The 2025 Ralph D Winter Memorial Lectureship
Dusty Feet among the Twice Dispossessed - Incarnation and Land in Mission among the Urban Poor
Hosted by The Ralph D Winter Research Center, a joint project of Frontier Ventures and William Carey International UniversitY
What do we mean by Twice Dispossessed?
Dispossessed of tribal and peasant lands; dispossessed of land in the city. After the village moneylender or the multinational take their land, the poor man and his wife and children careen down the road in the road sitting on their small possessions and with their chicken, to an exciting new life in the big city, only to find that their cousin's beautiful home is a plywood shack with a dirt floor. Four of them share the wooden bed in shifts. The city forgot to provide infrastructure so the poor could buy and build on the land. The slums explode. Twice dispossessed.
Here Jesus lives in the persons of sacrificial incarnational evangelists and servants! Here, the community of faith becomes their lifeline! Hidden from the global missions strategies, here are the fastest-growing movements of churches in the world among the urban poor—a self-defined meta-people, be they Hindu, Muslim, animist or just hungry. 1.4 billion twice dispossessed. 2 billion urban poor. As the world order significantly collapses in the next years, rapidly exploding around the mega-cities. Who will walk with these dispossessed so their children are free? Each church a school? Each community with health care and environmental progressions from sewerage and water to garbage collection to... Who will work with city structures so that all experience the Jubilee of secure tenure on their own piece of urban land, building their own houses?
Speakers
Logistics
Housing
On campus housing: Asbury Inn (more details on this option coming soon!)
Off campus housing: Wilmore, KY has a host of lovely air bnbs and bed and breakfast places to choose from.
Flying in?
Closest airport is Lexington Bluegrass Airport (LEX). Alternative airports: Louisville (SDF) and Cincinnati (CVG) are about 1.5 hours away.
Reserve Your Spot
Sharing the Gospel of Peace: Interfaith Neighboring in Modern India
Sharing the Gospel of Peace: Interfaith Neighboring in Modern India
Join William Carey International University's President, Rev. Dr. Paul Cornelius at Fresno Pacific for a thought-provoking lecture and discussion.
Join WCIU President Dr. Cornelius for an insightful conversation, Sharing the Gospel of Peace: Interfaith Neighboring in Modern India. Light refreshments will be served and advance reservations are requested for planning purposes.
Dr. Paul Cornelius is the President of William Carey International University (WCIU). He previously served as the Regional Secretary of Asia Theological Association (ATA), India based in Bangalore, India. Dr. Cornelius has a strong passion for teaching - especially in the area of the interface between the Gospel and Culture and transformative theological education. He served as the Principal of the Hindustan Bible Institute and College (2006-2009) where he was instrumental in introducing and implementing the MA in Transformational Urban Leadership program. Over the years, he served as a pastor, faculty member, and in his early days of ministry as Director of Youth for Christ in New Delhi/Delhi (1988-1996). He received an MTh in New Testament Studies from the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies in Bangalore and is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, where he received his PhD in Intercultural Studies.
Special thanks to Fresno Pacific University's Center for Community Transformation for hosting this free educational event.
WCIU Information Session
Session Focus: Graduate Level Certificates
Thinking about applying for one of our certificate programs? Join us on Zoom to learn more about WCIU. Learn about our programs, admissions requirements, tuition, and application process.
This session is geared toward prospective students and is free to attend. Please register here to receive the Zoom link for the session.
Nov 8, 2024 (Friday)
8 – 9 am Pacific Time (Los Angeles)
In other time zones:
UTC 4 – 5 pm
Abuja 5 – 6 pm
Nairobi 7 – 8 pm
Delhi 9:30 – 10:30 pm
Questions?
Email info@wciu.edu
https://www.wciu.edu/programs-overview
If you’re not able to attend the information session but want to learn more, contact info@wciu.edu
Entering Vulnerable Communities
WCIU and Send International are coming together for an online training focused on Entering Vulnerable Communities. This is a follow up to our training in May entitled, “Identifying Vulnerable Communities.”
2024 Commencement
2024 Commencement
Join the WCIU Community as we celebrate our recent Graduates at this year’s commencement! Sign up below to receive the zoom link! You can also watch on your own after the live event via the WCIU blog!
