Celebrating Diversity at North Way East End

Churches in America tend to not be very diverse. That happens for a wide variety of reasons, but as I've written about many times before, I'm following the leading of the Holy Spirit to lead a diverse church in the midst of an urban environment. We've had our fair share of ups and downs as a church at North Way East End in terms of reflecting the diversity in our community. I believe that these types of things take time and intentionality through following God's lead.

While I have been open about the struggles of reconciliation and cross-cultural ministry, I need to be sure to celebrate when I see signs of hope in our church community. Over thirty years ago, North Way Christian Community was founded in an upper middle class, mostly white suburban neighborhood north of Pittsburgh. Today, there are four North Way locations including two in the city and two in the suburbs. This past Sunday morning, I had to pause and thank God for what I was experiencing. An African-American pastor from Homewood preached a message that was heard by thousands of people across our region, both live and at our video venues. Our worship at North Way East End was led by a worship team that consisted of white, black, and Asian-American members. The highlight of the worship time together occurred when Lisa, an African-American worship intern, led the congregation in a Spanish language version of the song With Everything called Con Todo. We had our global mission partners from twelve different countries throughout Latin America in attendance at the service, and we had the chance to pray for them and learn more about their ministries. And, of course, we shared in a huge fiesta/block party after church. All in all, it was an incredible day.

I caught a glimpse of the kingdom of God this past Sunday at North Way East End. People from different ethnic backgrounds, languages, and countries gathered together in Christian community to worship the Lord together. Urban and suburban people came together to honor God. Rich and poor people continued to get to know one another through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We know that Jesus Christ died for us all, not just for people that look like one another. I honestly cannot wait to see what God continues to do through North Way East End in the future, but for now I'll take this moment to celebrate. God is reconciling people to himself and to one another at our church. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of.

Diversity in the City

My daughters had a bunch of friends from their school over for a party this afternoon. As I looked around the house, I noticed how diverse their friends are. Their friends are African-American, Asian-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic, and they come from different levels of socioeconomic status. All of the kids are growing up in an urban environment.

I am being very intentional by raising my daughters in the midst of a big city. The world that my daughters will be navigating when they become adults will be increasingly urban, so I am preparing them by raising them to understand cities. By the time my daughters are adults, there will be more minorities living in America than white people. I am raising them in a city that has many different kinds of people so that they will be able to thrive as adults at building relationships with people who are different than them racially and socioeconomically.

Cities do present challenges when it comes to raising a family. However, the rewards definitely outweigh the risks. It is important to prepare children to be able to thrive in the world as adults, and the city makes for a wonderful classroom. I am thankful for the diversity that the city incorporates into my family's life.

January at North Way East End

Please pray for everything that is going on at North Way East End during this month of January. Many people were deeply impacted by the gospel message of Jesus Christ this past year, and we are expecting full services in the Kelly Strayhorn this month as church attendance is generally at its highest in January. Our leadership team will be working hard to build meaningful relationships with everyone that God brings us, and we'll also be reaching out to our neighbors in meaningful ways. Our externally focused service team will be meeting to see how we can continue to mobilize 100% of our congregation to serve others outside the walls of the church. We'll be meeting with the North Way Orphan Care and Justice teams to join in God's mission to lovingly serve hurting people in our city and around the world. We are an intentionally diverse and missional church, so of course we'll be fully celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And, at the end of the month on January 27th our congregation will be celebrating our one year anniversary! We'll be celebrating with live teaching, a block party (of course), special worship music, and tons more. It's going to be an incredible experience! So, join with us if you're in the city of Pittsburgh and you're looking for a place to worship God and experience meaningful Christian community. We worship at 5947 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 every Sunday morning at 10am, and we seek to live out our faith in Jesus every day of the week in our neighborhoods, at work, and with our family and friends.

Ministry in the City

Every new day brings about a great sense of anticipation for pastors in the city. I never know what to expect. God could bring any new kind of person or any new kind of circumstance across my path at any given moment, and it's my job to engage each situation with the love of Jesus Christ. I love it when people ask me to pray with them, or to answer a question about God or the purpose of life. There are at least 100,000 people living and working within walking distance of the church I lead. If I engage my city at all levels, including powerful and powerless places, then God is able to work through me to impact lives. And I've seen many lives impacted over this last year that North Way East End has been around. This is urban ministry... taking risks, radically living out the incarnational message of Jesus Christ, embracing unpredictability, building authentic relationships, and engaging the city with the whole gospel.

Cultural Diversity at Kidz Gig

Both city campuses at North Way Christian Community have teamed up for an amazing week of Kidz Gig. As I was standing with a whole bunch of kids worshipping God this morning, I was struck by the diversity of the people in the room. I noticed strong representation from African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Caucasians. We had Christians and nonChristians in the room, and people from many different socioeconomic backgrounds and various neighborhoods.

The cultural diversity at North Way is not an accident. Too often, churches in America represent some of the most segregated social institutions. As a pastor in the city, I am committed to leading a church that represents the racial and socioeconomic diversity that is so prevelant in our neighborhoods. I am committed to moving beyond paying lip service to the issue and just hoping that it happens. At North Way East End, we are working hard to develop cross-cultural leaders and cross-cultural styles of worship. We are working to build meaningful, authentic relationships with each other while trying to learn from each other. After all, our eternal destiny, the kingdom of God, is going to be extremely diverse. Modern Christians should be setting the tone for what the kingdom of God looks like now. That's why we are so intentional about engaging people across cultures. We have a long way to go in this area at North Way! Still, this week of Kidz Gig has been greatly encouraging to me. We are starting to make progress.