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It’s December 19th and it felt fitting that we paused for a moment to recognize the season we are in. Grace and Andrew discuss Advent, the meaning and purpose of the season, and how the God we serve made deliberate choices to come as baby, born into poverty, already so needy.
Every Neighborhood Partnership is a Fresno, CA based non-profit that exists to Activate. Equip. Mobilize and Transform so that our students excel, community members are healthy and whole, and our neighborhoods thrive. Learn more about us by visiting https://everyneighborhood.org or @enpfresno on socials.
Grace BergA Quiet Resistance in Advent, with Grace and Andrew
Check out the next episode of What’s Good in the Neighborhood!
Two of Fresno’s conveners join us today on the podcast to talk about creating spaces and places so that every neighbor is welcome. The four talk about how hospitality is radically inclusive, invested, advocates for those whose voices aren’t heard as loud, and extremely simple. This episode talks specifically about the different ways Fresno High and the Tower District neighborhoods have activated hospitality, so please enjoy and learn about what it could look like for you in your neighborhood! Simon Biasell is a third-generation San Joaquin Valley Presbyterian pastor and currently serves at the Big Red Church and Woven Coalition for Justice. Over the past two decades, Simon has worked to build radical hospitality within faith-based groups and is passionate bringing people together and mobilizing communities to dismantle systems of oppression and exclusion. He and his wife Natasha live in the Fresno High neighborhood with their two children, Paloma and Pax. Nichole Castech has lived in Fresno’s Tower/Fresno High area for six years and has called Fresno home since 2010. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Chico State and a master’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Fresno Pacific University. Active in her community, Nichole serves on the boards of the Tower Neighborhood Association and Tower District Business Association and is a member of the District 1 Project Review Committee. In her free time, she enjoys paddleboarding at Millerton Lake and exploring her neighborhood on leisurely strolls. To learn about Tower Porch Fest: https://www.towerporchfest.org To learn about Fresno High Home Tours: https://www.fhshometour.com To learn about the Big Red Church: https://bigredchurch.org Every Neighborhood Partnership is a Fresno, CA based non-profit that exists to Activate. Equip. Mobilize and Transform so that our students excel, community members are healthy and whole, and our neighborhoods thrive. Learn more about us by visiting https://everyneighborhood.org or @enpfresno on socials.
Grace BergA Good Neighbor is Hospitable with Simon Biasell and Nicole Casetech
At Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP), our mission is clear: Activate. Equip. Mobilize. Transform. We work tirelessly to see students excel, community members thrive in health and wholeness, and our neighborhoods flourish. As we reflect on 2024, we are filled with gratitude for the incredible strides made this year, thanks to our dedicated team, committed partners, and resilient community members.
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Being a neighbor doesn’t mean you just happen to live in a place! Ivan and Karl teach us today what it means to lift the head of our neighbor and empower them to change the culture and landscape of their place. The four talk disempowerment, how the ability to choose is the ultimate privilege, and that the dream that neighborhoods would be marked by equity. We learn more about Community Land Use Academy (CLUA), run by the team here at ENP. This episode is full of long term wonder for the future of our neighborhoods, and really practical advice about how to identify the positive markers in your neighborhood.
Ivan grew up in Fresno and is a graduate of Fresno Pacific University (FPU). Ivan majored in pre-law and in religious studies (general religion). He also has a master’s degree in theology and teaches a master’s level course at FPU called “Forming A Community of Mercy, Justice, and Peace”, where he partners theology with community organizing frameworks to help students think deeply about community and develop plans for engagement. He has been active in community development work in Fresno for over 10 years, has launched community programs, and is a member of First Presbyterian Church Fresno. Karl lived in five different cities until 2014, when he moved to Fresno to work in urban ministry. He studied Environmental Science and Urban Planning as an undergraduate, which galvanized his love for living things and inhabited places. He later earned his Master’s Degree in theology before working in Catholic parish ministry. You can still find him leading music at his parish as a volunteer, but Karl is grateful that ENP allows him to weave together his passions for justice, learning, and intercultural engagement for the sake of the city’s long-term prosperity. He lives with his wife Alyssa and their cat Koestler, and loves creating things like artwork, playlists, travel plans, and hand-prepared cups of coffee.
Grace BergA Good Neighbor Empowers with Ivan Paz and Karl Gurney
Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) is excited to announce the opening of our new building—a space designed not just for our team but our partners too! For years, nonprofits in Fresno have struggled to find affordable, functional venues for training, workshops, and events. We’re thrilled to open our doors to nonprofits and community groups looking for a space to host staff training, educational workshops, networking events, and more.
Ashley GoldsmithPartners, You Can Use Our New Building for Your Events!
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Who is my neighbor?
Andrew and Grace introduce our new series, A Good Neighbor. This series will focus on what it means to advocate for your neighbor, what it means to be long term invested in people and place, and how to show up and in small and big ways. On this episode, Andrew and Grace share their personal experience and context with what they’ve learned about neighboring, they answer the question of who is their neighbor in their faith context, and also what are some simple ways that you can show up for your neighbor.
We hope you enjoy this series!
Grace BergA Good Neighbor: Series Intro with Andrew and Grace
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On this final episode in our series, For the Long Haul, Andrew and Grace sit down with Julie and Jaeden from Central Valley Community Foundation to discuss the issue of racism and how it has impacted our city long term. The four discuss our community’s prejudices, assumptions, and biases and what we can all do to join the conversation around changing the course of the future.
Gabrielle PicenoFor the Long Run – Racism in Fresno, with Jaeden Herms and Julie Vue
The housing crisis is not just a headline—it’s a daily reality for many of Fresno’s residents, particularly for seniors living on fixed incomes. As rent costs rise, more and more seniors are finding themselves unable to afford safe and stable housing, pushing them to the brink of displacement.
One local church is stepping up to meet this need in a unique and inspiring way. Westside Church of God in Southwest Fresno is building tiny homes for seniors struggling to pay rent in their community.
Ashley GoldsmithA Church’s Creative Solution to the Fresno Housing Crisis
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Today, Andrew and Grace picked the brains of Natalie Caples and Jennifer Rhoden, two people who tackle a very large question every day in their work – How do we get food into the hands of people who are food insecure?
Nataliehas served as Nutrition Education Coordinator, Programs Supervisor, Programs Manager, Director of Programs, and Chief Operations Officer since joining Central California Food Bank in 2008, and was appointed co-Chief Executive Officer in June 2020. She graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition with a concentration in Dietetics and a minor in Business Administration.
Jennifer is the Program Manager for the Nutrition Education Department with Fresno Metro Ministry.
Gabrielle PicenoFor the Long Run – Food for All, with Natalie Caples and Jennifer Rhoden
