Externally Focused at Watermark

Dallas Justice Revival is coming in November…and unlike many “events” this one is different, in that the purpose is to promote “long term” collaboration between business, non-profits, and churches to transform our community in the name of Christ.  Recently, I interviewed Aaron Graham, with Sojourners, who is the sponsor.  Here’s that interview:

What is the Dallas Justice Revival?

The Dallas Justice Revival is a three-day gathering at Dallas Market Hall Nov. 10-12, 2009 with passionate worship led by well-known musicians with a clear call to do justice. The focus is on uniting the church in a city for a time of spiritual revival that leads to social change. The Revival will lead to real change in Dallas, as churches come together to bring God’s healing and justice in the areas of affordable housing and public education.

 How is this initiative bigger than a three-night event?

The Justice Revival is a catalyst for collaboration among churches, business, non-profit, and city leaders to work for long-term justice for the Dallas area. Over the past ten months, leaders and laypeople from over 150 churches and denominations, including Catholic, Mainline, Evangelical, African American and Latino churches have been working to plan the Justice Revival. Local organizations including the Foundation for Community Empowerment, Central Dallas Ministries, and the Dallas Leadership Foundation have been involved as well. During this planning, relationships have been formed between churches, nonprofits, and businesses that weren’t talking before, and our prayer is that these groups continue to work together long-term for transformation in Dallas.

What transformation in Dallas are you praying for?

Through many months of praying and listening to the needs of the city, the Justice Revival Leadership and Planning Teams have committed to achieving the following outcomes by the fall of 2010:

• Educating 200 churches about the biblical call to social justice
• Creating 25 linkages between churches and public schools by fall 2010
• Advocating for 700 units of permanent supportive housing

 Our prayer is that every person in Dallas would know Christ and that all Christians would know the God of justice – and realize that evangelism and working for God’s kingdom and justice go hand in hand. We want to provide an opportunity for the entire Body of Christ in the Dallas area to share their gifts and talents to honor the dignity of all people and empower them with the tools they need to be healthy and active participants in their communities. Housing the homeless and strengthening public education are parts of a holistic development solution for Dallas.  

 How was the vision for Justice Revivals birthed? 
In 2007, Jim Wallis, founder and president of Sojourners, gave birth to the Justice Revival vision. He wrote about it in his latest book The Great Awakening: Seven Ways to Change the World, where he paints a picture of “linking the tradition of Billy Graham with the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr.” and an event that would “take place in the city’s great convention centers but result in thousands of small groups for ongoing discipleship, training, and action in every neighborhood of those cities.”

The first Justice Revival was held in April of 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. Over three days it brought together 10,000 people from a broad range of churches and denominations across the city. More than 150 people made first-time commitments to follow Christ, and hundreds more made commitments to work for justice in Columbus. More than 300 people signed up to be mentors in the public schools. Local pastors, bishops, and nonprofit leaders met with the mayor and the governor during a city leaders’ luncheon to discuss strategies to fight child poverty. The revival concluded with 2,000 people taking their faith to the streets on Saturday to serve the city in tangible ways. The Justice Revival coalition of more than 40 churches and denominations has now formed a Columbus Faith and Justice Network to continue their work of relationship-building, discipleship, and advocacy for the poor.

How can churches and individuals become more involved in the Justice Revival?

You can visit www.justicerevival.org for more information, to register, and to download promotional materials to share with your communities.