“Expressing the Reckless Love of God”
Urban Village Church
Chicago, IL
By Tamesha Mills
I joined the virtual space and was greeted with the sound of laughter as the two church leaders who were hosting the event exchanged words of affirmation. They were not dressed in suits or button-down shirts, nor did they fit any description of an uptight clergy person. Instead, they were adorned with gentleness and calm clothing with nonjudgmental smiles. Both were attentive to who was entering the room and ceased their comical banter to greet once new faces joined the virtual grid. I was welcomed into the space and engaged with “get to know you questions,” starting with one concerning where in the city I was from. It was clear they did not recognize me as a member, but I was treated with the same love as if I had known them for years. It felt warm. It felt safe.
More people joined the Zoom space, greeting each other by their first names, which were displayed beneath their video thumbnail along with their preferred pronouns. The atmosphere was friendly, something to be expected for an Open Mic Night. Formal introductions were made (although everyone already seemed to know one another), and each of us shared a fun fact about ourselves. Several members shared about their funny, quirky encounters with celebrities over the years. A young woman, the worship leader from one of the Urban Village Church (UVC) locations, shared her testimony. She recounted how when she was new to Urban Village Church, she had filled out a flier with her contact information and her interests: drumming. A UVC staff member phoned her to ask if she would like a tour of the church and to meet the drummer for that particular location. She agreed and was excited about the opportunity. When she arrived, she asked where the musician was, and the staff member said, “You are the musician! How would you like to be our new drummer?”
Have you ever attended a church where it was safe to be who you are? A space that could handle your theological questions and encourage the many dimensions of your identity. What would it look like if every member of a congregation had the opportunity to explore their gifts and talents? What posture is appropriate for church leadership in order to create an atmosphere for members’ own agency? What motivates members to be transparent and vulnerable enough to step out on faith? Urban Village Church has been that safe space for its members. It has exhibited a reckless love that can be compared to the radical love of God. Its members describe it as a space in which everyone is seen and valued, similar to the way God sees us as God’s creation and in desperate need of God’s insurmountable love. UVC imagines a congregation rooted in the reckless love and justice of Jesus Christ. With this belief at its core, it creates a safe space not only for those who have been marginalized but for all seeking the love of God.
Members of Urban Village Church seem to have several unique commonalities. Some were seeking a place where they could walk through the doors or into a virtual space as their true, authentic selves without experiencing shame, humiliation, or judgement. Others were looking for a community that allowed them to explore their faith and ask questions without condemnation. Then there were those looking for a church that was unequivocally rooted in the pursuit of justice and safety for the marginalized. UVC provided this space for their members and has done so for the last ten years.
This open mic event embodied a sacred space in which members could express themselves freely. It revealed the trust present between the leadership and the congregants, which fosters a safe environment for everyone. I watched as the leadership set the standard for transparency and made room for others to follow suit. Juan, UVC church plant resident, delivered a poem he had written about his experience in an evangelical church. It was both religious and political and included his testimony about the Latinx community that he hailed from, a community that he says would not accept him. He talked of a “rainbow Christ” who appreciates our uniqueness and is on the side of the marginalized. In his poem, Juan boldly spoke against a “White Jesus” that metaphorically oppressed Christians of color and tried to destroy their Christian life purpose. While Juan performed, he was inundated with support and encouragement from members in the Zoom chat. Juan’s vulnerability and transparency set the stage for others to share, and his position as a cohost and the first performer was no doubt intentional.
As the Open Mic program continued, others expressed themselves through song, poetry, prose, and testimony. One member shared a personal prayer exposing her intimate struggles with PTSD. She lamented and lifted a sincere cry to God for help, questioning her condition and expressing a desire to manage her actions.
One young woman shared a testimony of gratitude towards Urban Village Church for the support and love she received during a dark time in her life. In her eyes, UVC has proven to be a place that genuinely cares about people and is not only spiritually supportive but offers practical support and the resources to help people who find themselves in compromising situations. When she mourned the simultaneous death of two family members, UVC offered its prayers and comfort. When she lost her job and was in jeopardy of eviction, UVC’s small group gifted her with funds. Urban Village Church exemplified its missional focus upon the needs of the whole person, both spiritual and physical. She shared a poem that she had written during that time but had never shared before now. She chose to recite it in this sacred space. Her poem, entitled “Because of You,” was an expression of gratitude to God for God’s faithfulness toward her.
A member named Paul also shared his experience with the overwhelming love and support of the Urban Village Church family. Paul is a Maryland resident and only physically attended UVC once, but he has not left since. He expressed his joy in the opportunity to digitally fellowship with his UVC family during the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that UVC has given him the confidence to be himself and worship God authentically as a member of the LGBTQIA community. He shared a poem entitled “The Voice,” which he workshopped with Grant (one of the cohosts) during UVC’s creative writing workshop.