“The Old Future is Gone”: Eco-Realism and Reimagined Faith for the New Future
Flickr CC: Tom Lee, New Haven Storm, 2019
A Consultation
In-person in July and/or 5 newsletters Mar-July
Friday, July 26, 2024
Catholic University
Washington, DC
Our initiating hosts, John Elwood and Lowell Bliss, are pictured here at Crawford Lake, near Milton, ON, the proposed “golden spike” for the New Future (erstwhilely) known as the Anthropocene (August 2024). Read here the Introduction to Old and New Futures, the explanatory correspondence that set our Consultation in motion.
Paper #1: An Eco-Realistic New Future (the Y-Axis)
CONSULTATION PREMISE #1: The New Future will experience excruciating collapses, catastrophes, and/or extinctions for which our faith in current efforts at activism, sustainability, and/or technological innovation is unfounded. It is neither pessimism nor doomism to admit this.
By Lowell Bliss (released March 6, 2024)
“It is still not too late to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”
I am an optimist by nature, but this rallying cry of so many of my colleagues has lost all meaning for me. The problem is how two of the words—worst and late—are so subjectively imprecise but they masquerade as syntactically definitive. The word worst is a superlative adjective, and so, of course!, it’s not too late to avoid the worst-est. Read More.
Paper #2: Who is Christ for Us Today?: Toward a More Cruciform Faith for the “New Future” (the X-Axis)
CONSULTATION PREMISE #2: In the New Future of ecological trauma, a faith that primarily accentuates widely-held positives—the comforting assurances upon which optimistic religion depends—will become increasingly unintelligible to those seeking wholeness and hope in this world. It is not unfaithful to admit this.
By John Elwood (released April 2, 2024)
Last autumn, the “Faith Factor in Climate Change” report showed up in my in-box. I had been waiting anxiously for this: PRRI’s ten-year update analyzing how religion impacts American attitudes on environmental policy. Surely, our efforts at “creation care” advocacy would have yielded some progress, I told myself.
I already knew much of what I would find: that secular Americans would hold the most constructive attitudes toward climate policies, and that Christians—most of all, White Evangelicals—would lead the way in denial and inaction. But surely there would be progress, I hoped. Read More.
Paper #3: Eco-Realism and Re-imagined Ministry in a New Future (from the Y-Axis to the X-)
CONSULTATION PREMISE #3: The New Future demands greater attention to the inevitable suffering of climate change, and the spiritual foundations of courageous and compassionate responses to it; even if such focus arouses accusations of abandoning mitigation and adaptation.
By Lowell Bliss (released May 7, 2024)
“Nothing was ready for the war that everyone expected...”
-Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
I. Naomi Klein and the Respect that Preppers May Deserve
I have a friend in our old church in Kansas whose in-laws are doomsday preppers. Our friends aren’t into it themselves, but they are dutiful children, and so once a year they make the trek to some undisclosed location in Wyoming where activities of the family reunion include freshening the water supplies and attending to upkeep. There are guns on the property. After “the Collapse,” hunting will of course be a necessity. For a while, I can imagine, there will be a propensity to share from the stockroom with other human beings, but then I can also imagine the growing threat around them that results in using those guns to “protect what is ours for our own.”
Doomsday preppers are easy enough to caricaturize, or for our purposes, they are easy enough to dismiss if we hold out optimistically for the continuation of what our Consultation is calling “the Old [triumphant] Future.” Read More.
Our Consultation is grateful to the American Scientific Affiliation for administrative and venue support. Consider adding on the three days of ASA’s wonderful conference for Christians in Science. Click here.
Eden Vigil is an institute of William Carey International University, an accredited on-line university offering graduate degrees in Development Studies and Transformational Urban Leadership.
Identifying Vulnerable Communities
WCIU and Send International are coming together for an online training focused on Identifying Vulnerable Communities.
Following Christ into the Public Square
Join our community along with our guests US Senate Chaplain Dr. Barry Black, Dr. David Oginde, & Dr. Pangernungba Kechu on March 26th for a free webinar exploring what it means to be the incarnational presence of Christ in our world.
WCIU Information Session
Thinking about applying for one of our programs? Join us on Zoom to learn more about WCIU. Learn about our programs, admissions requirements, tuition, and application process.
This session is geared toward prospective students and is free to attend. Please register here to receive the Zoom link for the session.
Feb 29, 2024 (Thursday)
8 – 9 am Pacific Time (Los Angeles)
In other time zones:
UTC 4 – 5 pm
Abuja 5 – 6 pm
Nairobi 7 – 8 pm
Delhi 9:30 – 10:30 pm
Questions?
