Mini-Urban Plunge Seminarians Visit Camden
by Russell Carstens
In October, thirty-six Princeton Seminary students from Professor Kenda Dean’s advanced youth ministry course went on a retreat to Camden, New Jersey, with Urban Promise, a non-profit urban ministry group that instills leadership skills in young people. Urban Promise is led by PTS graduate Bruce Main (D.Min. ’03). The students observed Urban Promise “to get a feel for urban ministry,” said Tonya Lawrence, a second year dual-degree student who did her field education in Camden with the group last summer.
Susan Tindall, another student on the retreat, described it as a “mini-urban plunge,” and said it was “applicable to what we’d like to accomplish somewhere in the world.”
According to camconnect.org, Camden has made the list of the most dangerous cities in the United States since 1998, and was ranked as the number one most dangerous city in 2004. As an area that is home to young people who are susceptible to the negative aspects of their surroundings, Camden was an effective place for seminarians to observe urban ministry. Urban Promise began its mission in 1988 to keep Camden youth off the street, and “equip (them) with the skills necessary for academic achievement, life management, spiritual growth, and Christian leadership,” said Main.
Dean explained, “The best learning doesn’t happen in a classroom. The transformative learning theory says that paradigm shifts start with a ‘disorienting dilemma’- something that throws us off our game, pulls us out of our comfort zones, and forces us to scan for new solutions. Many of us experienced our time in Camden as disorienting and powerful. We went there to dismantle ‘white suburban youth group’ assumptions about youth ministry, and to see what meaningful ministry looks like when you are young, urban, and poor.”
The students attended a worship service on Friday evening led by youth groups from several Camden churches and Urban Promise members. It was a unique combination of sermon, worship, and praise, with dance to different forms of music played live that Lawrence described as “quite energetic; they were in their element.”
Tindall added, “It was an incredible worship service and full of life. You could tell that they loved that time of being together.”
Saturday morning, the students spoke with people involved in Camden to gain insight about ministry with people “in a blighted or oppressed situation,” said Lawrence. That afternoon, they spent one-on-one time with Urban Promise teenagers to get their points of view on life in Camden, and their understanding of God. Although they have pride in where they come from, many of these teens grow up feeling stuck because they’re not exposed to the possibilities of life outside their hometown. They spoke passionately about pursuing their college education outside of Camden, then coming back to help fix the brokenness of that community. With little or no opportunity, “they have to somehow find a way both to grow up in their community and to keep themselves away from it,” said Adam Gorman, a first year dual-degree student.
The Seminary class also took part in an Urban Promise alumni/ae discussion panel with people who had grown up in the program, some of whom came back after college to work in Camden. Tindall said the youth spoke openly about how Urban Promise demonstrated grace by helping them with school when they needed it, and not making them leave the group if their grades suffered. The panel pointed out how Camden youth, like all young people, want to be a part of a group, and are easily susceptible to joining a gang. They explained that Urban Promise is a family where they have a lot of fun, and goodness and love holds them together. Many Urban Promise alumni/ae have gone on to work in gratifying jobs that help people, such as in homeless shelters or welfare offices.
The PTS students took a tour of the city that night, which gave them an idea of the changes in Camden, where businesses once thrived but are now gone. Lawrence said she learned that students in the city have high aspirations, but the area schools lack the resources to help them reach their goals. Without a structure of support to help youth succeed, some of the students may drop out, and the positive direction that urban ministry provides is key to keeping them on the right path.
Reflecting on the retreat, Main said, “There is a wonderful Haitian proverb that says, ‘We see from where we stand.’ Spending a weekend in Camden, meeting youth from the city, and listening to other ministry practitioners I hope gave PTS students a unique perspective on ministry in an urban environment. It was dynamic-I sensed a high level of engagement and excitement.”
Although the weekend was short, it was valuable to the students who attended. Gorman said, “Urban Promise is not just a place where kids can be safe and learn about God, but they actually work for God. They build their faith by being the hands and feet of Christ. It’s a place that gives them hope.”
Tindall feels that Urban Promise has “built local leadership through the gospel message, and started a new wave of hope that is so different from anything I’ve seen before.”
