Community Outreach

Experiencing Christian Community Development

September 4, 2019 Alexis Kalugin Community Outreach, Serving Our Neighborhoods

Fresno is a unique city filled with the ebb and flow of people from different cultures, communities, and backgrounds. As an intern for Every Neighborhood Partnership, this summer I witnessed how different cultures and community members are coming together to make a difference through building each other up. Community leaders, teachers, pastors, and residents are all part of the process to bring change in Fresno. This is primarily founded on Christian Community Development. This philosophy says change is evoked in the community when it is done holistically. John Perkins coined this ideology and came up with the three R’s of community development (Relocate, Reconciliation, and Redistribution).

2019 Fresno Christian Serve Day

March 21, 2019 andrewfeil Community Outreach

Students cultivate growth, aid areas of need

(Original Article)

Before heading to various serve locations, students attended a brief rally where they were encouraged by faculty, March 12.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Fresno Christian HS and JH student body engaged in Serve Day, March 12. While JH stayed on campus to complete various work projects, all of HS packed up after first period, attended a quick rally before loading up in buses, and heading out to various different locations across the city to serve. Over 260 campus students participated in this year’s event.

Luis Palau Series 2: Theology of Place

June 13, 2018 Germán Quiñonez Community Outreach, Luis Palau Series

Every Neighborhood Partnership is partnering with the Luis Palau National group to create a six-month series that describes our work in the city. Below is the second post in the series from the Director of Neighborhood Development, German Quinonez.

Theology of Place: ENP’s Neighborhood Development Work

Last month Artie Padilla set a platform on our work in Fresno and how we use the Church as an anchoring lever for all the work we are actively engaged in. This month we zero in on the work that is happening in our neighborhoods through Theology of Place.

We will first look our methodology, then we will share some practical examples of how this plays out.

I Love My City – Peoples Church

November 8, 2017 Becca Gottselig Community Outreach

Two of our core values at Peoples Church are to love others and love sacrifice. These two values are at the heart of what we were able to do as a faith family with ENP at I Love My City!

Sometimes though, I find that it’s easy to get distracted by the day to day and forget the heart behind what each of us as Christ followers are called to do.

Conflict Resolution and Restorative Justice: A Vital Skill for City Work

August 18, 2017 Grace Spencer Community Outreach

Since 1982, the Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) has been bringing victims, offenders, and involved community members face-to-face to restore wholeness to those affected by crime. Through our restorative justice process, the injustice is recognized and made as right as possible, trust is rebuilt, and the relationship restored. The process holds offenders accountable for their actions, providing them an opportunity to hear how their actions affected others. It also empowers victims, offering them a voice as the parties decide how the offender can rebuild trust, restore equity, and implement necessary changes to ensure a better future. Once the parties reach an agreement, mediators follow up with victims and offenders to confirm that the agreement has been met to the victim’s satisfaction.

How Do We Get at Effective Outreach?

July 19, 2017 andrewfeil Community Outreach

Every once and awhile we want to send you out from the ENP Blog for something that is not only really good but someone we think you can continue to learn from. Ed Stetzer’s piece on outreach is one of those articles. Ed is a writer, pastor, and missiologist. His writings have greatly influenced our work. Please check out one of his recent posts.

As the mission field changes, churches will change. | ED STETZER

I frequently get asked about the future of outreach. Let me be honest, and perhaps you already know this: outreach will not get any easier.

Let me share at least three reasons why I believe this is the case.

First, our culture will continue to experience a decrease in nominal …

Continue reading the full article here.

More than a Carnival

November 5, 2015 andrewfeil Community Outreach, ENP News

On Saturday, October 31st, Central Community Church & Highway City Community Development hosted a Fall Festival with carnival games and a resource fair for the entire neighborhood. Nearly 1000 people attending throughout the day, but it was so much more than a carnival!

Saturday Sports

August 20, 2015 andrewfeil Community Outreach, Saturday Sports

“Just go outside and play.”

Do those words bring back memories from your childhood? Playing outside was what most kids did for fun, but it isn’t quite as simple today as it was back then.

SATURDAY SPORTS will be up and running, full force by mid September at 32 sites all over Fresno. The majority of the programs are in SE & SW Fresno, where sitting in the house, watching TV, or playing video games are more common activities for kids in many of our neighborhoods.

SATURDAY SPORTS gives kids the opportunity to go outside and play, not only in a safe “green space”, but with folks who deeply care about them and want to make an impact in their lives. That’s why so many churches see Saturday Sports as a simple outreach and great way to connect with kids and families and ultimately find many ways other ways to love and serve our city.

Map showing partnerships that offer Saturday Sports Programs

Last year more than 2,200 kids had the opportunity to “go outside and play” at Saturday Sports, and it’s so much more than SPORTS! Crafts, games, fun . . . and of course, sports, if you want. But more like it was “back in the day” when kids went outside to jump rope, play four-square, shoot hoops with dad, or play a game of baseball in the street with friends.

