Urban slums stifle young lives

posted by ACT:S February 29th, 2012

Hundreds of millions of children living in urban areas lack clean water, improved sanitation, and other basic needs, according to “The State of the World’s Children 2012,” a new report from UNICEF. (more…)

7 resources + 7 actions to help you sacrifice your surroundings

posted by ACT:S February 29th, 2012

You next Challenge is live!  We are asking you to sacrifice what surrounds you.  Here are 7 resources and actions to help you with this Challenge.

7 RESOURCES 

1. Sacrifice, Suffering, & Struggle – Poster, desktop background, and Facebook timeline inspired by a Martin Luther King Jr. quote. 

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Challenge Winners: What are you willing to sacrifice?

posted by ACT:S February 28th, 2012

We’re excited to announce the winners of last week’s challenge! These were some of the resources, actions, and stories that best brought the theme of sacrifice to life, while also attracting a lot of likes and downloads. These eight winners will now join the ACT:S Hall of Fame (more on that next week).

Be inspired by their creations and ideas below–then take action on this week’s challenge to sacrifice your surroundings and like your favorite resources, actions, and stories!

Top Resource: Sacrifice Must… by Katelyn W.

Top Action: Prayer Covered World by Tori F. (more…)

From InterVarsity: “Following a Displaced Jesus”

posted by ACT:S February 28th, 2012

Our friends at InterVarsity posted a new weekly devotional/blog post to coincide with this week’s Relentless ACT:S of Sacrifice challenge to “Sacrifice What Surrounds You.” Here’s a blurb from this week’s post by Josh Harper, National Coordinator for InterVarsity’s Urban Projects:

My wife Marjie and I moved to Oakland nearly eight years ago to join an intentional community and church in the inner city. Motivated by a call to relocate to forgotten urban neighborhoods, this was our faithful next step in a journey of displacement and of sacrificing our surroundings.

In college, we encountered God’s kingdom and experienced Jesus in new ways by participating in short term missions. For Marjie, this was on an Urban Project in Oakland. For me, it was through a Global Project to China. Upon our return we continued to displace ourselves on campus by co-leading a multiethnic Bible study that focused on justice and reconciliation. While challenging and sometimes uncomfortable, displacement allowed me to grow in my love and passion for God and his purposes in this world.

Jesus’ life was one displacement after another. He always seemed to be hanging out with the wrong crowd (tax collectors, prostitutes), leading his disciples through the wrong areas (Samaria, the Gentile side of Galilee), and even touching the wrong people (lepers, the sick). The very nature of his incarnation is a story of displacement. God became human and lived here on Earth so that he could save and redeem the broken world.

Read the whole post on InterVarsity’s blog.

How To Be A Creative Activist Pt. 1 – Bringing Issues to Life

posted by James Pedrick February 27th, 2012

It’s difficult to prioritize the issues facing the world’s poor when we don’t see them in our everyday lives. This week’s Relentless ACT:S of Sacrifice challenge is to sacrifice our surroundings by redecorating our personal spaces in order to inspire everyday action – but this is also a great lesson in how to be a creative activist. (more…)