Urban Promise helped Lawrence understand that keeping regular contact with those she works with is key to successful urban ministry. “Maybe youth group once a week isn’t enough. I see ministry with teens as being a daily, or frequent interaction,” she said. Overall, she learned that she wants to “help those I work with shape their identity and find their goals and purpose for their future through an effective, goal-oriented education. I know from this weekend that it needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
by Russell Carstens
In October, thirty-six Princeton Seminary students from Professor Kenda Dean’s advanced youth ministry course went on a retreat to Camden, New Jersey, with Urban Promise, a non-profit urban ministry group that instills leadership skills in young people. Urban Promise is led by PTS graduate Bruce Main (D.Min. ’03). The students observed Urban Promise “to get a feel for urban ministry,” said Tonya Lawrence, a second year dual-degree student who did her field education in Camden with the group last summer.
Susan Tindall, another student on the retreat, described it as a “mini-urban plunge,” and said it was “applicable to what we’d like to accomplish somewhere in the world.”
According to camconnect.org, Camden has made the list of the most dangerous cities in the United States since 1998, and was ranked as the number one most dangerous city in 2004. As an area that is home to young people who are susceptible to the negative aspects of their surroundings, Camden was an effective place for seminarians to observe urban ministry. Urban Promise began its mission in 1988 to keep Camden youth off the street, and “equip (them) with the skills necessary for academic achievement, life management, spiritual growth, and Christian leadership,” said Main.
Dean explained, “The best learning doesn’t happen in a classroom. The transformative learning theory says that paradigm shifts start with a ‘disorienting dilemma’- something that throws us off our game, pulls us out of our comfort zones, and forces us to scan for new solutions. Many of us experienced our time in Camden as disorienting and powerful. We went there to dismantle ‘white suburban youth group’ assumptions about youth ministry, and to see what meaningful ministry looks like when you are young, urban, and poor.”
The students attended a worship service on Friday evening led by youth groups from several Camden churches and Urban Promise members. It was a unique combination of sermon, worship, and praise, with dance to different forms of music played live that Lawrence described as “quite energetic; they were in their element.”
Tindall added, “It was an incredible worship service and full of life. You could tell that they loved that time of being together.”
Saturday morning, the students spoke with people involved in Camden to gain insight about ministry with people “in a blighted or oppressed situation,” said Lawrence. That afternoon, they spent one-on-one time with Urban Promise teenagers to get their points of view on life in Camden, and their understanding of God. Although they have pride in where they come from, many of these teens grow up feeling stuck because they’re not exposed to the possibilities of life outside their hometown. They spoke passionately about pursuing their college education outside of Camden, then coming back to help fix the brokenness of that community. With little or no opportunity, “they have to somehow find a way both to grow up in their community and to keep themselves away from it,” said Adam Gorman, a first year dual-degree student.
The Seminary class also took part in an Urban Promise alumni/ae discussion panel with people who had grown up in the program, some of whom came back after college to work in Camden. Tindall said the youth spoke openly about how Urban Promise demonstrated grace by helping them with school when they needed it, and not making them leave the group if their grades suffered. The panel pointed out how Camden youth, like all young people, want to be a part of a group, and are easily susceptible to joining a gang. They explained that Urban Promise is a family where they have a lot of fun, and goodness and love holds them together. Many Urban Promise alumni/ae have gone on to work in gratifying jobs that help people, such as in homeless shelters or welfare offices.
The PTS students took a tour of the city that night, which gave them an idea of the changes in Camden, where businesses once thrived but are now gone. Lawrence said she learned that students in the city have high aspirations, but the area schools lack the resources to help them reach their goals. Without a structure of support to help youth succeed, some of the students may drop out, and the positive direction that urban ministry provides is key to keeping them on the right path.
Reflecting on the retreat, Main said, “There is a wonderful Haitian proverb that says, ‘We see from where we stand.’ Spending a weekend in Camden, meeting youth from the city, and listening to other ministry practitioners I hope gave PTS students a unique perspective on ministry in an urban environment. It was dynamic-I sensed a high level of engagement and excitement.”
Although the weekend was short, it was valuable to the students who attended. Gorman said, “Urban Promise is not just a place where kids can be safe and learn about God, but they actually work for God. They build their faith by being the hands and feet of Christ. It’s a place that gives them hope.”
Tindall feels that Urban Promise has “built local leadership through the gospel message, and started a new wave of hope that is so different from anything I’ve seen before.”
Urban Promise helped Lawrence understand that keeping regular contact with those she works with is key to successful urban ministry. “Maybe youth group once a week isn’t enough. I see ministry with teens as being a daily, or frequent interaction,” she said. Overall, she learned that she wants to “help those I work with shape their identity and find their goals and purpose for their future through an effective, goal-oriented education. I know from this weekend that it needs to happen sooner rather than later.”
posted by Life at Urban at 11:08 AM
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