Urban Contemplation: Rhythms that Sustain Life in the City
2021-22: An urban multicultural church made up of people growing in faith as followers of Jesus and joining in God’s kingdom work in Pomona, First Presbyterian Church will host this grant for Jude Tiersma-Watson as she works on “Urban Contemplation: Rhythms that Sustain Life in the City.” This grant proposes to understand more deeply the role of contemplation in the urban context, the dynamic between retreat and engagement in city life, and the kinds of practices and rhythms that promote thriving in the city. Art will also be used in this project – and two examples will be pursued. One is the role of mosaics as a way to take bits broken of materials and create them into something redemptive and new, as God does in our lives and in the life of the city. The second is a mural on a blank wall in a community garden across the street from the First Presbyterian Church in Pomona.
An elder with InnerChange, Jude is also an associate professor in Urban Mission at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena (CA), and an urban contemplative. She and her husband John Watson lead the InnerCHANGE team in Los Angeles and share a passion for loving and mentoring neighborhood youth and young adults.
In the early years before we had grant categories, we supported a number of grantees doing innovative ministry in cities across North America. Our grants provided support for local practices and initiatives to explore ways to connect deeper with their communities and congregations.
