WYN in the Fall

Urban Institute

Our Urban Institute has been inviting groups to the city to learn for over 25 years.  These trips are learning experiences set up as an invitation to “come and see”.  Based on a rhythm of Experience and Conversation the city becomes our classroom where we wrestle with issues of race, poverty, immigration, and the Kingdom. 

When Phillip was asked by Andrew, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" he responded "Come and see".  The Samaritan woman at the well evangelized her whole town by saying, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"  When asked about the ministry in Calcutta, Mother Teresa would often simply respond,

“Come and See”.

At the beginning of October, after a two-year Covid Pause we welcomed 14 students and 1 Administrator from John Brown University for another life changing Urban Institute!  John Brown has been sending students to us every year since 1999.  As usual the Experiences and Conversations challenged the students to wrestle deeply with what it means to represent the Kingdom as Jesus followers in our broken world.

Recently, Jennifer and E’Shia welcomed the third-grade class from Crown Community Academy, the grammar school across the street, to our Garden of Hope!   After talking about the wonders of gardening and farming, they all planted blubs that they hope to see bloom next Spring!

The bulbs planted by all these little hands will only appear as beautiful flowers next Spring through the miracle of life that God’s wonderful creation does during the frozen months of winter.  In the same way, we pray that the seeds of the Kingdom that were planted during the Urban Institute will grow in the hearts of the students to produce fruit that is life transforming.  Thank you for your participation with us through your support and prayers!