Joomla! site syndication http://www.champs4life.org 2010-09-03T00:16:13+01:00 http://www.champs4life.org http://www.champs4life.org/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png text/html 2008-05-08T13:18:58+01:00 http://www.champs4life.org http://www.champs4life.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84&Itemid=2 Why Be Pro-City?IntroductionWhether we are talking about a metropolis or a smaller city like Brockton, God has a plan for every city that He raises up. It is up to its leaders and inhabitants and all those who benefit from its existence to keep their city aimed at its Godly purpose. Without intentional efforts to promote God’s agenda in one’s city, the city becomes so easily vulnerable to another’s agenda. Instead of the city glorifying God and benefiting man it mocks one and curses the other. This kind of city is usually dominated by systems that guide us away from what is best. Winston Churchill said, “We determine our buildings. Then our buildings determine us.” This principle can likewise be applied to the city. “We determine our cities. Then our cities determine us.” There are many first and second generation suburbanites who still have great memories of the days they used to be a city dweller. For example, many in Plymouth and the surrounding counties used to live or work in Brockton.[i] They can remember the days when they used to go to school or shop in this city. For years the strong shoe industry put this county on the map, but now, the recent decades of flight from this city has left Brockton a victim. A city that once sustained and benefited many lives and families is now in need of a favor being returned to it. A heart for the urban condition is not as rare of some may think. But, there is a Christian motivation that many do not consider.