’S KINGDOM COME – RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!” Please contact me if you need information on how to get involved in prayer for the city core.
Pray for a heart for the city.
Give thanks for the progress in City Core Initiative in all four Texas focus cities: Abilene, Dallas, San Antonio and Tyler
Give thanks for the development of resources that serve the special interests of Christian ministries
Give thanks for the many Kingdom connections that are made every week for City Core Initiative
This week, I am bringing you up to date on some of the strategic happenings in my ministry through City Core Initiative and inviting you to make these a matter of personal prayer and involvement.
City Core Initiative processes are in place in each of these Texas cities: Abilene, Dallas, San Antonio, and Tyler. However, there is still much to do to develop greater local leadership and ownership.
We are still building a network of relationships for each of the cities, among mainline evangelical denominations, among the many cultural groups, among Christian institutions, among city leaders, and especially among Texas Baptists
We are launching a plan for a Summit on Economic Development and the Church for the fall of 2005. There will be a group of experts in the field of economics and business who will be leading this endeavor.
We have commissioned a project with Baylor University School of Social Work to develop a new research instrument and process to help city core churches better interpret and analyze their communities.
We have a working partnership with Baptist Associaitons in each of the focus cities to do research and to network transdenominationally the Christian community for City Core Initiative.
We are currently pursuing conversations with Assemblies of God, Episcopal, and United Methodist denominational leaders to formalize their participation in City Core Initiative. And, we are actively seeking this level of conversation with other mainline Christian denominations.
We are launching a transdenominational pilot research project in Dallas.
We are assisting in the development and/or walking along side several emerging models of community transformation as part of the City Core Initiative research project. These models are directed at holistic community transformation which effectiveness is measured by the improvement of “quality of life” factors.
We are exploring ways to bring economic enterprise and faith-based capital investment back to the city core. We are asking questions as to the role of the Church for both wealth distribution and wealth creation.
We are attempting to develop a better understanding of the whole of the city core, i.e., all sectors, all social and economic classes, all cultures, all macro systems, and asking the “so what” questions from the perspective of Christian mission and ministry.
We are seeking solutions to the problems of sustainability and relevance for church life in the city core. We are concerned about the decline in strength and viability of urban congregations. We are concerned for the development of new church starting among the unchurched population.
We are exploring the idea of creating an urban training center that concentrates on connecting, equipping and calling persons to minister to and within the city core through short-term praxis oriented learning experiences.
We are identifying streams of funding and organizational alliances to resource city core mission and ministry. We are attempting to learn from philanthropic projects that are focused on city core solutions.
We are attempting to build and identity and contributing role for City Core Initiative as a local city initiative and as a city reaching movement. The following statements are an attempt to express this vision:
CITY CORE INITIATIVE is not another program; it is a movement dedicated to reclaim the city core for the kingdom of God. We are networking the Body of Christ to join hearts and resources for one unified sustained effort to bring about holistic transformation, one person, one church, one block, one neighborhood, one city core at a time!
OUR PASSION to follow the heart of God to the heart of the city
OUR MISSION to create the environment and relationships necessary to equip - empower - engage transformational, sustainable, reproducible, highly effective, transdenominational, multicultural Christian mission and ministry in the city core
WE CAN 1) unite in kingdom prayer 2) pursue collaboration 3) partner for success
My personal conviction is that we must succeed. For, in much of the city core, we have already lost a relevant and believable witness to Christ. We must conserve what God already has in place, and we must find new building blocks to make His kingdom more of a reality for the whole city. It is shortsighted to think this is just a spiritual matter, neglecting to address issues of government, economics, family, safety, as so forth. I have pledged my life to this task and calling. I thank the Father that there appears to be a growing army of like-minded believers who have a heart for the city.
Finally, it is to the credit of the Baptist General Convention of Texas that launched the City Core Initiative and continues as the sole financial sponsor. I am eager for the day when this will be a company of the many.
Blessings,
Tommy
A Heart for the City... Jeremiah 29:7
City Core Initiative
Tommy Goode
Baptist General Convention of Texas
333 N Washington
Dallas TX 75246-1798
O 214.828.5242
M 214.478.4714
citycoreinitiative@bgct.org
www.citycoreinitiative.com
www.blogspot.citycoreinitiative.com
March 22, 2004
UP-DATE: CITY CORE INITIATIVE
The Week Ahead
MONDAY Dallas, in office
Bryan Houser and Dennis Hochgraber, Shiloh Terrace Baptist
TUESDAY Dallas, in office
Rick Davis, BGCT Strategic Evangelism Center
True Believers Baptist Church, African-American Pastors’ Fellowship
WEDNESDAY Waco, Community Leaders Lunch
Gaynor Yancey and Kelly Atkinson, Baylor University
THURSDAY Dallas, in office
Eddie Sanchez, Ross Avenue Baptist
Diana Luck, Episcopal Diocese of Dallas
FRIDAY Dallas, in office
Praise and Prayer
This one thing WE CAN DO is to pray for our cities... in groups of ones, twos, tens, hundreds, thousands... will you be the one to launch or lead this in your home, your church, your community, your city? If so, PLEASE REPLY AND SAY SO to me at the return address.
