Mission to the City By Andy Gray
What is Mission to the City?
Mission to the City is a service-oriented evangelistic outreach in the urban and inner-city areas of Minneapolis for 10 days every July.
Why did you feel particularly moved to get involved with this ministry?
Oddly enough, I grew up in a rural community in Michigan, but went to college near Detroit and became very good friends with someone that grew up in inner-city Detroit (later to be my best man). After getting saved, the Lord increasingly put on my heart a desire to reach people of other cultures and communities, particularly African American. The urban areas of America are like the harbors of old. The nations are literally coming to our backyards and doorsteps.
After going on an international trip and having an amazing experience, the Lord showed me that I didn't have to go half way around the world to connect with people from different cultures. Our church decided to offer Mission to the City in 1999. Folks took a week off of work and we headed just 20 minutes down the road to minister in the city.
What have been some memorable highlights of your time in this ministry?
Opened eyes for sure, starting with mine. It's been amazing to see how participants have awakened to the great, yet sometimes daunting, opportunity all around us. Meeting and serving a Somali single mother of six who had lived in the U.S. for five years without ever being invited to an American's home was definitely a highlight. Connecting personally with a young man that now lives with us has been one of the most blessed experiences of my life. The partnerships that have developed with other ministries have been wonderful.
Do you have any future goals for this ministry?
One dream that is just starting to be realized is seeing folks from churches host their own Mission to the City trips. Our church joined Cornerstone Community Church in Kansas City in 2009 to help them with an urban mission trip. We hope to continue hosting trips that reach our city for the Kingdom of God, and help God's people grow their hearts for all the nations.
Andy attends The Urban Refuge in Minnesota: www.theurbanrefuge.com.
With approximately 30 families, River Ridge Church
planted a second campus in Teays Valley, WV in the fall of
2008. The church decided on a model of "one church in two
locations." While each of the five pastors concentrate their
ministry efforts on
Who would have thought that two fathers would be
involved with their college age children in starting a new
campus ministry? It was an answer to prayer. We had been
praying that the Lord would provide an opportunity to continue
laboring in the gospel