More Saturday Sports programs are needed in Fresno! There are lots of kids who would love to play outside, and need people in their lives to love them, and encourage them, and help them see their value and potential.

Northpointe Church has been hosting a Saturday Sports Program at Toby Lawless Elementary for the past 4 years. A real impact is being made in the lives of these kids! Check out the video and see for yourself.

After you watch it, ask yourself if can think of a church that might be interested in coming alongside and supporting an existing Saturday Sports Program, or if you know folks who might like to volunteer to take attendance each week at one of the Saturday Sports sites. We also need several volunteers each week to pick up lunches at Poverello House and deliver them to Saturday Sports. Financial donations are also welcome.

There are lots of ways to love and serve our city, and most importantly, give these kids a chance to be kids!

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like more information about ENP. We love helping folks get connected to serve!

Donations Welcome

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Parents Advocating for a Better Blackstone

July 16, 2015 andrewfeil Community Outreach, Parent Engagement

Even through the Summer our partnership parents from Susan B. Anthony Elementary and Yokomi Elementary are learning and working together and be advocates for their communities through their involvement in the Better Blackstone project. As they take a closer look at their neighborhood they envision walkable sidewalks, revitalized businesses, bike lanes, cross walks and a shady bus stop with benches. All of which are elements of a healthy and flourishing corridor.

Parents gathered in early July and walked from Divisadero to Olive on both Abby and Blackstone, taking pictures and observing the assets and needs in their neighborhood. The ultimate goal: to identify broken sidewalks, missing cross walks, missing waste baskets and any other areas that could be improved to make a healthy, safe, walkable community.

They are excited and empowered by this role they are playing. It’s just one more step in helping parents see the important role they can play as volunteers and leaders in their school and neighborhood.

. . .

On August 7th neighbors will come together to Imagine the Possibilities for Blackstone.

Blackstone neighbors will be sharing their findings through a photography display. This “Photovoice/Fotovoz” project will highlight the healthy and unhealthy aspects of daily life in this neighborhood. Through this project they are learning to be positive and proactive as they work together for a better neighborhood.

. . . . . . . . .

Brenda Bravo
Every Neighborhood Partnership
Parent Engagement Coordinator

Great Fun Hoopin’ it Up!

June 5, 2015 andrewfeil Community Outreach, Saturday Sports

The gates opened at 9am on Saturday morning and kids began to arrive to “Hoop It Up”! They had fun hanging out with friends and practicing until it was their time to compete.

The boys were ready to compete!

There was one little girl however, who was looking a little sad. We asked her what was wrong. She quietly replied, “The boys said that girls can’t play basketball.” We reminded her that was NOT the case and ushered her over to the check-in table. She signed in, put her blue t-shirt on and began practicing.

Kids in our partnership neighborhoods don’t have many opportunities to participate in competitions like Hoop It Up. This was a morning of fun for them and a new experience for many.

patiently waiting their turn

89 kids participated from nine different schools. Each child received a very cool Hoop It Up t-shirt (thanks to our awesome sponsors) and then waited for their turn at the free throw line. Everyone had fun!

. . . some kids needed a little extra help

1st, 2nd & 3rd place medals were awarded at the end of the morning in all age categories

WHAT A GREAT MORNING!

Fun morning for everyone!

THANKS VOLUNTEERS!

GREAT group of volunteers!

Thanks to our great group of volunteers who had fun interacting with the kids & helped make Hoop It Up a huge success!

– Kids had the chance to compete (a new experience for many of them).
– It was another opportunity to promote health and fitness.
– Hoop it up brought more awareness of the value of Saturday Sports and the need for mentoring kids in our Fresno Neighborhoods
– and we raised enough money to purchase sports equipment for 30+ Saturday Sports Programs that will start up again in the fall!

THANK YOU SPONSORS & FRIENDS!
Thank to Kaiser Permanente, J&D Foods, Fresno Housing Authority, Cargill, Torosian & Walter, NY Life, Spirit Radio, Fresno Breast Surgery, Spike & Rail, Holiday Inn Swan Court, FS Lawn, Bobby Salazar’s, and a lot other friends of ENP who helped sponsor kids to compete in the event!

We also want to thank Principal Tharpe for allowing us to Hoop It Up at Olmos Elementary!

Special thanks to Walgreens who not only provided unlimited water for everyone, but came in person to hand it out throughout the morning AND even helped with the competition.

Thanks also to the Fresno State Nonprofit Management Class and Professor Zhanna Bagdasarov who assisted ENP in planning and seeking sponsorships for Hoop It Up!

This day was a beautiful picture of MANY in our community coming together for the kids! We at ENP value the partnerships we have with churches, businesses, universities, and our schools and know that Fresno is a better place because there are SO MANY who want to be part of the transformation!