If you had told 22-year-old Howie he’d one day be attending a 400 person conference primarily consisting of the region’s Black, Asian and Latino movements, he probably would have laughed. Or cried. And yet, two weeks ago, I found myself in the ballroom of a hotel in Kansas City listening to Black, Latina, White, and Asian American staff issue a call out of Revelation to students from these corners to reach all of their campus.
I spent much of my sabbatical reflecting on my time on staff so far and what it looks like to empower students from every corner. It has long been a dream of mine to create a space where all students can know they are seen and heard. There were times early in my staff career when I hesitated to even invite black students to certain events for fear they would not feel welcome.
Two years ago, our region choose to embrace the cross-cultural call of Acts 1:8 and has been making this a ministry priority. As I returned from sabbatical and found so many staff working together to make this conference a success, I was struck by how much this commitment to ministry in the corners has transformed our region. Seeing this long-time dream of mine realized is an amazing way to step into this season.