Our ministry is called Envision Chicago. We are a branch of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, which is based in Chicago, IL. There are 20 Envision sites around the world, and we exist to provide experiences of urban ministry to the millennial generation and beyond, and to reveal the heart of God to the city. Our method of carrying out our ministry is through living out the great commission with compassion. We do this by hosting transformative short-term missions trips to the inner city; creating engaging internships for 18-30 year olds; and empowering missionary residents to journey with the people in our community. Each experience is tailor made for every team, intern, or resident that comes to Envision Chicago. We partner them with an existing ministry, or church plant to help them hone ministry skills and give them opportunities to journey with people just as Barnabas did when he discipled Saul and John Mark. We offer training for each team, intern, or resident. Some of the training may take place in a classroom setting, while others may look more like a discipling relationship. In each setting we try to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us about God’s heart for the city. Compassion, cultural sensitivity, and overcoming personal prejudice with love also play a large role in our training. Currently we are partnered with two organizations. Family Empowerment Centers, a church in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and South Asian Friendship Center, a ministry serving the diverse South-Asian community in ‘Little India’ in Devon Ave, Chicago. As the Envision site in Chicago, our relationship with the Family Empowerment Center is vital to the ministry that we do. This year alone we have 19 short-term teams, 1 intern, and 2 residents who are coming to join the Envision Chicago family. Most of these people will be experiencing ministry at the Family Empowerment Center, and journeying with the people in the surrounding community.
