The Leadership Development & Resource (LDR) weekend started in 2011 when I invited one Covenant Seminary student to visit New City Fellowship in Chattanooga in order to experience its cross-culture worship and to talk about life for African Americans in a predominately Anglo, conservative, Presbyterian denomination. Little did I know that this singular Labor Day weekend invitation would turn into a conference that would become a multi-ethnic reunion of mostly young black, white, Asian, and Latino believers seeking a place to gather and talk.
The theme this year's event was "Speaking the Truth in Love" and featured addresses by Howard Brown, Christine Edmonson, and Duke Kwon, along with mentoring sessions on a number of topics. Overall it was our best LDR to date.
Although the LDR event began solely for the purpose of recruiting African Americans into the PCA, God has turned it into a once a year forum in which members and friends of the PCA can talk frankly about race, gender, and other core cultural concerns from a theologically reformed perspective. With this additional purpose in mind, this is our current vision and mission statement:
The Vision of LDR
is to see, by God's grace and mercy, a grass roots, theologically reformed, Gospel movement in North America alongside our brothers and sisters in the diverse body of Christ.
The Mission of the LDR
is to make disciples. LDR seeks to connect, educate, empower, and challenge attendees around issues that matter for the African American believer and broader community. Holding fast to both Biblical fidelity and cultural honesty, we invite all peoples into a reformed understanding of Holy Scriptures and the obedience of faith in every square inch of life. Through radical hospitality, we endeavor to proclaim Christ as Lord, Liberator, and Lover of our souls.
The LDR has the feel of a family reunion for many minorities who discover that they are not alone in the PCA. Our desire from the beginning has been to keep the cost low while at the same time feeding and housing attendees. The PCA churches in St Louis have been incredibly gracious in providing housing, in-kind donations, and places of worship. We were able to house over 100 people and feed close to 400 through the weekend. Ten of our African American pastors were invited to preach from St Louis pulpits on the Sunday before Labor Day. We thank God for His provision and pray that His will be done as we look forward to next year's LDR.
We covet your prayers as we think ahead and plan the 2018 LDR, which will again be in St Louis. Please consider making a donation to help defray some of the costs of the LDR. Your contribution would be most welcome.
