Community instability is the single largest obstacle to Kingdom work in urban neighborhoods. In its 15+ years of urban ministry, BHITC has seen and heard the impact of poverty first-hand from churches, church planters, fellow non-profits and families connected to its ministries, and the outcomes are undisputable. In situations of poverty, people often find themselves forced to move for a variety of reasons, and as a result, faith communities in these types of neighborhoods never see outcomes that reflect their level of investment and relationship with its people.
Great church planting movements have a few key ingredients. Don Davis spoke in Cleveland in early April, and hopefully you caught him in person, but even if you did, you might like to hear his heart on church planting movements again.
As you might remember, 2018 was Building Hope in the City’s (BHITC) 15th anniversary year. As the organization and its board of directors reflected on those years, adjustments to more clearly reflect the heart of the ministries led to a rewriting of the mission statement and a reframing of the program structure. The overall goal with the changes is to structure BHITC’s ministries around WHY and HOW the organization does what it does, rather than focusing on the programs themselves.
Refugees and immigrants from around the world use services at BHITC’s The Hope Center (The Center), and some of its volunteers come from right around the corner! Their West Park neighborhood has been home to The Center since 2015 and many of The Hope Center students are their neighbors. Eileen Wilson, BHITC’s Director of Refugee and Immigrant Ministries, estimates 75 percent of the students at The Center live in West Park or nearby in Lakewood. “These volunteers are not just helping, but actually walking life with people. The Hope Center, in a way, is reshaping the neighborhood.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
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VOLUNTEER
Learn the many unique ways you can volunteer with Building Hope in the City! Whether you are looking for a one-day service project or an opportunity to serve the Lord each week, you will find it with us. Sign up to attend a Building Hope 101 session to get started. Already a volunteer and looking for more training? Click here to see our full list of training classes and to register.
