A movement is taking place in the Dallas Christian community to bring about measurable change against the greatest spiritual, social and humanitarian challenges of our time. On January 23, 2014 more than 1,500 leaders from the marketplace, church, and community will gather for Greater Dallas Movement Day (GDMD), a one-day event that will include leaders in business, education, healthcare, nonprofits, government, and the church from a diverse array of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Speakers for GDMD include Mayor Mike Rawlings, Dr. Tim Keller, Pastor Brian Carter of Concord Baptist Church, and Dr. Albert Reyes of Buckner International with emcee Froswa Booker-Drew, the National Community Engagement Director for World Vision. The scope of GDMD extends beyond sharing information and motivation. It¹s about results. Participants will choose one of ten afternoon sessions covering a range of issues affecting Greater Dallas with the goal of crafting five-year plans to mobilize the faith community.

An initiative of the New York City Leadership Center, Greater Dallas Movement Day replicates the successful model of Movement Day in New York City, an annual event that has been linked to a 300% increase in the Christian population of Manhattan. From 2010–2014, nearly five thousand leaders from 360 cities worldwide have gathered to learn best practices in urban ministry and to cast a fresh vision for their own cities.

Movement Day is directed by Dr. Mac Pier, CEO and Founder of The New York City Leadership Center. Pier believes the Dallas faith community is poised to foster such a movement. Poverty. Hunger. Crime. Child Neglect. A Broken Education System. The problems can seem insurmountable, but each grim statistic also offers an opportunity to transform individuals and communities with the love of Jesus Christ.

³The Greater Dallas area is at a crossroads. Given the growing racial, social, and spiritual diversity, it is urgent to bring a critical mass of the Dallas Christian community together to foster visible unity, hear the same research, and co-create and further best practices that will impact the city. We believe that the Movement Day model that catalyzed such remarkable growth in Manhattan will bring similar results in Greater Dallas.   —Mac Pier

Why does Dallas need a gospel movement? The facts and statistics speak for themselves:

• 90 % of Dallas ISD graduates are not college ready
• The number of North Texans seeking help from food pantries or soup kitchens each week has risen 80 % since 2006.
• 29.3% of children in Dallas County, more than 190,000 children total, live in families below the federal income poverty level.
• 44% of the residents in DFW are first- or second-generation immigrants in need of church connection.
• 25% of all international human trafficking victims in America are in Texas.
• Dallas is home to the largest refugee population in the U.S.

Greater Dallas Movement Day will be held at the Dallas Convention Center on January 23, 2014 from 9 AM to 5 PM.

For more information, a complete list of afternoon sessions, and to register for GDMD, visit www.greaterdallasmovementday.com.