THERE ARE ALREADY CITY REACHING PRAYER MOVEMENTS IN MANY OF OUR CITIES, HOWEVER, THERE IS NOT YET A CITY CORE PRAYER MOVEMENT PRAYING “GOD’S WILL BE DONE, GOD’S KINGDOM COME – RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!” Please contact me if you need information on how to get involved in prayer for the city core.
Pray for a heart for the city.
Give thanks for the progress in City Core Initiative in all four Texas focus cities: Abilene, Dallas, San Antonio and Tyler
Give thanks for the development of resources that serve the special interests of Christian ministries
Give thanks for the many Kingdom connections that are made every week for City Core Initiative
This week, I am bringing you up to date on some of the strategic happenings in my ministry through City Core Initiative and inviting you to make these a matter of personal prayer and involvement.
City Core Initiative processes are in place in each of these Texas cities: Abilene, Dallas, San Antonio, and Tyler. However, there is still much to do to develop greater local leadership and ownership.
We are still building a network of relationships for each of the cities, among mainline evangelical denominations, among the many cultural groups, among Christian institutions, among city leaders, and especially among Texas Baptists
We are launching a plan for a Summit on Economic Development and the Church for the fall of 2005. There will be a group of experts in the field of economics and business who will be leading this endeavor.
We have commissioned a project with Baylor University School of Social Work to develop a new research instrument and process to help city core churches better interpret and analyze their communities.
We have a working partnership with Baptist Associaitons in each of the focus cities to do research and to network transdenominationally the Christian community for City Core Initiative.
We are currently pursuing conversations with Assemblies of God, Episcopal, and United Methodist denominational leaders to formalize their participation in City Core Initiative. And, we are actively seeking this level of conversation with other mainline Christian denominations.
We are launching a transdenominational pilot research project in Dallas.
We are assisting in the development and/or walking along side several emerging models of community transformation as part of the City Core Initiative research project. These models are directed at holistic community transformation which effectiveness is measured by the improvement of “quality of life” factors.
We are exploring ways to bring economic enterprise and faith-based capital investment back to the city core. We are asking questions as to the role of the Church for both wealth distribution and wealth creation.
We are attempting to develop a better understanding of the whole of the city core, i.e., all sectors, all social and economic classes, all cultures, all macro systems, and asking the “so what” questions from the perspective of Christian mission and ministry.
We are seeking solutions to the problems of sustainability and relevance for church life in the city core. We are concerned about the decline in strength and viability of urban congregations. We are concerned for the development of new church starting among the unchurched population.
We are exploring the idea of creating an urban training center that concentrates on connecting, equipping and calling persons to minister to and within the city core through short-term praxis oriented learning experiences.
We are identifying streams of funding and organizational alliances to resource city core mission and ministry. We are attempting to learn from philanthropic projects that are focused on city core solutions.
We are attempting to build and identity and contributing role for City Core Initiative as a local city initiative and as a city reaching movement. The following statements are an attempt to express this vision:
CITY CORE INITIATIVE is not another program; it is a movement dedicated to reclaim the city core for the kingdom of God. We are networking the Body of Christ to join hearts and resources for one unified sustained effort to bring about holistic transformation, one person, one church, one block, one neighborhood, one city core at a time!
OUR PASSION to follow the heart of God to the heart of the city
OUR MISSION to create the environment and relationships necessary to equip - empower - engage transformational, sustainable, reproducible, highly effective, transdenominational, multicultural Christian mission and ministry in the city core
WE CAN 1) unite in kingdom prayer 2) pursue collaboration 3) partner for success
My personal conviction is that we must succeed. For, in much of the city core, we have already lost a relevant and believable witness to Christ. We must conserve what God already has in place, and we must find new building blocks to make His kingdom more of a reality for the whole city. It is shortsighted to think this is just a spiritual matter, neglecting to address issues of government, economics, family, safety, as so forth. I have pledged my life to this task and calling. I thank the Father that there appears to be a growing army of like-minded believers who have a heart for the city.
Finally, it is to the credit of the Baptist General Convention of Texas that launched the City Core Initiative and continues as the sole financial sponsor. I am eager for the day when this will be a company of the many.
Blessings,
Tommy
A Heart for the City... Jeremiah 29:7
City Core Initiative
Tommy Goode
Baptist General Convention of Texas
333 N Washington
Dallas TX 75246-1798
O 214.828.5242
M 214.478.4714
citycoreinitiative@bgct.org
www.citycoreinitiative.com
www.blogspot.citycoreinitiative.com
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