About the Society of Urban Monks
The Society of Urban Monks is an ecumenical and multi-denominational community of men and women who are involved in solving social injustices by nurturing a relationship with God and others while practicing self-care to prevent burn-out.
Essential commitments for the Urban Monk include:
Nurturing a private relationship with God through spiritual practices
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your strength and with all your mind;”
(Luke 10.27a)
Spiritual practices stem from prayer and scripture. Urban Monks choose from various practices (such as Lectio Divina, daily prayer offices, silence, etc.) in order to nurture their relationship with God.
Cultivating a public relationship with God and others through spiritual practices
“Love your neighbor as yourself”
(Luke 10.27b)
Urban Monks choose spiritual practices in order to nurture a deep, collective, and public relationship with God and others. These practices involve taking our encounters with social issues and reflecting on them in light of our Christian teachings in order to confront and advance how we understand them.
Using spiritual practices to help solve social issues and injustices
". . . you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."
(Isaiah 58.12b)
Not only do Urban Monks seek to serve social problems through acts of charity such as the provision of food or clothing, they also help steer these problems towards potential solutions as active members of agencies, governmental and educational institutions, or other various organizations. Urban Monks also seek to promote best practices for solving social injustices, and further the healing traditions of past and contemporary Christian reformers.
Caring for yourself and those closest to you
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11.28)
Self-care in the midst of works of charity and actions to solve social issues is a central value of the Society of Urban Monks. This can include a variety of things from resting, being alone with God, or spending time with people, to recreational activities. What resources are available to you, and what you can afford, obviously should be to be taken into consideration when committing to these activities.