Chicago Gang Wars
A 20-year veteran of the Chicago gang wars will speak at the end of October at Calvin College about hope and possibility in the midst of suffering.
Rev. Gordon McLean (left) has worked in youth ministry for 50 years. Since 1982 he has directed the Juvenile Justice Ministry for Youth for Christ in Chicago.
His message to young people is persuasive. In fact, for his Calvin address he will be accompanied by two young men - Jimmie Tolliver and Jeremiah Utley - whose lives were changed by their interactions with McLean and his ministry.
McLean, Tolliver and Utley will tell their stories on Tuesday, October 28 in an event sponsored by the Ministry Resource Center at Calvin. It will begin at 8:30 p.m. in the Commons Lecture Hall and is free and open to all.
Calvin's Ed Seely is director of the Ministry Resource Center and knows McLean from their days together at Christ Church of Oak Brook, Ill., where McLean is a member and Seely formerly served as a pastor, prior to coming to Calvin.
He arranged McLean's visit and says people who come to the talk are in for a treat.
"Gordon is a very engaging speaker," says Seely, "and has had a variety of incredible experiences in ministry. He has an amazing tale to tell. And the two colleagues he will be bringing with him have seen and lived through more than many of us could ever imagine. I'm looking forward to a powerful evening."