The Christian church is a multinational, multicultural, multilingual body that spans every society on the globe. In the twenty-first century, the vast majority of Christians live in the “Global South”—Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Yet in many conversations about “the Church,” Americans tend to focus on themselves. In this summer series of conversations Upper House will host five talks to explore some of the dominant social issues in the global church—issues that affect all Christians, albeit in different ways depending on location. We’ll seek to learn from people in our community who have experience and expertise in other parts of the world, hopefully challenging and enrichening our understanding of the church here in Madison, too.

DETAILS

Location and Time

All meetings will be held at Upper House on Wednesdays (every other week) at 5-6:30 PM.

Dates / Discussants / Topics

June 14 – Tony Bolos (Director of Continuing Education, Upper House) – Americans and the Global Church: A Way Forward

June 28 – Bob Grahmann (Senior Ambassador, Global Engagement and Justice Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) – Christians in War Regions

July 12 – Julie Bolos (Communications Manager, Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children and Families, Christian Alliance for Orphans) – Christians and Vulnerable Children

July 26 – Manohar James (Minister of Intercultural Ministry, High Point Church) – Christian Persecution

August 9 – Matthew Soerens (Vice President of Advocacy and Policy for World Relief)– Immigration and the Church

Resources

Each meeting will include a short pre-assigned reading/video, 20-minute talk, 40-minute group/small group discussion, and 20-minute Q&A with the speaker. Leaders will distribute assignments to attendees in advance of each gathering.

Cohort Size

20 people for any given meeting. Individuals may choose which meetings they attend and register accordingly.