Greetings, friends,We want to pass along some information to you regarding someone I recently met in the North Pacific Conference, Ron Ruthruff. Ron’s deep commitment to justice and caring for the marginalized, particularly homeless teens, is captured in his recently released book,The Least of These: Lessons Learned from Kids on the Streets.
A blurb from the cover reads: “Ron offers a rare eyewitness account of the pain, humiliation, and unmet needs of America’s homeless teen population as well as the sobering epiphany that these homeless children have as much to offer society and faith communities as we think we have to offer them” (Dr. Alex Gee).
Ron is a member of Emerald City Bible Fellowship in Seattle.
I hope this is a helpful connection.
Peace and grace,
Debbie Blue
Dr. Ron Ruthruff – Bio:
For the past twenty six years Ron Ruthruff has served homeless and street involved youth and families in Seattle, Washington, providing case management services, designing programs and educating the community on the issues that impact those that are labeled the least in our neighborhoods.
Ron’s call is to empower individuals to live lives of significance, to equip the church to love and serve their neighbors and to engage communities in cross cultural and global conversations. His education is an eclectic blend of social work, counseling, and theological studies. Ron holds a B.A. from Western Washington University, a M.S. from Pepperdine University, and a Doctorate of Ministry in Complex Urban Settings from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Boston, MA. His dissertation title, “Welcoming Kids to the Table of Community: New Horizons Ministries as a Model of Service to Homeless Runaway Adolescents,” addresses the psychosocial and spiritual issues surrounding homeless adolescents and describes a relationally based and theologically supported service delivery strategy to serve these marginalized young people.
Since completing his doctorate Ron has lectured on missiology, urban ministry, and social justice both domestically and internationally. Lectures include “Theology of Mission in the New Testament,” “High-risk Youth and Early Intervention Strategies,” “Street Culture and Sociological Aspects of Prostitution,” and “Pastoral Visitation in Non Traditional Environments.” In Guatemala he supervised a doctoral project that was part of a plan to create chaplaincy services gang involved youth. In Vietnam he presented a lecture to the leaders of the communist government regarding faith based approaches to urban problems. In Nairobi Kenya he taught philosophy of service and theology courses to urban pastors and youth workers. He has also traveled to Cambodia and India to teach social work best practices. Closer to home Ron preaches often at local churches and serves as adjunct faculty at Bakke Graduate School and Mars Hill Graduate School.
Ron just completed his first book THE LEAST OF THESE: Lessons Learned from Kids on the Street. Released by New Hope Publishers, Birmingham, Alabama, October 2010.
If you would like to connect with Ron, please let us know by completing this information request form.
