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.
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.
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.
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 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 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 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
Urban Spirituality in an Urban Millenium: Reflections on 45 years forming faith communities
Urban Spirituality in an Urban Millenium: Reflections on 45 years forming faith communities
Join this webinar and explore spirituality in the next decade with a community of likeminded friends.
Dr. Viv Grigg has delighted in the past 45 years of urban ministry among the poor. As cities have morphed from urban centers of 100,000 people to the megalopolises of 2021, what's happening, what's changed, what's working, and where are we moving in this urban millennium?
Hear from Viv Grigg and others as they speak on topics including: Economic Spirituality, Urban Reconciliation as Spirituality, Apostolic Spirituality, The Spirituality of the Slums, Spirituality and Resilience in Urban Ministry.
Co-sponsored by Urban Leadership Foundation and the Institute for Urban Movements at William Carey International University
Two Opportunities to Zoom In!
Tuesday, April 13th at 7 am Pacific
Thursday, April 15th at 5 pm Pacific
RALPH D. WINTER LECTURESHIP 2021
We are happy to collaborate with Frontier Ventures and others for this year’s Ralph D. Winter Lectureship.