In Focus

Camden, New Jersey sits across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, just a couple of miles from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Yet as close as it is to the "Birthplace of the Nation," many would say that it is light years away from the American dream. With a population of approximately 88,000, Camden has its own kind of "tourism" -- an estimated 10,000 people visit the city daily to buy drugs. Street corners bustle with the commerce of the narcotics trade, while 94 percent of its elementary school children live below the poverty level.

In the midst of this disturbing picture, Bruce Main '85 ministers to the young inhabitants of the inner city. Recently selected as Azusa Pacific University's Young Alumnus of the Year, Main heads up UrbanPromise Ministries, an organization he founded to equip teens with vital academic and life skills. In a city where more than 60 percent of high school students drop out, this ministry provides after-school programs, alternative schools, Scholastic Aptitude Test preparation classes, job creation programs, discipling groups, and fine arts programs that include two award-winning gospel choirs. All of which help the young people of this impoverished area see the love of God in action and begin to realize their God-given gifts and abilities. An APU chapel message from Tony Campolo, Ph.D, inspired Main to pursue urban ministry. "My calling to inner-city ministry is intimately connected to my time at APU," Main said. "This was the most formative time of my life." He spent the next five summers working in Camden as a volunteer with Campolo and his ministry team. After graduating from Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Theological Seminary, Main and wife Pamela moved to Camden to work full time. "We recognized him as an outstanding leader and a man with a heart for the lost of the city," Campolo said. "We embraced him and made him the leader of our programs in Camden."

Now, 13 years later, the Mains, and their three children, Calvin, Erin, and Madeline, still live in the city. As executive director, Main has seen the organization grow from a struggling ministry with a $1,000 budget and 1 employee to an organization with 30 full-time staff, hundreds of volunteers, and a $1 million annual budget. The ministry has been so successful that it has expanded to other low-income communities in Wilmington, Delaware, and the Canadian cities of Vancouver and Toronto. "Being a part of the growth and development of UrbanPromise has been like living inside a whirlwind of God's provision and grace," he said. "It has confirmed that God is still active and has not forgotten the poor." Nobody appreciates UrbanPromise more than the young people who come through its programs, most of whom graduate from high school with an excellent possibility of attending college. A volunteer for the organization since she was 12, Monique Smalls credits Main and the ministry for the fact that she is now an Eastern College scholarship student. "Bruce was there with me every step of the way," she said. "Every time I wanted to give up he was there-he never let me use my situation as an excuse."

Main, who recently co-authored the book Revolution and Renewal: How Churches Are Saving Our Cities with Campolo, has received many accolades for his innovative ministry. In 1996, Christianity Today named him one of the most promising young Christian leaders in America and the Heritage Foundation recently chose Main as their "Man of the Year." At APU, Main is remembered as a creative but unassuming student, deeply concerned about helping the lost. "He delighted in being the guy who didn't tie his shoes," said Bruce Baloian, Ph.D., professor of religion. "These things didn't matter to him. He was always looking at the people that nobody else paid attention to-he didn't fit anyone else's mold."

Craig Wallace '81, director of alumni relations, said Main's dedication in ministry made him the best candidate for the award. "The Alumni office wanted to recognize and honor his love and commitment to inner-city kids," Wallace said. And as Main adds this latest recognition to his resume, he is optimistic about the future of UrbanPromise. "The future of the world is urban ministry. There is a desperate need for quality, Christian programs that equip young people with the tools to change their lives and their communities," Main said. Poet Walt Whitman, who lived out his last years in Camden, wrote: "They shall be complete women and men . . . strong and sweet shall they be; poems and materials of poems shall come from their lives, they shall be makers and finders." Thanks to Bruce Main and UrbanPromise, these words will ring true for many of the young people-kids who have been written off by society-living in this small city on the Delaware.