For me, the most memorable moment of Open Mic Night was a comedy set by Laura. The performance demonstrated the uniqueness of UVC’s theology and spiritual practices. UVC’s website declares it to be a place “Where beliefs aren’t rigid boxes to check, but springboards into imagination.” It’s a church that pushes the imagination, encourages creativity, and is not confined to traditional practices. It’s a place that encourages new ideas and takes risks, unafraid of failure. These characteristics were well expressed in Laura’s comedy set as she offered quips, jokes, and satire about the spirituality of Urban Village Church. A middle-aged woman in leopard print clothing, Laura joked about herself, presenting herself as a sinner and heretic trying to figure things out and live a Christian life. Her humor centered on her experience at UVC, a community like no other church she’s ever encountered. She spoke of the congregation’s non-traditionalism, illustrating her point with the example of UVC’s decision to have a gay pastor consecrate and serve communion, a practice she was not used to before coming to UVC. She reiterates, “that’s what sets us apart.”
As if the comedy set was not unorthodox enough, one of the pastors, Hannah Kardon, encouraged another member to perform her rap song – even though it included curse words. She backed up her endorsement by stating “Jesus isn’t concerned with your curses, just don’t hate people.” Urban Village Church has created a culture of transparency, trust, and authenticity that provokes its congregants to explore Christendom while loving themselves and others in community.
While these examples highlight members who are often at the margins of society and the church, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that UVC also offers a safe space for those who have different theological views. It is no secret that Urban Village Church was founded with a vision for a LGBTQIA-friendly, Christ-centered church in the heart of Chicago. It isn’t uncommon to see openly gay clergy moving throughout the church and blessing the sacraments.
A young woman who is a newer member of the congregation shared her experience with UVC, initially stating that she had adverse theological views about members of the LGBTQIA community. She was brought up in an evangelical atmosphere, an environment that she felt she had to leave – but some of the theological views left with her. She was overwhelmed by her experience in UVC small group, where she was free to engage in healthy dialogue about her faith and beliefs. She shared that her faith has been transformed by her small group and the teachings she encountered at Urban Village Church. UVC has imagined and created a space in which even members with different theological views can live and thrive in community and dialogue with one another. How can a space like this exist without conflict? The answer to this question could very well be, “It doesn’t.”
Urban Village Church makes a declaration on its website that “We believe that we don’t have all the answers and that disagreement and discussion are healthy.” In creating a safe space for people to ask challenging questions, the church invites conflict, reconciliation, and mutual accountability. Members who have seen the growth of the church since it first opened its doors boast of the steadfastness of the leadership and how it’s remained true to its vision without wavering. They say it has always been a church that is concerned about the needs of the people and adamant about practicing what it preaches. In fact, throughout the history of the church there have been concerns that the congregation was not diverse enough; soon after, there were more church plants in Black and Brown neighborhoods. After this, with continued uprisings of police brutality against Black bodies, UVC expanded their social justice efforts by establishing themselves as an antiracist church. In further efforts to ensure safe spaces for its members in different neighborhoods, UVC hired an outside group to do an antiracist audit of the congregation and its sites. This resulted in a report which was shared with the community and became a framework for the next steps in pursuing their vision of a sacred, antiracist space – a space that spreads the love of Jesus Christ to all, especially those who have been at the margins.
One lay leader, Julie, who has been a member of the congregation for the entire ten years of its existence, says that what keeps her coming back to the church is the unrelenting mission of social justice that shapes the culture of the congregation and the love she experiences there. She went on to explain that she thought it was too good to be true in the beginning and kept waiting for a shift or change in the church’s mission and direction, but this still hasn’t happened. Though their staffing has changed throughout the years, the Urban Village Church leadership have remained consistent in their efforts.
Urban Village Church values each member’s unique identity and openly seeks to hear the diverse voices from within its congregation. It’s a body that acknowledges the lack of love in the world and challenges hegemonic theologies that aim to divide God’s people and the church. Its rituals and programming are playful and unorthodox. Its culture thrives on healthy dialogue, transparency, and trust amongst its leadership and congregants. These elements have penetrated the culture of the congregation, making them effective even in a time of pandemic.
While the individual sites have not met in-person because of the pandemic, members continue to express their sense of community – even when that community is gathered in a digital space. While they miss their trips to the city’s coffee shops to meet with their pastors, the bonds they have created in small groups are still strong enough to get them through this time. Urban Village Church thrives in creating a safe space for its members, and it continues to imagine ways to express the reckless love of God even in a virtual season.
