History:
In 1997 Danté graduated from Moody Bible Institute, and then joined Rock Church’s staff team as the Youth Minister. Beverly began attending Rock Church earlier that same year while she was working for Moody Broadcasting. They were engaged and married at Rock Church in 1998, and all three of their children were born and dedicated to the LORD at Rock Church. Danté also served as Youth Director of Circle Urban Ministries, an Elder and and later as Church Chairman for Rock Church before their family was commissioned and sent out in 2006 to Minneapolis, MN where Danté served as the Director of African-American Ministries for EFCA National Office. Their family has also served in the East Bay of California.
Fall of 2022
| Our BUS Staff was blessed to have these two brave young women as our first semester students. We will always remember MyahBlanks, a junior Psychology major from Messiah University, and Amanda “Mandy” Collazo, a graduating pastoral ministry major from Southeastern University. Thank you for your prayers for them over the past four months, and please continue to pray for them as the Spirit brings them to your mind as we they both seek to integrate what they learned during their time in Baltimore and Washington D.C. through their classes, internships, and living in Christian community. |
Praise God of the answered prayers for increased studentenrollment each semester! We are excited to see our number ofstudents triple for the Spring Semester. We’re looking forward to welcoming aboard the BUS students from Elizabeth town College,Bethel University, and Messiah University. Stay tuned for more exciting updates in 2023!
2021:
On November 7, 2021 Rev. Danté and Bev Upshaw were once again commissioned by the leaders of Rock Church as urban ambassadors for their new ministry assignment in Baltimore, MD. They are launching a Christ-centered “study away” program called Baltimore Urban Studies (BUS). The BUS is designed to teach, mentor, and train college students in public health, racial reconciliation, and Christ-centered spiritual formation. For three months, Baltimore and Washington D.C. will serve as a classroom for students and provide internships for them as they live on campus in the heart of Baltimore. Bev and Danté are excited to come alongside the students, staff, and faculty as Campus Coordinator and Campus Pastor.
CLICK HERE for the BUS promotional video
Praise Reports
A very generous supporter has committed to providing us a matching gift up to $20K for any new financial supporters!!! We’re so excited and grateful for this opportunity that will allow us both to move closer to being fully funded in time for the fall semester. This means whether someone gives a one-time gift or decides to support us monthly, their donation will be matched dollar for dollar! The timing is great, because our fall enrollment numbers will be low for our first semester. So, will you pray with us that the LORD will continue moving in the hearts of individuals, families, and churches to partner with us financially this summer? If you ever feel led to give towards our ministry, then the next update is an important note.
New Donor Management System
Beginning in July we have a NEW donor management system that allows us to receive, process and track our donations better. Our parent organization, Living & Learning International, hired an accounting firm, Christian Resource Management (CRM), and we’ve migrated all of our previous donations into a new system. This means that we are no longer using our previous system, called Kindful, and the on-line link that many have used to make donations. We also have a new mailing address for those that would send checks or have their bank send a check.
Below is the link for our new on-line donations page, called Aplos. We are also providing the new mailing address for Christian Resource Management (CRM) to send checks.
- Send a check
- Write your check to: Living and Learning Education
- In the memo: Upshaw’s Salaries
- Mail check to:
Living and Learning
c/o CRM
P.O. Box 77160
Corona, CA 92877
Past Information
A Place to Call Home: We’re so grateful for God’s provision of a building that meets all of our needs as our BUS Campus! Because of our partnership with Helping Up Mission (HUM), and their generosity, we’re excited to begin the moving process into our new home this coming week. This Monday our BUS team will meet all together for the first time at the building to walk through and prayerfully commit ourselves and the space to the LORD. We are honored to be a part of the rich spiritual legacy that began through the Oblate Sisters of Providence, who own the building, that started in 1829. We’re looking forward to continuing the good work that the Sisters and HUM have done by using the building to be a place of healing and transformation. Appreciate your prayers for our time together on Monday morning!
Students are Getting on the BUS: Praise God for the students that have enrolled already for our summer program (May 16 – June 3) and the fall semester! After over a year of prayerful planning, and especially since our visit to Messiah University last month, we are seeing students getting on board with the application process. We’re anticipating smaller cohorts for the first couple programs, but we’re excited and trusting the LORD to bring the right amount of students. Thanks again for your prayers as more students will be making decisions over the next few weeks about their plans for the summer and fall semester.
Prayer Requests
On the Road Again: Bev and I would love for you to pray for us as we prepare to travel with Micah Hughes, our Academic Director, to Lakeland, FL this Tuesday through Friday to visit Southeastern University to share about the BUS in hopes of recruiting more students for the summer or fall semester. We’re grateful for the invitation to be on campus Wednesday and Thursday for the scheduled meetings with faculty, as well as for classroom presentations. There will also be an information session that we’ll host Wednesday evening for students and faculty to attend. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated for traveling mercies, physical and emotional stamina, as well as for favor from the LORD as we interact as a team with students and faculty. We’re praying for a fruitful trip!
Overflowing with Gratitude: We continue to be amazed and humbled by God’s financial provision for our family. March 1st marked my one year anniversary serving with Living & Learning International, and raising support for our family as we launch the BUS! Thank you for believing in the calling on our family and partnering with us through prayer. Our faith in God has grown as it has been stretched in unexpected ways. Will you continue praying for our faith as we continue trusting the LORD to supply our needs? We are still in need of monthly supporters and one-time donations in order for both Bev and I to serve at full capacity. Thank you in advance!
Old News
Transitioning
As Bev and I reflect on our transition from the East Bay of California to the East Coast in Maryland, our hearts are full of gratitude for Avrey and Micah Hughes, along with their lovely daughters, Ella and Zion. As you may know their family helped to cushion our bumpy landing as we arrived in Baltimore. So, we count it a joy and a privilege to do life and ministry with them as we establish Baltimore Urban Studies. Please continue lifting up our families in prayer.
Living & Learning International
October we spent three days with our Living & Learning International (L&LI) Team here in Baltimore. During their visit we were able to tour our internship sites, science lab, and our BUS Campus. We are grateful to a part of a team and organization that believes in the vision and mission of BUS.
Messiah University Visit
November 16th, we were blessed to host Messiah University for a visit that allowed them meet and spend time with some of our ministry partners. We’re so grateful for the partnership with Messiah as our school of record, and look forward to equipping their students in the coming years.
The BUS Team
As Micah and I serve as Co-Directors of the BUS, we are so grateful for the amazing core team that has joined with us that will be offering their passion for mentoring young people through their expertise in various disciplines of public health.
Stay updated on news and events by following Baltimore Urban Studies on Instagram @baltimore.urban.studies
Here’s how you can partner with the Upshaw family through prayer;
- God’s Fence of Protection Around the Upshaw Family
- Open Doors with Community Partners in Baltimore City
- Growing Favor with Universities and Colleges
- Increase in Student Enrollment each semester
- Daily Dependence and Trust for God’s Provision
Here are ways to partner with the Upshaw family through giving;
To give by a Check:
- Make check to: Living and Learning Education
- Memo: Upshaw’s Salaries
- Mail to: Living & Learning International
- 81 Pelican Place
- Moses Lake, WA 98837
To give Online or by Bill Pay: CLICK HERE
Or email them at: danteupshaw@landli.org for details on how to set up a recurring donation.
