Contact: Jon Hirst, The Well, 719-362-5235, jhirst@dotheword.org
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Oct. 6 /Christian Newswire/ -- The National Association of Evangelicals is preparing for its upcoming Evangelical Leaders Forum on October 8th and 9th focusing on the theme of "Christian Justice in Difficult Times." Ken Eastburn, elder of The Well church, says, "The NAE runs the risk of leaving Christian Justice up to programs without offering individuals and small groups the opportunity to be involved at more personal levels."
The Forum will take place in Landover, Maryland with general session speakers including JoAnne Lyon, the General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church and Michael Gerson, Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Global Engagement. Tracks focusing on various aspects of Christian justice sponsored by non-profit Christian organizations will also be available.
The Well, a network of home-based churches in California and Colorado, is involved in local outreach within the communities of their respective locations. Eastburn says, "Members encourage one another to get involved personally and organically without the assistance of programs."
"Injustice is not merely a virus or mechanical error that can be fixed by impersonal entities such as programs," says Eastburn, "Injustice involves men, women and children who need a personal touch. Programs can't offer that, but people can. People are the answer. Anything less would not be considered 'Christian' or 'justice.'"
According to Eastburn and the other elders of The Well the challenge facing Christian leaders is to think creatively about how they can be involved in their own communities without the trappings of programs. To assist, they have developed a list of 7 ways to address injustice in one's own community which can be found on their website at www.leavethebuilding.com under Resources.
The Well hosts 10-15 members on a weekly basis at each of its five locations, including some individuals who also continue to participate in traditional church settings. Eastburn and other members post their experiences on a blog maintained by the church, www.leavethebuildingblog.com, for the purpose of interacting with individuals from traditional and house church backgrounds.
