City Seminar - Chennai, India
If you are just tuning in, I’m in India these two weeks for a doctoral class. We are learning about transforming cities and our afternoon field trips are more lifechanging than any class can hope to be.
This morning we attended a seminar sponsored by the Chennai Transformation Network. It was an early attempt to gather church and city leaders together to learn about the challenges of the city and to think together about the ways that the church might be able to be a blessing to the city.
There was a great if interesting representation on the panel, which included a newspaper editor, an economist, and a “composter†(or solid waste management expert). I thought it was excellent for the church leaders to hear about the city through the eyes of experts who have a different view than a pastor. It was good to hear from the newspaper editor and his view of the importance of sharing information and how churches don’t do that well. Similarly, I don’t know that many pastors can appreciate how composting can not only recycle trash and beautify the slums, but how it can provide a viable micro enterprise for women in the slums as they sell the compost as fertilizer.
I was encouraged by the apparent participation and will take several lessons back to my context in San Diego. First, as I pull younger leaders of the church together in San Diego, one of my desires would be that it would be a place where we too could listen from people who have a different perspective than pastors. This seems so critically important so that we do not approach city reaching in San Diego in only a spiritual light. We must learn about the illegal immigration issues, labor concerns, and the plight of the single parent.
Second, I have seen a glimpse of the kind of networking that Tim Savoda has been doing, and the way he has been involved in many different organizations. This meeting required a broad base of networking to get the people here that needed to be here. Many of the ministries represented have had long relationships with YWAM. It shows how much foresight Tim had in involving himself in the many broad and diverse ways that he has. All the work he has done in helping other ministries, serving on other boards, and networking of organizations seems to be paying off. Our work in San Diego must also have a long-term view.