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SOUL (School of Urban Leadership) – Winnipeg, MB

Proper Title

School of Urban Leadership fonds

Dates of Creation

2005–2016

Physical Description

20.5cm of textual records

Administrative History

The School of Urban Leadership, more commonly referred to as SOUL, was an urban training/discipleship center for emerging Christian leaders in the core areas of Winnipeg.  The development and idea for the school was founded by an inter-denominational network of churches and ministries, including Christian Family Center, Inner City Youth Alive Inc., North End Community Church, Evangelism Canada, and World Impact’s The Urban Mission Institute (TUMI), of which SOUL was a satellite location.

Key figures in the creation of SOUL were some of Winnipeg's urban ministry leaders such as Andrew Reimer, Kent Dueck, and Fred Stoesz. Fred Stoesz (1952–2013) had served in urban missions in the United States under World Impact and brought his significant connections to the start up phase and early years of SOUL. For more on Fred's life and ministry, click here.

The school was to provide professional theological training paired with practical applications for said training based on TUMI’s capstone curriculum, while also providing a more cost-friendly tuition and a less time-consuming period of study via two-hour evening classes for emerging leaders who would otherwise be unable to commit to the time and financial requirements of a traditional Christian university such as CMU or Steinbach Bible College.

Classes officially began in the fall of 2006 and were conducted out of Christian Family Centre at 81 Henderson Highway.  Students studied a variety of topics, including Theology of God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Biblical Interpretation, Doing Justice and Loving Mercy, Christian History, and a variety of other topics related to urban ministry.  The school had teachers from across Winnipeg’s core urban areas and those who had a depth of experience in urban ministry outside of Winnipeg.  The program also integrated mentorship for students to ensure maximum academic success and to nurture spiritual development of students.

Over the course of its ten-year duration, the school was overseen by several different executive directors (George Klassen, Arisnel Mesidor, and Jose-Luis Morago), coordinating council members (Kent Dueck, Elton DaSilva, Fred Stoesz, George Klassen, Rachel Boyce, Andrew Reimer, Russ Toews), and board members (George Klassen, Time Nielsen, Roelef Last, Andrew Reimer, Karen Jolly, Arisnel Mesidor, John Mukesa, Gordon King, Lorne Meisner, Ariel Antonio).

Preliminary discussions of SOUL being taken over and overseen by the MBCM board occurred on January 25, 2016.  The decision for the school to be transferred over to the MBCM was approved on April 8, 2016, however this never came to complete fruition as SOUL officially ceased its operations after the 2016 classes concluded.

Scope and Content

The material included in this collection consists of student applications, grades, and assignments from the institution’s years of operation, meeting minutes from the school’s board, and various newsletters, articles, and reports detailing the activities and work of the institute.  The records show the desire to better equip and serve urban center ministry leaders with practical and meaningful theological training.

Custodial History

Records were transferred to the Centre for MB Studies archives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in July 2021, after being preliminarily organized in the basement of the former Manitoba MB conference office on 83 Henderson Highway.

Notes

  • Location: Volume 1519.
  • Described by Liam Bull, August 10, 2021.
  • Accession No.: 2021-08.
  • Finding aid consists of a description and file list.
  • Some restrictions apply.
  • See also a profile of Fred Stoesz (1952–2013) at https://mbhistory.org/profiles/stoesz/

File List

Volume 1519

  1. Startup documents. Pamphlets, minutes, manuals, and guiding documents. -- 2002–2006.
  2. Startup documents. Minutes, correspondence. -- 2006.
  3. Brochures and posters. -- 2006–[201-].
  4. Student applications. -- 2006–2008. Restricted.
  5. Student applications. -- 2009–2013. Restricted.
  6. Mentor applications. -- 2006.
  7. Miscellaneous documents. Minutes, correspondence, manuals, vision drafts, curriculum. -- [200-]–[201-].
  8. Miscellaneous documents. Minutes, correspondence, manuals, vision drafts, curriculum, hiring interviews. -- [200-]–[201-].
  9. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2006.
  10. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2007.
  11. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2008.
  12. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2009.
  13. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2010.
  14. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2011.
  15. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2012.
  16. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2013.
  17. Meeting Minutes and correspondence. -- 2014–2016.
  18. News, reports, and director’s updates. -- 2006–2014.
  19. TUMI Module 1 documents. -- [200-]–2010.
  20. TUMI Module 2 documents. -- [200-]–2010.
  21. TUMI Module 3 documents. -- 2007–2008.
  22. TUMI Module 3 documents. -- 2012.
  23. TUMI Module 4 documents. -- 2010.
  24. TUMI Module 5 documents. -- 2008–2016.
  25. TUMI Module 6 documents. -- 2009–2011.
  26. TUMI Module 7 documents. -- 2010.
  27. TUMI Module 8 documents. -- 2007–[201-].
  28. TUMI Module 9 documents. -- 2008.
  29. TUMI Module 10 documents. -- 2011.
  30. TUMI Module 11 documents. -- 2009–2012.
  31. TUMI Module 12 documents. -- 2009–2012.
  32. TUMI Module 13 documents. -- 2009.
  33. TUMI Module 14 documents. -- 2008–2014.
  34. TUMI Module 15 documents. -- [201-].
  35. TUMI Module 16 documents. -- 2007–2008.
  36. TUMI Module 16 documents. -- 2011.
  37. Old Testament theology documents. -- 2015.
  38. Christian Spirituality documents. -- 2015.
  39. Church history documents. -- 2015.
  40. Student work (tests, papers, reading reflections, book reports). -- 2011–2015. Restricted.
  41. Student grades. -- 2006–2015. Restricted.
  1. SOUL Christian leadership practices documents. -- 2014.
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