Email recruiter@wciu.edu
If you’re not able to attend the information session but want to learn more, contact recruiter@wciu.edu
Wisdom for Cross-Cultural Service: Journeys in Missiological Anthropology
Join us for the 2024 Ralph D. Winter Lectureship as we learn from the reflections of seasoned anthropologists, their dialogue with one another, and our attendees.
Hope and Hard Emotions
A WCIU Webinar presented by The Eden Vigil Institute for Environmental Leadership with Robynn and Lowell Bliss
Hope and Hard Emotions
A WCIU Webinar presented by The Eden Vigil Institute for Environmental Leadership with Robynn and Lowell Bliss
Presidential Inauguration
Join the WCIU community for a formal Presidential Inauguration Ceremony in honor of our new President, Paul Cornelius, Ph.D. The WCIU Board, Administration, Faculty and Staff invite you to participate in this historic moment in the life of our University.
WCIU Information Session
Join us on Zoom to learn more about WCIU. Learn about our programs, admissions requirements, tuition, and application process.
This session is free to attend. Please register here to receive the Zoom link for the session.
July 20, 2023 (Thursday)
9 – 10 am Pacific Time (Los Angeles)
In other time zones:
UTC 4 – 5 pm
Douala 5 – 6 pm
Nairobi 7 – 8 pm
Delhi 9:30 – 10:30 pm
Questions?
Email recruiter@wciu.edu
If you’re not able to attend the information session but want to learn more, contact recruiter@wciu.edu
Hope and Hard Emotions
A WCIU Webinar by the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment
11 AM- 1:30 PM PDT (2 PM - 4:30 PM EDT; 7 PM - 9:30 PM BST)
A WCIU Webinar presented by The Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment with Robynn and Lowell Bliss
Despair, anger, grief, loneliness-- whatever you are feeling about the climate crisis or about your progress in mobilizing others for action--is natural, appropriate, and part of being created in the image of a God who loves you and all of creation.
Lowell and Robynn invite you into a conversation about these painful realities. They believe that it is possible to process difficult emotions and find space (and grace) to move forward with greater freedom and hope.
Robynn Bliss is a certified Spiritual Director trained in the Contemplative Evocative approach. Lowell Bliss is a climate activist, the director of the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment, and the co-director of the Christian Climate Observers Program. Robynn and Lowell were missionaries in India and Pakistan for 14 years and now reside in the Great Lakes eco-system of southern Ontario. Their books include Expectations and Burnout, Environmental Missions, and People, Trees, and Poverty.
Fee: Suggested price is $39 USD, but you are welcome to pay what you can!
If you have questions, please reach out to Lowell Bliss at lowell@edenvigil.org
Robynn Bliss is a certified Spiritual Director who specializes in the Contemplative-Evocative approach. Lowell Bliss is a climate activist, the director of the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment, and the co-director of the Christian Climate Observers Program. Robynn and Lowell were missionaries in India and Pakistan for 14 years and now reside in the Great Lakes eco-system of southern Ontario. Their books include Expectations and Burnout, Environmental Missions, and People, Trees, and Poverty.
Beyond Contextualization: Crossing Religious and Cultural Boundaries
The Ralph D. Winter Memorial Lectureship (March 23-25, 2023) is a hybrid event and may be attended virtually or in-person. This lectureship will introduce discussion of inreligionization by Dr. Kang-San Tan. Dr. Tan was born in a Buddhist family and is well known for his work in the dynamics of Buddhist-Christian interaction, out of which he calls for a move beyond contextualization to the inreligionization of the gospel. Dr. Harold Netland of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School will also present on the theme of interreligious encounter, a topic on which he has written and edited numerous works. Dr. Darren Duerksen will also present some of his research on inter-religious witness, ecclesiology, and issues regarding Christian witness from his latest book, Christ-Followers in Other Religions. Two other speakers will discuss gospel engagements in Hindu and Muslim contexts with reference to their personal and professional lives.
Registrants will have access to the lectureship recordings within two weeks of the lectureship's end. Registrants will also be able to interact with speakers and other attendees via Slack during and after the lectureship.
Processing the Difficult Emotions of Climate Change
A WCIU Webinar by the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment
10 AM- 12:30 PM PST (1 PM - 3:30 PM EST; 6 PM - 8:30 PM GMT)
A WCIU Webinar presented by The Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment with Robynn and Lowell Bliss
Despair, anger, grief, loneliness-- whatever you are feeling about the climate crisis or about your progress in mobilizing others for action--is natural, appropriate, and part of being created in the image of a God who loves you and all of creation.
