Perspectives

Not everyone ENP partners with comes from a faith background, but we all have a moral vision. We wanted to design something that represents the theological and moral vision of ENP.

The Biblical Story is really a story about two spaces: God’s space and humanity’s space. It is the Biblical Story of God’s mission and vision to reunite all humanity with Himself. In the Garden of Eden, God’s space and humanity’s space were one. But when sin and brokenness entered the world, those spaces separated. Injustice, pain, poverty, and disunity entered the picture.

Jesus is on a mission to bring them together once and for all. As an organization, we long for a city that reflects Jesus’ prayer: “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Revelation 21 tells us that one day God’s space and humanity’s space will completely overlap.

As the Lord prayed, until the final vision becomes a reality, we get to work to see glimpses of heaven here in Fresno.

Thank you to Shelby King for bringing our vision of this design to life!  She can be reached at shelbyking.art@gmail.com

If you would like to purchase a full resolution print of “in Fresno as it is in Heaven,” for pick-up from our office, you can order it below.

Every Neighborhood Partnership is rooted in a framework called Asset Based Community Development or ABCD for short. Any Community Based Organization that believes in Asset Based Community Development starts with a basic premise that local communities can do more together by choosing to focus on what they have — their gifts, talents, and community assets — instead of what they are missing.* Imagine how you view a glass of water that is half-way filled up. Is it empty or full?

ABCD is a way of both strengthening community social capital and organizing community change. While this serves as an initial baseline for how asset-based inspired organizations approach the work of community engagement, not all organizations that adopt the ABCD methodology end with the same goals. 

This article was written by former ENP intern Alexis Kalugin.

Over the last few decades, institutional community development has taken over the structure of most community functions.   Instead of finding ways to engage neighbors to be a voice of change in their community, most cities have put the burden of change on institutions. The problem with this narrative is that workers in schools, law enforcement, and healthcare are responsible for more community problems than they can handle.  There is no relationship between the institution and the community to understand each problem. This approach becomes one size fits all and leaves a gap between the institution and the citizens. 

Well, maybe it was just Paper Tigers! Paper Tigers is a documentary that follows a year in the life of an alternative high school in Walla Walla, Washington. The high school radically changed its approach to disciplining its students. It even became a promising model for how to break the cycles of poverty, violence, and disease that affected its families. Watch the trailer below or check out the movie here.

Paper Tigers Trailer – KPJR Films from KPJR FILMS LLC on Vimeo.

The approach this school used is called a Trauma-Informed Care approach. Trauma-Informed Care is a paradigm shift that moves from judgment to compassion. From asking, “what’s wrong with that kid?” to asking, “I wonder what’s going on with this kid?”

In May of 2016 I was hired as the Church Relations Coordinator for Fresno City Fest through the Luis Palau Association. When I interviewed for the position I didn’t know how impacted I would be by this great opportunity.

My task seemed simple: “go and talk with churches.” I had been in ministry for over eight years. Go and talk with other people in ministry? I said to myself, “how hard can it be?”

The past few months have been an intense time of service in our city. If you had a chance to read our recent newsletter you saw the numbers: 42 churches, 2,500 volunteers, 19,000 volunteer hours.  It’s very evident that the people of Fresno and Clovis have the heart to love and serve our city. But why do people volunteer?

But why do people volunteer?