I’m grateful to share the book launch party episode of a new podcast connected to a meaningful project—Urban Gems: Ministry Perspectives on the Global City and Its People, edited by my friend and colleague, Dr. Joel S. Kiekintveld.
This book brings together a rich collection of voices—urban practitioners and scholars—who invite us to see the city not as a problem to solve, but as a place where G-d is already present and at work. It is a chorus of lived theology, grounded in neighborhoods, relationships, and faithful presence.
As part of the book’s release, a new Urban Gems Podcast has launched—and I had the privilege of serving as MC for the launch party episode.
A Chorus of Voices
What makes this first episode especially compelling is its format. Each contributing author offers a brief glimpse into their chapter—short, potent reflections born out of real places and real people. Together, these voices form something like an urban tapestry: textured, diverse, and alive with the Spirit’s movement in the complexity of city life.
Listening to the episode, I was struck again by how theology is not merely something we think—it is something we live, embodied in streets, stories, and communities.
Why “Urban Gems”?
The title itself is a quiet provocation.
Too often, cities are narrated through deficit—what is broken, dangerous, or declining. But this project invites us to look again. To notice the “gems”—those overlooked signs of grace, resilience, creativity, and sacred presence embedded in the urban fabric.
This resonates deeply with the way of Jesus, who consistently revealed the presence of G-d among those most easily dismissed or ignored.
A Personal Note
It was an honor to help host this inaugural conversation and to contribute an endorsement for the book. Projects like this remind me why collaborative theological work matters—especially in a time when we need grounded, hopeful, and contextually aware expressions of faith more than ever.
If you care about cities, ministry, or the ongoing reimagining of faithful presence in our world, I encourage you to listen—and to engage the book itself.
May we continue to discover, together, the sacred hidden in plain sight.
Peace, dwight