Lowell and Robynn invite you into a conversation about these painful realities. They believe that it is possible to process difficult emotions and find space (and grace) to move forward with greater freedom and hope.
Robynn Bliss is a certified Spiritual Director trained in the Contemplative Evocative approach. Lowell Bliss is a climate activist, the director of the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment, and the co-director of the Christian Climate Observers Program. Robynn and Lowell were missionaries in India and Pakistan for 14 years and now reside in the Great Lakes eco-system of southern Ontario. Their books include Expectations and Burnout, Environmental Missions, and People, Trees, and Poverty.
Fee: $39 (or “pay what you can”)
If you select the “pay what you can” ticket please write “Eden Vigil Webinar” in the comment box.
If you have questions, please reach out to Lowell Bliss at lowell@edenvigil.org
Robynn Bliss is a certified Spiritual Director who specializes in the Contemplative-Evocative approach. Lowell Bliss is a climate activist, the director of the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment, and the co-director of the Christian Climate Observers Program. Robynn and Lowell were missionaries in India and Pakistan for 14 years and now reside in the Great Lakes eco-system of southern Ontario. Their books include Expectations and Burnout, Environmental Missions, and People, Trees, and Poverty.
Processing the Difficult Emotions of Climate change
10 AM- 12:30 PM PDT (1 PM - 3:30 PM EDT)
Robynn Bliss is a certified Spiritual Director who specializes in the Contemplative-Evocative approach. Lowell Bliss is a climate activist, the director of the Eden Vigil Institute for Adaptive Leadership and the Environment, and the co-director of the Christian Climate Observers Program. Robynn and Lowell were missionaries in India and Pakistan for 14 years and now reside in the Great Lakes eco-system of southern Ontario. Their books include Expectations and Burnout, Environmental Missions, and People, Trees, and Poverty.
Holding Joy & Suffering Well
Join our online community on March 31st at 1pm PST for a webinar on “Holding Joy and Suffering Well,” with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship’s Director of Global Engagement & Justice, Scott Bessenecker.
Ralph D. Winter Lectureship 2022
Join us March 3-5 for the 2022 Ralph D. Winter Lectureship!
We are again joining Frontier Ventures for the annual Ralph D. Winter Memorial Lectureship in collaboration The Center for Missiological Research at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the International Society for Frontier Missiology.
The Ralph D. Winter Lectureship has been an unofficial tradition for many years in our community and we are honored to partner with Frontier Ventures to continue in the legacy of Dr. Ralph D. Winter both this year and in the years to come!
A Conversation on Educational Pathways to Freedom from Poverty
A Conversation on Educational Pathways to Freedom from Poverty
Fostering educational capital is one step in the liberation of the urban poor. What are the pedagogy and practices that catalyze and advance educational center development in marginalized urban communities? How does educational capital liberate the urban poor?
Join us to hear from experts in urban poor educational processes. Reflect on their stories of pedagogical approaches and practices in educational center development in marginalized urban communities in the US and global slums.
Two opportunities to catch this profound webinar:
Tuesday 11/16, 7 pm Pacific (Wednesday 11/17, 4pm NZ)
Thursday 11/18, 7 am Pacific (Friday,11/19, 4 am NZ)
Speakers include:
Dr. Viv Grigg: Catalyst and prophetic voice, Viv Grigg has been a servant among the poor since the 1970s, catalyzing urban poor movements in many cities.
Chonabelle Domingo
Dr. Monica Mitchell. Monica has spent years leading educational change in marginalized contexts of New York. Chairperson of the WCIU board.
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 9 with Steven Garber
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies.
Steven Garber is the Senior Fellow for Vocation and the Common Good for the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and the Senior Advisor and Professor at-Large for the Economics of Mutuality, a project of the Mars Corporation; the author of several books, his most recent is The Seamless Life: A Tapestry of Love and Learning, Worship and Work. A native of the great valleys of the West, with his wife Meg has lived in Virginia for over 30 years, where they have a long life among friends and flowers.
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 8 with Ravi I.Jayakaran
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies.
Dr. Ravi I. Jayakaran has long term leadership experience in International poverty reduction and strategic programming.
Dr. Jayakaran joined Medical Ambassadors International in June 2017 as the President/CEO.He is also the Catalyst for Integral Mission for the Lausanne Movement.
