FEATURES
MIAMI IS AN AMBASSADORIAL CITY
by Mike Wittman
"Repairing ruined cities" was the rallying cry that brought a dozen pastors and church leaders together in 1991 to form the Greater Miami Leadership Conference (G.M.L.C.).
Their vision was taken from the prophet Isaiah's promise that God's children everywhere would have the opportunity in joining hands"...to rebuild the ancient ruins...raise up...and repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations." (Isa. 61:4) Little did these leaders know that 1992, the year of their first major, city-wide conference, would also include recovering from Hurricane Andrew. This calamity, though, brought its own opporunity for these pastors to work together to aid in the rebuilding of a fellow pastor's church in Perrine, in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Since those pioneering days of laboring to install the scaffolding of connecting and working relationships among brethren, the G.M.L.C. has pressed on to help rebuild our city spiritually. Annually, they sponsor praise celebrations, breakfasts and luncheons, urban ministers' seminars and conferences, inviting Christian leaders from all around South Florida to join in the fellowship of learning and working together.
Traditional minority group leaders are in abundance within the ranks of the G.M.L.C. God has quickened to the core members of this fellowship that the patriarch Noah had three sons, not just one. Because all ethnic groups have God-given origin, potential and purpose in Christ, the G.M.L.C. has a burden for training multi-ethnic leaders at all echelons of church leadership. The Book of Acts, Chapter 2, reveals that the glorious outpouring of God's Spirit was multi-national and multi-ethnic. This Divine scenario demonstrates in power that God believes it takes a multi-ethnic church to reach a multi-national world.
If one believes in Divine Providence, it is no accident that Miami is a gathering place for the nations. Zachariah 14 shows us that during that great day of the Lord, the nations will visit Jerusalem once a year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Miami has the challenges, but the G.M.L.C. believes that those challenges are precisely her opportunities. Miami is an ambassadorial city. The people represented here are to be reached and prepared to minister to the Lord of Lords and to the nations for which he died. Interestingly enough, the name "Miami" is an Indian name which means "sweet water". If one lets one's imagination wander, can it be this harbor city has a destiny to be a fountainhead for "living waters" flowing forth from the church to touch the nations? Through the Lord, can their be a healing anointing that lies within our midst to be released to the people groups of the world? This multi-ethnic group says "yes!"
Currently, the G.M.L.C. is under the ledership of a multi-ethnic, steering committee, comprised of men and women, committed to the Lord and to each other in seeing the church in South Florida becoming a ". . . city on a hill....." which light will shine to the nations. Rev. Cecil Lamb, current president of the G.M.L.C., commented at a recent G.M.L.C. sponsored praise celebration. "We are committed to the expression of God's unity in the city. We want to offer a productive, and non-threatening environment for ministers and leaders, old and young, alike, to learn and to work together, and to achieve our potential in this community."
The G.M.L.C. theme for this year is, "Reconciled to God, reconciled to man." This theme is an expression of their multi-ethnic history together and their mission statement which reads in part,