By Denise Konkol, Special to your Catholic Herald

MILWAUKEE — Amid the daily reports of crime on the city’s streets, the “Called to the City” urban ministry consultation was held at Cardinal Stritch University in Glendale.

About 150 pastors, urban educators, agency leaders and students gathered in an ecumenical setting to discuss the poor and at-risk.

The events seemed choreographed to the current perception of escalating violence in the city, but event organizer and executive director of the office of vocation development at Cardinal Stritch, Rev. Trinette McCray, explained that “Called to the City” was first conceived for Milwaukee about five years ago.

“This visionary seed was planted into my spirit, and we worked with the Milwaukee Urban Ministry Consultation and received funding from the Lilly Endowment for theological exploration of vocation,” said Rev. McCray. “Then about two years ago we met with Dr. (Ray) Bakke, and at first we thought it would be a simple symposium. However, as we worked together, we developed this consultation.”

Formal events began on Oct. 16 at Cardinal Stritch, with a clergy breakfast and workshop titled “The City and the Savior,” presented by Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor.

Rev. Taylor worked in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and was involved in the formation of the progressive National Baptist Convention in 1961. He began preaching in the 1930s, and his efforts earned him a Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-president Bill Clinton. Rev. Taylor’s challenge to the group was to look at their own churches and ministries, and to address attitudes which might prevent them from fully reaching out and including others to help bring Christ to the city.

“In Christ’s time, we had religious leaders, some of whom were more concerned with their own self-preservation, and their mission became self-serving. Their internal ambitions caused the death of our Lord,” he explained. “Today, these failings can still exist in our churches, and cause the death of our Lord afresh. We must desire to be more.”

With the sobering challenge of realizing one’s own faults first, Dr. Taylor reminded the group of the lesson of hope that the history of the church gives through the apostles and early Christians.

“Think of it – 11 doubtful men faced an empire, and brought it to its knees, giving witness to he who is … Milwaukee’s solution is in this room.”

Brief “speed dates” were set up so attendees could meet each other, explain their missions and share resources. Rev. McCray said the idea of the brief meetings was to help “sow the seeds of imagination. Although we may not see the trees yet, we can see the seeds being planted.”

Rev. Joyce Savage of Community Baptist Church of Greater Milwaukee agreed with Rev. McCray.

“It’s a good thing to come together like this. When we each do our own things to meet the needs of the people, it’s hard, but when we come together, we can build relationships that can serve people so much better,” she explained.

Bakke, the founder of International Urban Associates, a network of more than 100 urban-based worldwide mission and church leaders, led the consultation in the afternoon and facilitated workshops throughout the week. His challenge was similar to Rev. Taylor’s, that change doesn’t necessarily come from the city.

“We used to define cities as problems, with us — our churches — providing the solutions. In actuality, the problems were often within the churches,” he explained.

Bakke also pointed to the flight of churches from the cities in the turmoil of the 1960s as pivotal in the social justice issues with which churches deal.

“White churches — the churches of the earlier immigrants from Germany, Italy, Poland — had left the cities, but the salvation of Jesus Christ was still there, and there is seemingly no memory of the churches of their flight,” he explained. “What we have to deal with now is the unshared history of the newer immigrants and the old.”

Bakke told the group that similar problems exist in any organization, from entrenched volunteers who take ownership of a project to “turf” issues and fears that opening a church up to partnerships outside its doors might dilute the membership. He also said he has seen similar problems around the world.

The following day, participants boarded three buses to tour a few of Milwaukee’s urban missions. Included were Holy Redeemer Church of God in Christ, which encompasses dozens of ministries for the arts, youth, couples, the aging and includes its own department of education; CEO (Clergy for Educational Options) Leadership Academy, which focuses on nurturing and sending its 160 students in ninth through 12th grades to college; and CORE/El Centro, a holistic healing center in the Esperanza Unida Builing.

Donning aprons at lunchtime, tour riders served poor and homeless at the Milwaukee Christian Center and St. John’s Open Door Café.

“It’s so important to bring all of our church and civic leaders together,” said Sr. Donna Gazzana, a Sister of Charity of St. Joan Antida and director of outreach ministries at the café, which serves about 150 to 200 clients per day. “Any networking opportunity is wonderful, so we can learn from one another and collaborate our efforts.”

Rev. McCray said follow-up to “Called to the City” would not have the same structure but would begin to help focus upon ministry areas, such as prison ministries and food distribution, to help bring like ministries together.

“It isn’t about what Cardinal Stritch wants to do; it’s about what God wants us to do, and that’s how we’re going to proceed. That’s all based in hope, and inasmuch as God is in control and has brought us here together today, there is hope,” she said.

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