Play for the Peace of the City!
El Camino Vocational Discernment Affinity Working Group for Latine Leaders (Cohort 21)
Ministry in the City HUB Update, May 2026

Dear HUB friends,

We are coming to the close of the academic / ministry year, and hopefully, a bit of respite for the summer.

Thanks to the many who joined us at this month’s online Food and Fellowship. It’s always good to have this space to connect, share highs and lows, build relationships, and pray for one another. Please join us for the next one on July 23, 2026 at 12p EDT.

We look forward to welcoming 16 of our HUB learning network members next month for HUB Summer Camp 2026 : Cultivating Learning Communities. Dr. Sarah Gerth van den Berg (seminary dean) and Maria will lead a series of teaching and facilitation sessions over four days, providing time and space for reflection, sharing, and learning. We’ll also meet in small “praxis” groups to reflect on leadership challenges, take morning walks in local parks, have time for personal connections, and learn from the wider context of the city through various cultural activities.

Please keep an eye out for an email from us with a survey to help us prepare for the HUB Fall Convening 2026 coming up on November 4-6, 2026. It’s our fifth in-person gathering, and we are celebrating with a few changes from the last time, including a different Wednesday dinner venue and a series of online pre-convening conversations.

Until we connect again,
Maria and Mark (for the HUB team)
Highlights
NEW DEVELOPMENT: Women in Leadership and Ministry (WILAM)
NET MAKING
Last year, we piloted a HUB-team led Affinity Working Group focused on seasons of ministry with eight women. This January, HUB network members Rev. Aracelis Haye and Lucila Crena led sessions at the 14th Annual Symposium on Women in Leadership and Ministry (WILAM) in New York City. This fall, we will launch a HUB-expanded iteration of our Women in Leadership and Ministry (WILAM) work at City Seminary, walking alongside a cohort of women for a year, with an in-person gathering at the annual symposium in January 2027. These are ways we are making nets to support women in our community. Stay tuned for updates.
HUB Local Gathering: One Body Philly
GRANT STEWARDING
Esperanza Health Center (EHC) is a faith-based federally qualified health center in North Philadelphia that seeks to serve as a local convener for diverse Christian churches and ministries in their area. With the grant from the HUB, they hosted two local gatherings: (1) a skills-building workshop for leaders in ecumenical work and (2) an overnight retreat that allowed participants to fellowship together for rest and renewal. These gatherings strengthened ecumenical ties for Christian leaders from diverse denominations doing ministry in the city in North Philadelphia.
Bibliodrama Engagement
RESOURCE SHARING
Bibliodrama is an embodied practice to engaging with scripture. It is participatory, inviting participants to enter into the scene with their own stories to interpret what is happening in the text. HUB Grantee Melissa Casiano recently led a retreat aimed at helping artists engage in art, scripture, and story and created a series of slides to lead others through the practice. You can find the slides here. Contact Melissa to learn more.
Roots and Rising: Multilingual Intergenerational Storytelling
STORYTELLING
Roots & Rising emerged with the aim of collecting and documenting intergenerational faith stories to increase connection, shared wisdom, and belonging between congregational members in our English, Cantonese, and Mandarin ministries. By facilitating intentional storytelling groups, the project observed the slow unravel of stories of faith not only across generations, but among migrant journeys. This initiative recognizes the vital role of faith stories in shaping community identity and faith formation, while also promoting peace and understanding across language and cultures. To learn more, contact Christen Kong.

Ministry in the City HUB
City Seminary of New York
302 West 119th St, 3rd Flr
New York, NY 10026, USA

This national initiative is generously supported by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
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