Growing the website of Urban Life
Urban Life aims to provides practical, local and accessible training to Christian groups in marginalised places, and launched earlier this year.
Since then work on the website has developed, and now there is now much more content to highlight the ways in which Urban Life will operate.
This includes its Theology-to-go groups, piloting in 2015, its webinars, and Learning Journeys, a course designed specifically for Christian groups who are seeking to engage more deeply and thoughtfully with the overlooked and disadvantaged places in their cities. Learning Journeys will be offered in 2016.
Though still early days, in time the site will offer a range of resources, research and reflections for those interested in urban mission.
Urban Life has been formed by Bristol Baptist College, Urban Expression, BMS World Mission and the Baptist Union, with the latter providing much of the funding.
It is facilitated by Mike Pears, accredited Baptist minister and member of an Urban Expression team in Bristol. He said, ‘We hope that the website will be a helpful resource for those exploring questions about Christian involvement in marginal places, especially in urban communities.
'It’s very early days but next year we hope to build up a lot more content.'
Mike, who will be writing a regular blog, added that a key aim of Urban Life is to take training and research directly into people's contexts. 'We are looking at key issues in mission, but tailored to the local. A lot of this is seeing and hearing, learning from our own contexts, engaging more deeply with what’s around us.'
Urban Life has also set up a Facebook group to discuss ideas and share experiences.
Mike produces a regular newsletter, which can be signed up to from the website.
Baptist Times, 15/12/2014