Calvin News

On Thursday, October 9, Calvin College is bringing Q Commons, an abbreviated version of the annual Q National event, to Grand Rapids. The event aims to inspire people to learn and consider how to advance the common good in their city. The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. and is hosted at the Ladies Literary Club downtown.

“We’ll learn from each other in the hopes of promoting human flourishing in our city,” said Kristi Potter, director of The January Series at Calvin College. “We all have a part in making the city a better place.”

An impressive lineup

The first hour features webcast talks by New York Times bestselling authors Pastor Tim Keller and Ann Voskamp. And, a panel of national experts—Andy Crouch, author of Culture Making, Jenny Yang, vice president of World Relief and Jeremy Courtney, co-founder and executive director of the Preemptive Love Coalition, will discuss the tensions and offer insight into how people of faith can help foster a healthy relationship between church and state, faith and public life.

The second hour features local speakers. Zakiya N. Jackson of the DeVos Urban Leadership Initiative will talk about justice and freedom for the poor and marginalized of Grand Rapids. Kris Spaulding, co-owner of Brewery Vivant will share her unique community-focused, environmentally minded business model. And, Calvin College professor James K.A. Smith will consider why the biblical vision of shalom (peace, flourishing, wholeness) should encourage people to take up ‘this-worldly’ work right in their own neighborhoods.

Aligned with Calvin's mission

“My wife and I have both been energized by the conversations Q has convened,” said Smith. “It’s a place where academics rub shoulders with entrepreneurs and artists join conversations with people from the tech industry. In a way, it is sort of what Abraham Kuyper dreamed of a hundred years ago when he talked about the church as an ‘organism’ suffusing an entire culture.  These are conversations Calvin College can learn from, and contribute to.”

“For many years Q has challenged Christian leaders to ‘recover a vision for their historic responsibility to renew and restore cultures,” said Tim Ellens, director of communications and marketing at Calvin. “This national conversation is in strong alignment with Calvin's mission. We are excited to bring this conversation to the local level as we explore cultural issues and topics specific to Grand Rapids.”

Q Commons is happening in 60 cities across the United States and is expected to attract more than 10,000 participants. And, Calvin is committed to keeping the conversation going in Grand Rapids. The college has signed on to host the second-ever Q Commons in February, 2015.

For more information about the October 9 event, including ticket information, visit http://qideas.org/qcommons/grandrapids/