An Invitation to Relationship and Mission

e Church of Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Cathedral in downtown Los Angeles communicates the mission of God through a theology of place. At the entrance of the cathedral’s sanctuary, there are tapestries of the communion of saints adorning both sides. e saints are looking to the cross at the front of the cathedral. ese tapestries were designed to illustrate the shared journey to the cross, to Jesus. Behind the cross of Jesus is a tapestry of a downtown Los Angeles map with the scripture of Revelation 21:3 overlaid on the map: "God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them."

e intentional theology of place extends God’s invitation to the cross, into relationship with Jesus, and to journey with God on his mission in the city.

ere are opportunities for us to engage with neighbors and leaders whether or not we are chaplains. God calls each of us to be present and connected with our neighbors: is commitment to the spiritual lives of your neighbors is part of your vocational discernment. Your call to life is not just about you! It’s also about your context, your surroundings, and your com-munity . . . e connection to a community and a people are incredibly important to hearing God’s call to life. (Reyes 2018, 5) e density of the city provides access and proximity to one another. Although individualism is prevalent in the city, it is held in tension with the practical need for others. Public transportation, shared green spaces, and apartment living places people alongside one another, sometimes on top of each other.

In my capacity as a chaplain, I have an opportunity to interface with community members, many of whom do not have church homes nor identify with a particular faith. If anything, they may prefer to identify as spiritual. ere is an opportunity to engage with God’s mission in the city in a new way.

In our cities, we can re ect this sacred ministry of God’s presence through listening and being with those experiencing trauma. is presence a rms God’s love for them and their value no matter where they are on the faith journey. A rmation can be a balm of healing and hope for those struggling in the city. In this presence, we communicate that others are not alone because we have chosen to accompany them. As God’s image bearers, we seek our shared wellness in Christ, recognizing our need for one another. God calls us to be voices of his hope in the urban landscape. God invites us into relationship and mission with him in the city, embracing those in crisis. Mission practitioners can utilize the ministry of God’s presence in addressing trauma in the city, reminding each person of their belovedness and the hope God holds for all of us.

Endnotes

1 Mary Glenn, DMin is A liate Faculty with the School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller eological Seminary. She leads Downtown Los Angeles city walks and urban immersions. Her research and teaching centers on urban missiology, spirituality, theology, collaboration and transformation. Mary has served as a law enforcement chaplain in Los Angeles since 2001. Mary is a contributor in the Fuller Magazine June 2019 Issue 14 (“Su ering With”).

2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, WISQARS (Webbased Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) Leading Causes of Death Reports, 2016, https://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcause. html

3CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) https://www. criticalincidentstress.com/what_is_cism_

4 e "God so loves the city" methodology as outlined in the book of the same name advocates for a theology for urban leadership and a holistic and transformational response to places of pain in the urban context.