Equipping

“Familias en Acción”: How One Woman’s 29 Years of Faithful Service is Changing Fresno

March 22, 2023 Ashley Goldsmith Equipping, HUB Highlight

“We need 100 more Lilias. She is a force to be reckoned with.”
Andrew Feil, Executive Director of Every Neighborhood Partnership

Lilia Becerril never imagined starting her own organization.

She held a deep passion for serving her community, but her inability to speak English felt like an insurmountable barrier.

Living in a community with the highest concentration of poverty in California, lower life expectancies, and some of the greatest economic and racial disparities in the United States, Lilia knew there was a great need for change. For 29 years, Lilia worked as a local volunteer, advocating for and providing resources to help Fresno residents to live healthier and empowered lives.

A Pilgrimage South: A Up Close Reckoning with Our Nations History

March 9, 2023 Grace Berg ENP News, Equipping

“There is no such thing as a painless repentance. “
Professor Ronald Potter

In February, I took a week long trip down to the South; Jackson, Mississippi specifically, to listen and learn and process with the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation, JVMPF. Today, JVMPF is run and operated by 3 of John Perkins children, who continue to carry the torch for their beloved activist father. If you are not familiar with who John Perkins is, he is long time civil rights activist and theologian, who for years has carried the torch of racial reconciliation and love go hand in hand. As he nears the end of his life at 93, his family runs trips for people like you and me to engage in a part of our nation’s history we would rather soon forget.

Jason Spencer, ENP Board Member, John Perkins, and Grace Berg, ENP Staff

Explore the Intersection of Faith and Race: Register for LivingUNDIVIDED 2023

February 8, 2023 Ashley Goldsmith Equipping

Every person I have ever encountered who has worked for any type of system has seen some type of injustice. It makes [us] nervous to say anything, but LivingUNDIVIDED has created a space for us to be open and honest.
Jessica Criner, LivingUNDIVIDED Facilitator

LivingUNDIVIDED 2023 is launching on February 27th and will take place on Monday nights from 6:30-8:30 PM at Butler Church. LivingUNDIVIDED is a 6-week cohort experience designed to empower individuals from churches and faith-based organizations to to change the narrative of racial justice. Communities engage in faith grounding, teaching, small group conversations, activities, and assignments in pursuit of racial solidarity and justice. If you are asking:

Why is participating in LivingUNDIVIDED valuable?
Why is it important for Christians to have conversations about racial justice?
What can I expect during my first LivingUNDIVIDED session?

Jessica Criner and Jenny Plumb, LivingUNDIVIDED 2023 facilitators, answer these important questions in the powerful video below.

Data for Your Neighborhood

January 13, 2023 Gabrielle Piceno Equipping, Serving Our Neighborhoods, Serving Our Schools

At ENP, we get excited about maps and data. We believe that in order to love your neighbors and your neighborhood, you have to know them. This includes data that tells a bigger story of the trends of each neighborhood, as well as individual, personal stories that data cannot capture.

ENP has created data sheets of Fresno neighborhoods as a resource for churches and community partners who want to learn more about their neighborhoods so they can make informed decisions and take relevant action steps. We focus on neighborhoods as they are defined by elementary school zones, for a total of 92 neighborhoods in the City of Fresno.

One Neighborhood at a Time with City Advance

January 11, 2023 Grace Berg Equipping, Video

“The gifts and the abilities are already there in the neighborhood. We know the next generation of leaders are there. So we start with blessing and we know that the Spirit moves.” – Andrew Feil

Andrew Feil and Artie Padilla speak at City Advance’s last virtual gathering

Every Neighborhood Partnership’s Executive Director Andrew Feil and Central Valley Community Foundation’s Director of DRIVE Initiative Artie Padilla shared with City Advance about the progressive and transformational work that ENP does in local schools, civic engagement, and residential neighborhoods with our volunteers and church partners.

Andrew and Artie explained how ENP has positioned itself as unique teachers, as its staff train churches and community partners to expand the vision and knowledge of transforming Fresno one neighborhood at a time. ENP does this in classroom settings, and also creatively through our Drive Tour.

This meeting was LOADED with resources and some incredible ideas for other organizations trying to reach their neighbors. City Advance has broken segments of the video into “chapters” so you can jump into the video at any point.

Want the notes from Andrew and Artie’s presentation? You can grab your own copy of their notes by clicking the button below.

Download the Notes Here!

LivingUNDIVIDED 2023

January 4, 2023 Gabrielle Piceno Equipping

LivingUNDIVIDED is a 6-week cohort experience that empowers communities to change the narrative of racial justice. Communities engage in faith grounding, teaching, small group conversations, activities, and assignments in pursuit of racial solidarity and justice. LivingUNDIVIDED is designed for individuals from churches and faith-based organizations that are open and interested in exploring the intersection of faith and race.

Read, Watch, or Listen: 2022 ENP Staff Picks

December 23, 2022 Gabrielle Piceno Equipping, Perspectives

As 2022 comes to a close, here are some of the things our staff have read, watched, or listened to this year that have informed our work and/or personal development that we wanted to share as a resource.

New Park Opens in Southwest Fresno Thanks to Residents’ Years of Dedication

December 5, 2022 Ashley Goldsmith Community Outreach, Economic Development, Equipping, Neighborhood Presence, Serving Our Neighborhoods

“Tupman Park is a perfect example of why residents are so important in getting critical resources to their neighborhood.”
~Ariana Martinez-Lott, City Councilmember Miguel Arias’ Office

On November 4, 2022, families gathered at the intersection of East California Avenue and South Tupman Street to celebrate the grand opening of Tupman Park.

Playful squeals and laughter filled this Southwest Fresno neighborhood as children played on the merry-go-round, bucket swings, and slides their community advocated for during a five year, collaborative process.

Wellbeing: CCDA National Conference

November 22, 2022 Gabrielle Piceno Equipping

From November 2nd-5th, four of our new staff members travelled to Charlotte, North Carolina for the Christian Community Development Association National Conference, where they connected with and learned from other community leaders. This year’s theme was “Wellbeing” and Economic Wellbeing, Civic Engagement & Societal Wellbeing, Congregational Wellbeing, Organizational Wellbeing, and Wholistic Wellbeing were explored.

Our Vision is Growing! Learn more and Fall in Love with Fresno on September 22.

September 6, 2022 Ashley Goldsmith ENP News, Equipping, Serving Our Neighborhoods, Serving Our Schools

Learn more about Every Neighborhood Partnership’s growing vision and important things taking place in our city at our Fall in Love with Fresno event on September 22.

Over the last 14 years, Every Neighborhood Partnership (ENP) has been on a growth trajectory. Yes, our staff and programs are growing, but so is our vision.

ENP began as an organization focused on helping churches connect relationally with schools in central Fresno. Over time, with God’s guidance and the support of incredible partners, we have expanded our vision to equipping and mobilizing residents to be leaders who have the tools they need to make sustainable, long-lasting change in their neighborhoods.

Communities are being changed from the inside out.

Through literacy mentoring at elementary schools, Saturday Sports camps, Latin Dance Fitness classes, women’s support groups, workshops and coaching for other nonprofit leaders, and neighborhood associations, our vision is growing… and it involves YOU too.

Join us on September 22nd to learn more and celebrate the GROWING taking place in our city at ENP’s annual Fall in Love with Fresno event! You won’t want to miss this.