Chicago Urban Reconciliation Enterprise

Repentance, Renewal, Reconciliation, Restoration, and Reparation.

Possessing a serious commitment to urban communities, urban churches, and to urban youth, the partners at CURE are highly motivated to intentionally working with churches. With reconciliation as a driving force, the CURE team has learned, and is learning that the kingdom of God should be dominant in the lives of all true disciples. The team has also learned that:

• We all need at least one accountable relationship, which assists us in being conformed to the image of Christ.

• Christians were designed to live in community.

• The character of the disciple is more valuable than his activity.

• Wisdom often comes from listening, not talking.

• The heart of God is with the poor, powerless, and the oppressed.

• Being gifted is not a sign of spirituality

• Grace has set me free, now I must free others

• Acceptable worship involves service to the poor.

• One way to bond is by praying for one another

• The other way of bonding is by hanging out with one another

• We must learn to die for one another preserving and defending one another's honor and reputation.

• The Kingdom mandates and life-style is not popular. In fact, those who In fact, those who try to live this way will eventually be in opposition

of the various systems of the day

Jesus spent all of his time preaching this one theme, it must really be important. We also discovered that Jesus' style of disciple-making was through the process of “”hanging out” as coined by the late evangelist Tom Skinner. Jesus choose 12 and developed them by being with them, hanging out, either in a mountain, in a desert, in a room, in the sea, in a boat, in a synagogue, in the temple, or in a garden.

While hanging out, they talked about the kingdom and about themselves. Their short-sightedness and selfishness often led them to wrong conclusions, but at least they were rightly focused on the kingdom. The Black and White team which comprises CURE has long been committed to modeling and teaching the values of the Kingdom as brothers displaying their unity and love before all interested observers across racial lines.

Most preachers have a full arsenal of sermons, but few have even one on “the Kingdom.” However, Jesus had just one sermon, and it was on the kingdom. His primary way of communicating about the kingdom was through the medium of parables. Some, like the Episcopal priest Robert Capon, see these parables as marked by “paradox” and ”left-handed” power. These kingdom themes introduce new philosophical, sociological, and theological challenges. The ideas expressed in the kingdom concept were for the most part brand new; unique. Jesus' message of the kingdom was revolutionary enough to get him killed because it was a critique of the way things were. It was diametrically opposed to the systems of his day, including those which were religious or theological.

The ministries of CURE include:

-Racial Healing: Breakfast Club and other workshops

-CURE Leadership Conversation

-Church Revitalization /Natural Church Development

-Youth Ministry Training: i.e.Take Five Discipleship Program

-Conflict Resolution Training and Mediation

-Afterschool Clubs/Homework Help/Summer Programs

Russ Knight

President of CURE