{"id":1206,"date":"2010-08-04T01:43:28","date_gmt":"2010-08-04T01:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/08\/peacemaking-in-the-world-part-3.html"},"modified":"2010-08-04T01:43:28","modified_gmt":"2010-08-04T01:43:28","slug":"peacemaking-in-the-world-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/08\/peacemaking-in-the-world-part-3.html","title":{"rendered":"Peacemaking in the World, Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I consider Jesus’ blessing of peacemakers, I think of a ministry in Hollywood, California called “City Dwellers.” In my last years at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, I was privileged to watch this ministry grow. It flourishes to this day, now as part of DOOR<\/a> (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection). <\/p>\n

City Dwellers was, in part, a response to God’s word through Jeremiah:”But seek the peace [shalom<\/i>] of the city to which I have sent you in exile, and pray to the Lord for it, because in its peace [shalom<\/i>] will be your peace [shalom<\/i>] (Jer 29:7). <\/p>\n

Members of the City Dwellers team moved into one of the neighborhoods in the city of Hollywood, a barrio of filled primarily with lower class immigrant families. Violence, crime, poverty, injustice – all were common in “the neighborhood.” They sought God’s shalom<\/i> for that community.<\/p>\n

City Dweller teammates were usually young adults who commit to spend a year living in Hollywood as peacemakers. Their ministry was multi-faceted. They shared the gospel and their possessions with their neighbors. They shepherded children and encouraged parents. They sought justice for people whose ignorance of American society and the English language made them easy targets for oppressors. They fed the hungry and visited prisoners in jail. They comforted mothers whose children were shot in drive-by shootings. They taught young people academic skills and they taught them about Jesus. <\/p>\n

Was City Dwellers an evangelistic ministry? You bet. Was it social action? Undoubtedly. Did it seek healing for the sick and the brokenhearted? No question about it. Did it model and proclaim the peace of Christ? In everything that it did.<\/p>\n

\"Jay-Dec-Hulk-5.jpg\"<\/span>I remember watching with amazement a Bible study led by Jay, one of the first City Dwellers. He had gathered a group of Hispanic boys around ten years old. Jay called them his “Bible study,” but they did much more than study together once a week. Jay shared his life with these boys and they shared theirs with him. As the boys grew up, some of them started looking more and more like the gang-bangers in the neighborhood. Others found the strength to stay away from risky involvement with gangs. But no matter what, Jay loved those boys and they loved him back. Because of Jay’s loving witness, many of them also grew to know the love of God personally and to love God in return. What a joyful sight at Jay’s wedding, where several of these young men were dressed up in their tuxedos, truly Jay’s brothers in Christ. (Photo: I don’t have any pictures of Jay with his “Bible study.” But I do have one of Jay celebrating his son’s birthday. Jay is the green one. Here’s a piece of advice: If you ever meet Jay, don’t make him angry!)<\/p>\n

City Dwellers is not alone among Christian ministries in its “whole gospel” approach to ministry. I can think of several ministries that are wholistic in their exercise of peacemaking. World Vision touches millions of people throughout the world, backing up the message of the gospel by providing food for the hungry and seeking justice for the downtrodden. Habitat for Humanity brings peace to families by helping them to afford their own homes. In the process of building houses, the good news of Christ is proclaimed and demonstrated as people from different walks of life dig ditches, put up drywall, and paint walls. This list could go on and on, for there are millions of Christian ministries, including churches, that reflect the call of Christ to wholistic peacemaking. You can join this effort by becoming an active partner of one of these ministries, often in conjunction with your own church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I consider Jesus’ blessing of peacemakers, I think of a ministry in Hollywood, California called “City Dwellers.” In my last years at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, I was privileged to watch this ministry grow. It flourishes to this day, now as part of DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection). City Dwellers was, in part,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[186],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity-and-peacemaking"],"yoast_head":"\nPeacemaking in the World, Part 3 - Mark D. Roberts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/08\/peacemaking-in-the-world-part-3.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peacemaking in the World, Part 3 - Mark D. Roberts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I consider Jesus’ blessing of peacemakers, I think of a ministry in Hollywood, California called “City Dwellers.” In my last years at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, I was privileged to watch this ministry grow. It flourishes to this day, now as part of DOOR (Discovering Opportunities for Outreach and Reflection). 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}