Today begins the month long celebration and exploration of all things “city” thanks to UN-Habitat’s “Urban October.” This year’s theme is:
Mind the Gap: Leave No One & No Place Behind!
What are the gaps in your parish or neighborhood? What are the gaps in your city? Who or what might be at risk? How does a person learn to see the gaps? There is a global network of support poised to guide and resource you and your local group as y’all step into the gaps affecting the people and the place you love… you don’t have to be alone your local mission toward a better urban future.
Here is brief introduction of this year’s theme from the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Maimunah Mohd Sharif.
UN-Habitat is engaging people and groups from all over the world to think about where they live, and how they live where they live, with an eye to a more sustainable future. “Urban October” is a time of raising awareness, promoting grassroots participation, while linking with the international community, and generating shared knowledge regarding sustainable urban development. Visit the World Urban Campaign find multiple ways to get involved in helping your city and your neighborhood move toward a better urban future for all.
The festivities kick off with “World Habitat Day.” World Habitat Day is always the first Monday of October, and this year that’s October 3rd. For my observation of the day I will be participating the fourth convening of the “Urban Economy Forum” which is a two day event in Toronto.
Below are four resources documents which I commend to anyone who cares about, or who carries some responsibility to help villages, neighborhoods, or cities wisely care for the land, inhabitants, and systems of the place where they live.
With the rapid rate of people moving into our world’s cities, urban social cohesion is being eroding. I sense the future of Christian mission involves fostering local communities engaging invitational practices in support of local social cohesion… essentially, creating communities of belonging, (aka, churches prioritizing the wholistic needs of their place & all its people), neighborhood by neighborhood, parish by parish in our world’s cities.
Peace, dwight
