Recently, 3,000 religious leaders and emerging leaders from 95 countries came together at NYC's Jacob Javits Convention Center for Movement Day Global Cities (MDGC), modeling a commitment to visible unity in the body of Christ while drawing attention to social issues across the globe, especially in Syria, India and China.
Held October 25-27, Movement Day Global Cities (MDGC) is an initiative of the The New York City Leadership Center in collaboration with The Lausanne Movement. An annual event, over 11,000 leaders have attended the Movement Day gathering in New York City since 2010, representing ministry leaders, directors of college campus ministries, business leaders, arts and education leaders, and mission's agency leaders.
This year's event examined how gospel movements impact global cities by affecting urban social challenges including the refugee crisis, human trafficking, poverty, fatherlessness, under-performing education, and how collaborative partnerships transform a city. It was perhaps the first time, on such an international scale, that the strategic importance of serving urban populations and overcoming urban challenges was the purpose and draw for the convening of Christian leaders.
An array of notable speakers and younger leaders included Dr. Tim Keller, senior pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC, Dr. Luis Palau, Luis Palau Association, Portland, Oregon, Dr. Mac Pier, event host, founder & CEO of The New York City Leadership Center, Dr. Michael Oh - Executive Director of The Lausanne Movement, Nagoya, Japan, Ms. Vandana Kripalani, Set Beautiful Free, Mumbai, India, and Dr. Jayakumar Christian, World Vision International.
"Movement Day Global Cities demonstrated what it looks like when the Body of Christ - from distinct cultures, theological traditions, generations, economic levels - comes together in unity in a major city," said Dr. Mac Pier, founder & CEO of The New York City Leadership Center and host of the event. "The vibrancy of the gospel in any city is proportionate to the depth of relationship and visible unity between leaders in that same city."
A formal report defining the results and next steps to be implemented by global, and U.S. delegations will be released in December and available online. Summaries are being compiled, representing each of the 22 interactive learning tracks (topical strategy groups) and the 32 city/region debriefs. One early report was shared by Rev. Jurie Kriel, representing Doxa Deoand the gospel movement in Pretoria, South Africa.
"There is a great sense that this conversation is very strategic for the African continent and that we would want to bring the Movement Day experience closer to many in many African cities,"shared Rev. Kriel. "We are convinced that we have an important role to play globally with regards to the story of the Gospel in cities. We are forming a work group to plan the road ahead that will gather monthly, representing the regions of the continent. We are dreaming about one day hosting the worlds' cities on the African continent.
The event, also had a significant impact on New York area churches. "Movement Day Global Cities lifted the eyes of hundreds of NYC pastors to the heartbeat of the global church, creating additional motivation for them to work together," said Craig Sider, President of The New York City Leadership Center. Nearly 500 international leaders were hosted by area churches, adding to the mutual, shared experience of biblical unity across ethnicities and cultures.
Next year's Movement Day NYC will be held October 20-21, 2017 at Bethel Gospel Assembly in Harlem and will mobilize church, agency, and business leaders to address the current spiritual and social realities of NYC, and to review the advances made and the areas needing to be addressed since 2010, when Movement Day was first launched.
Additionally, organizers report that 30 additional cities are formally exploring hosting Movement Day expressions in their own cities including Phoenix, Arizona and London, England.
For more information: http://movementday.com
