Taking It to the Streets

- 17th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year - ChurchThere's an urgent need for Christian ministry in our cities-but we need a guide.Known around Oakland, California, as 'OG Rev.,' Reverend Harry Williams's calling is to the streets: to the hungry, homeless, addicted, incarcerated, and vulnerable. In Taking It to the Streets, he invites us into his world, bringing us face-to-face with both the injustices that plague our cities and the gospel of compassion that offers hope to the downtrodden.Rev. Williams takes on racism, the plight of children in the inner city, gentrification, urban violence, the prosperity gospel, and more, all from the perspective of someone who understands these phenomena from the inside. Whether we ourselves are from the city or not, we need a deep understanding of its social, political, and spiritual realities if we're to minister effectively. Taking It to the Streets offers firsthand accounts of urban life alongside large-scale considerations of its systemic challenges, all in the context of the life-giving good news of Jesus.This is the introduction to urban ministry we need. Filled with both sober truths and the hope of Jesus, it will inspire and equip a new generation of ministers to our cities.

Harry Louis Williams II (MDiv, Palmer Theological Seminary) is an ordained minister and the author of several books, including No Easy Walk and Street Cred. He serves the poor, addicted, homeless, and formerly incarcerated in Oakland, California.