Things often calm down over the summer: School’s out, vacations get planned, and the pace of life slows down a bit. While that’s true for a lot of us, City Church is also kicking into high gear this summer, with events from a Pride Barbeque to Giants outings to conversations about the afterlife over Creole food. We’ve also got a great group of guest speakers lined up to teach us throughout the month of July, and wanted to share a bit more about them. We are looking forward to seeing you throughout the summer!

Riana Shaw Robinson (July 8)
Riana Shaw Robinson is the Minister of City Engagement at our sister church across the Bay, Oakland City Church. She received her B.A. in Ethnic Studies from Mills College and has worked at several different nonprofits in the Bay Area, including Kiva.org and United Way, before joining OCC. Her vocation has been marked by a commitment to social justice, and she attended the Black Theology and Leadership Institute at Princeton Seminary. Currently, Robinson is also pursuing her Masters of Divinity degree and a Certificate for Spirituality and Social Change at Pacific School of Religion.

Wes Granberg-Michaelson (July 15)
Wes Granberg-Michaelson is a speaker and the author of several books, including Future Faith: Ten Challenges Reshaping Christianity in the 21st Century and From Times Square to Timbuktu: The Post-Christian West Meets the Non-Western Church. From 1994 to 2010, Granberg-Michaelson served as General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America. He has long been active in ecumenical initiatives such as the Global Christian Forum and Christian Churches Together, and he and his wife Karin live in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Julie Rodgers (July 22)
Julie Rodgers is a writer, speaker, and advocate for LGBT people in Christian communities. She has written extensively, including for the New York Times and the Washington Post, and has spoken at conferences and churches around the country. Her work has built bridges in the Christian community around sexuality, hope, and social justice. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Ken Fong (July 29)
Ken Fong was the longtime senior pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, and has spent much of his career as a pioneer in multi-Asian and multi-ethnic church ministry. He is the creator and host of Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast, a weekly show that explores the cultural, artistic, historical, and spiritual aspects of the Asian American community. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Asian American Initiative at Fuller Theological Seminary.