For the Rev. Myra Maxwell, a pastor in Philadelphia, the city’s escalation in shootings and murders hits hard and close to home. She has lost a family member and friends to violence.

The City of Brotherly Love recorded 499 homicides last year, a 40 percent increase from 2019 and the second most since 1960…

The Rev. Rudy Rasmus, co-pastor of St. John’s Downtown UMC in Houston, Texas, and the Rev. Rashawn Clark, pastor of New Spirit UMC in Atlanta, Ga., kicked off the Eastern PA Conference’s multi-session Virtual Urban Summit on Saturday morning, April 24.  In Part 1, the two visionary, impactful pastors shared their experiences and insights in “Engaging Communities in Change” and “Doing Spiritually-Focused Urban Evangelism.”