Ravi has worked in senior management positions in the corporate sector, International NGOs- including World Vision International, the Asian Development Bank and the UNDP. He has lived and worked long term in India, Cambodia, China and the US and provided technical support in more than 23 countries.
Dr Ravi and his wife Vimla came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior while they were in University. Besides their engagement with Integral mission, they are actively involved with their local Church, Small group and Christian Counselling.Ravi and Vimla recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. They have 2 sons -Amit and Rohit-who are married and have their own families and live in California and Dubai respectively.Ravi and Vimla live in Ripon,CA.
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 7 with Ravi I. Jayakaran
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies.
Dr. Ravi I. Jayakaran has long term leadership experience in International poverty reduction and strategic programming.
Dr. Jayakaran joined Medical Ambassadors International in June 2017 as the President/CEO.He is also the Catalyst for Integral Mission for the Lausanne Movement.
Ravi has worked in senior management positions in the corporate sector, International NGOs- including World Vision International, the Asian Development Bank and the UNDP. He has lived and worked long term in India, Cambodia, China and the US and provided technical support in more than 23 countries.
Dr Ravi and his wife Vimla came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal savior while they were in University. Besides their engagement with Integral mission, they are actively involved with their local Church, Small group and Christian Counselling.Ravi and Vimla recently celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. They have 2 sons -Amit and Rohit-who are married and have their own families and live in California and Dubai respectively.Ravi and Vimla live in Ripon,CA.
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 6 with Michael Dauphinee & Andrew Richards
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies.
Michael Dauphinee is an executive consultant and coach. Through his Clifton strengths-based coaching strategies, he enables organizations and individuals to navigate the unknowns of their work and life in order to discover how they can impact the world in extraordinary ways. Some of his main topics include entrepreneurship for social change, employee engagement and identity driven leadership.
Mike has focused recent energies in Afghanistan and developing farming innovations and soccer training camps in Nigeria.
Mike moves between applying his strengths-based strategies in Fortune 500 companies, with millennials seeking direction after college and even with efforts to combat violent extremism in conflict zones.
Andrew Richards, Outreach Pastor, Saddleback Church (PEACE Initiatives Manager),
currently serves as an Outreach Pastor at Saddleback Church’s Lake Forest Campus. He has served as a pastor on staff with several US-based churches seeking measurable change in community issues. Additionally, Andrew has worked alongside multiple local and international relief and development organizations, including a well-known non-profit with global impact in conflict-sensitive countries. He is passionate about cultivating meaningful relationships across divisions to build transformational impact in our neighborhoods and world. Andrew's current focus is to create teams and strategies to assist Afghan refugee families resettle in California.
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 5 with Brian Fikkert
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies. We are excited for you to join us for this session with Brian Fikkert on Microfinance and Microenterprise Development.
Brian Fikkert is the Founder and President of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College, where he also serves as a Professor of Economics and Community Development. Brian’s career has focused on poverty alleviation at both the macro and micro levels. Through his work with the Chalmers Center, he has particular expertise in helping churches to minister to poor people more effectively both in the U.S. and the Majority World. Brian received a Ph.D. in Economics with “distinction” from Yale University and a B.A. in Mathematics from Dordt College. Brian has published articles in both leading academic and popular journals and has co-authored numerous books including: Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream (Moody 2019); From Dependence to Dignity: How to Alleviate Poverty through Church-Centered Microfinance (Zondervan 2015); When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself (Moody 2009).
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 4 with Ralph Plumb
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies. We are delighted to have Ralph Plumb with us for this session focusing on redemptive entrepreneurship.
Ralph Plumb
An accomplished senior executive with significant professional experience in health and human services, resource generation and social enterprise development. Served as President/CEO of various companies and organizations with focus on capital formation and organizational effectiveness. Highly creative in developing and linking stakeholders from the public, private and social sectors of a community to attain mutually defined goals. Extensive global networks and international initiatives with work or travel in some 100 countries. Taught at the master’s degree level for USC Marshall School of Business and Azusa Pacific University. A resourceful leader with a unique ability to align and inspire people to achieve possibility-oriented outcomes.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
◆Served as President / CEO of select number of small companies and charitable organizations including: Global Med Partners LLC, Medicorps Int’l, International Aid Inc., Union Rescue Mission (of Los Angeles), LSS Foundation of Southern California and College of the Desert Foundation. Also served 10 years with World Vision International.
◆Former Principal and Senior Partner of the Carlsbad Pacific Group LLC, now an independent consultant(web link below) providing strategic counsel to boards and senior executives in financial, human and intellectual capital development, with particular focus on social entrepreneurship.
