This year at SOULS we want to take a look at what God's Kingdom is like. The very nature of it is rooted in His character, and we know the He is equally loving as He is just. His mercy, His generosity and His compassion are some of the ways that God is described in the Bible as both loving and just. And the ultimate act of God’s love and justice was to offer his Son “as a ransom for many.”

We can say that the Kingdom of God is characterized by equal respect for all image-bearers, life-changing advocacy for the poor and the oppressed, and where the least of these triumphs. In short, it's an upside-down kingdom where the top of society serves the bottom and all humans flourish. And in the upside down Kingdom, God is the one true giver of love and of justice. We see this in how He serves the undeserving, loves the unlovable, and goes where no one else will go.

As His followers we should be in pursuit of His character which means we care for all that He cares for. We are called to go to the far reaches of the world because that’s where God would go. Every tribe, every tongue, every nation - everyone deserves the opportunity to respond to God’s ultimate act of justice and the good news of the gospel.

Join us as we take a deeper look at the upside down Kingdom of God, and how we can play a part in human flourishing.

Shawn received a B.S. in Religious Studies and History from Excelsior College, NY (2019), an M.A. in Ministry and Leadership with and emphasis in World Mission from Western Seminary, OR (2020), and a Certificate in Theological and Pastoral Studies with an emphasis on Apologetics from Oxford University (2014).
 
Since 2015, Shawn has worked for RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries), starting out as an OCCA Fellow, then moving into an Assistant Director and Ministry Director role. He has worked to develop evangelistic conferences and programs that would reach non-Christians on college campuses, and equip the church for evangelism. He is also a dynamic international speaker and co-creator and co-host of the Cover to Cover podcast.
 
Between 2012 – 2015, Shawn engaged in several roles including a two-year stint with Ratio Christi where he initiated a student led apologetics group at Portland State University. It was here he pioneered a university mission model he would eventually run at RZI. This work has resulted in hundreds of volunteers experiencing an opportunity to share the gospel with thousands of young people on scores of campuses, in the U.S. and abroad.
 
In 2008, Shawn and Carly began a three-year term as missionaries with A.I.M. (Africa Inland Mission) in the mountains of South Sudan and with an unreached Muslim people group on the island of Mayotte. They describe this season of learning an unwritten language, sharing the gospel in both animistic and Muslim contexts, and experiencing life-threatening persecution as a foundation that has permanently shaped their lives. This experience stirred in Shawn a love for culture and how to respectfully engage with people from diverse cultural perspectives.

Gideon and Joy Banda are the founders and directors of Renewal Project Africa Trust, a charitable foundation that exists to establish and mobilize disciples and churches for holistic Gospel impact in their communities. Founded in August 2020, Renewal Project Africa plants churches in unreached and unengaged People Groups, mobilizes existing churches for mission, and impacts communities where they work in the areas of health, education, water, and business as mission.
 
The Bandas have a deep passion to shepherd church planters' families and work for their flourishing. Their three boys Jotham, Joshua, and Jason are 10, 7, and 6 respectively. The Bandas live in Mombasa Kenya, a beautiful coastal city in East Africa. They call their home the ‘Kingdom House’ to reflect their passion to surrender all they are to Jesus. Joy and Gideon see the Bay Area Community Church family as their American home.