Reproducing Community 4:12 in Chicago
By Kirsten Strand, Community 4:12 Director
Community 4:12 started in East Aurora in 2003. In 2007, we reproduced the ministry in Joliet. And this year, we will reproduce again in Chicago. The Community 4:12 Team is committed to ensuring that we maintain a consistent approach and philosophy to serving and loving the poor in any community in which we work. We are committed to a three level approach to addressing poverty. We have to meet people when they are in crisis by helping to meet basic needs. But, we cant stop there. We also need to help individuals develop skills and tools to improve their life circumstances. But we cant stop there, either. We also need to address the bigger systemic and societal issues and injustices that prevent people from escaping the cycle of poverty.
Whether we are helping to meet basic needs or working to change poverty statistics in a community, we believe that the best approach is always a relational approach. We see poverty not as an issue to solve, but as people to come along-side. Community 4:12 works to provide opportunities for people not just to serve, but to interact with individuals and families who face financial challenges. As we get to know people, we learn both about the struggles they face, and also about the assets and resources they have to offer. And, we are much more likely to invest time and resources in helping friends and people we know than we are in nameless, faceless statistics.
Our plan for the next year in Chicago is that our two city campuses, Lincoln Square and Edgewater, will come along-side low-income families and individuals through partnerships with the Aldermans offices, World Relief, and other groups and organizations. We held our first Gift Mart in the city this past December, and want to build on the relationships we built through that. Weve also begun a community garden in Edgewater and will partner with Loyola University to expand that to better serve the neighborhood. The opportunities are endless, and we want to spend this first year listening and learning and helping in small ways as those opportunities as arise.
Your Partner in Uniting People to Restore Communities,
Kirsten Strand
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