◆Raised approximately $2.3 billion in public and private cash contributions and corporate gifts-in-kind through various methods over the course of his career.
AFFILIATIONS
DXMInstitute Certified Consultant
Genysys GroupCertified Consultant
Pure Creative Arts(New York Board Member
Lorma Community Development Foundation
Accord Network- Past President
US Naval Reserve Officer, Retired
Eagle Scout
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 3 with Reverend Kina Robertshaw
Resourcing Urban Transformation is webinar series offered by William Carey International University to our global network. We are honored to hear from a diverse group of experienced change makers who will expand our thinking and introduce us to innovative community development strategies.
Reverend Kina Robertshaw is ordained in the Church of England. She is married with four children. An Angolan refugee who grew up in Zambia, Kina, previously owned businesses in Zambia and South Africa. Before reading theology at Ridley Hall Theological College, Cambridge, Kina worked in the fashion industry and was involved in several entrepreneurial ventures. Kina holds a Master’s degree in Theology, Ministry & Mission – which included research on Christian Entrepreneurship. Her research led her to undertake interviews with 50 Christian entrepreneurs in the UK. The research was the topic of a published book she co-authored with Richard Higginson – A Voice to be Heard: Christian Entrepreneurs Living out their Faith.
She is an Associate Vicar in Bromyard Benefice, an international speaker, host of Conversations with Christian Entrepreneurs, and a passionate advocate for racial and social justice. She is also a founding member of the charity Bookbuddies Africa, which supports developing a reading culture in Zambia.
Resourcing Urban Transformation Webinar Series: Session 2 with Chuck Proudfit
Chuck Proudfit began following Christ in 1997. He was seeking practical ways to live out Christian faith at work, and quickly discovered just how hard it is. The marketplace didn’t like to talk about “religion and politics”, and the local church was largely disengaged from the tough spiritual realities of modern work life.
Applying his research background from Harvard University, Chuck spent several years studying how Christians live out faith at work, and how scripture speaks to our experiences. He uncovered a consistent set of spiritual struggles faced by all working Christians, and a compelling set of spiritual solutions drawn straight from God’s word.
These insights formed the framework for At Work on Purpose, launched in 2003. Its community now includes over 10,000 working Christians across Greater Cincinnati, and it has become one of the nation’s leading prototypes for citywide workplace ministry. Chuck is also the Founder and President of SKILLSOURCE, a consultancy employing over 30 contractors and delivering sustainable client growth through applied Biblical principles.
Chuck developed his general management expertise at three industry-leading firms: The Procter & Gamble Company, The Ernest & Julio Gallo Winery, and LensCrafters Corporation. At Harvard University, he pioneered the school’s organizational development curriculum. An avid educator, Chuck has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Great Oaks Institute and Cincinnati Christian University.
Chuck has received the Angel Award for community service from the Smith Family Foundation. He has led SKILLSOURCEâ to a TriState Success Award for exceptional business growth, a Torch Award ethics commendation from the Better Business Bureau, a Perfect 10 Certified Corporate Culture designation, and a C-Suite recognition from LEAD.
Chuck is an executive board member of Self Sustaining Enterprises, generating profits for philanthropy through entrepreneurial ventures; for Nuway Foundation, combatting poverty in Nigeria; and with GoodCities, revitalizing communities. He is an Elder at Grace Chapel and a Co-Founder of NET (Neighborhoods Embracing Transformation).
Chuck is the co-author of BIZNISTRY: Transforming Lives through Enterprise, and the author of Citywide Workplace Ministry in a Box. Chuck holds a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do under U.S. Olympic Coach Hong Kong Kim. He and his wife Jeryl have two children, Aidan and Maya, both adopted from South Korea
When we disagree: Learning How to have Hard Conversations
How do you have conversations with those who do not agree with you? How do we become effective communicators regardless of the political, religious or social economic climate? Dr. Kevin Higgins pulls on his experience in cross cultural contexts navigating conflict in which unseen and unspoken barriers are often at play. Join us on August 11th!
Becoming a Servant Leader with Ken Blanchard
Join WCIU with bestselling business author Ken Blanchard on June 22nd at 2pm for a free online webinar on becoming a servant leader. Ken believes that the world is in desperate need of a new leadership model and he believes that model is servant leadership. In our time together, Ken will cover four components of servant leadership and how to cultivate them in your life and work. The webinar is free, but you need to register!