Philadelphia Urban Immersion Update 10-7-21

 Yesterday the students visited Esparanza and Timoteo Sports in the Frankford and Kensington neighborhoods in Philadelphia. They learned about transformational leadership through touring several nonprofit organizations. 

A quick run up the infamous Rocky Steps was a must. Looks like too much fun!

The students finished out the day meeting with some leaders from Lancaster Bible College in Philadelphia. They really enjoyed learning from different perspectives. 

Today the students had several lectures before learning more about the Philadelphia history from a trip to the Belmont Mansion and the Underground Railroad. In addition to learning from leaders at churches and nonprofits, the students also learned from business leaders today. They had site visits to Spiritual Connect Radio and Behavioral Health Solutions to meet with small business owners and entrepreneurs. 

There's a lot to take in, but this group is doing a tremendous job of stretching themselves this week. Just a couple more days and this urban immersion will be a wrap! 

Philadelphia Immersion Update 10-5-21

 Today was my last day at the Philadelphia Urban Immersion. Dr. Weathers will be leading the rest of the way through October 10th. He's doing such a great job with the group, and it's well organized thanks to the site coordinator, Deborah Weeks-Coleman. And the students have been so good with learning from the city and from the leaders that we're interacting with. 

The site visits today were to Celestial Word Ministries, Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church, and Heart of Worship Restoration Center. In between site visits, we've been discussing research for the projects for this course and for the dissertations which will be coming up soon for most of the students. The group is also starting to connect relationally, which is a good thing since they're spending so much time together. 

Tomorrow the leaders will visit the Frankford and Kensington neighborhoods, with visits to Esperanza, Timoteo Sports, Lancaster Bible College, and more. Should be another full day!

Philadelphia Update 10-4-21

We started the day with a brief devotional and reflection time facilitated by Dr. Paulette Jordan, BGU's DTL Director. The time of spiritual formation is important for these urban immersions. God truly does amazing things through these experiences.

After spending some time with Dr. Rodney Robinson-Rodgers, the pastor of the church where our classroom is located, we ventured out into South Philadelphia. We started at Mother Bethel AME Church, one of the oldest primarily African-American churches in the United States. The pastor talked to us about the church's history outside, and then he led us on a tour of the building and the museum below the sanctuary. It was an incredible lesson in history. 

In the afternoon, we visited Tindley Temple United Methodist Church. The pastor there, Robert Johnson, is a good friend of the professor of record for our course, Dr. Wayne Weathers. He talked to us about transformational leadership and his engagement with the powerful and the powerless in his neighborhood. He gave us a tour of his historic church that at one time in the 1920s and 1930s had nearly 10,000 members. His church is very active with vulnerable people in South Philly, and his leadership has been tested with the gentrification efforts that have taken place right outside the church. We're thankful that he spent so much time with us. 

We're resting for tonight and then the group is planning to carry on with visits to North Philadelphia tomorrow, then Frankford, Kensington, Winfield Heights, and Center City throughout the rest of the week. It's going to be a great week!

Philadelphia Immersion Update 10-3-21

 The Philadelphia Urban Immersion is off to a great start. On Friday evening, we had a welcome dinner where we got to know each other. We have leaders from Illinois, Texas, Georgia, Canada, and Guyana who have traveled from far and wide to learn about transformational leadership utilizing the city of Philadelphia as our classroom. 

On Saturday morning we met at the classroom to review the schedule and syllabus. We reviewed all of BGU's transformational leadership perspectives that will be highlighted this week, then I facilitated some training on exegeting the city (a classic BGU learning approach). We learned about cultural clues to look for on neighborhood walks, including signs of hope and signs of need. We also learned about appreciative inquiry, asset mapping, and other strategies for researching cities. Then, we went directly to the South Street neighborhood to practice our research skills. We got to know some local residents as we walked along South Street talking to people and checking out the local businesses. 

On Saturday afternoon we went to the stadium district where Dr. Wayne Weathers shared about the theme for this urban immersion, a tale of two cities. There are tremendous differences between people in Philadelphia, and often barriers develop between people along racial or class lines. We talked a lot about how Christians can be bridge builders and lead through the barriers in society that divide us. 

We also explored other parts of Philadelphia into the evening, including Chinatown and Reading Terminal where we enjoyed some good food and lots of local shops. After a good night of rest, we gathered this morning to attend a worship service at Dr. Weathers' church, Vision of Hope Baptist Church. Our group loved the sermon, the worship, and the hospitality. The church hosted a cookout for us, and Dr. Weathers shared with us about the history of the church and their mission and vision. 

This group is really coming together, and I'm thankful to be gathering for an urban immersion since the last three urban immersions have been altered due to the pandemic. It's so fun to gather with other leaders to push each other and to dream about how we can participate in God's redemptive mission in the world. Looking forward to seeing how things continue to develop this week as we learn from leaders in the city of Philadelphia!