Design Teams Summit

Our Public Meeting Coordinators organized a place for Design Team leaders to get resourced and grown into a deeper and more facile team. It was a treat to get together forty leaders and friends from around the network interested in worship to refine our skills and, of course, worship. The pastors and PM Coordinators all offered some training according to our common strategy as well as some space for worship and networking. We are hoping to make these summits more regular, maybe even quarterly. The cherry on top this time - those who wanted to were formed into a choir to sing together for a possible contribution to a future release by Circle of Hope Audio Art. Look for the next PM Design Teams Summit this Fall!

For The Love Of Childs joins parents to affect new policy

On Monday evening For the Love of Childs Compassion Team joined over 50 parents and community members at the School District's first community meeting to discuss the development of a new school report card system that would be used to improve the accountability of district and charter schools.  We joined public school parents in their concern and outrage that the district would impose a new accountability system on schools in a year where the “doomsday budget”, as people are calling it, is leaving schools void of counselors, all school aides, extra curricular activities, and more. Parents grilled the district leaders and explained that it seems suspicious to grade schools in a year of desolate funding and argued that the they are just trying to deem more district schools as failures in order to push  more charter takeovers and closures. Tricia Fussaro spoke up reminding the hired consultants that there are hard working, loving people doing what they need to do to educate children in every school across Philadelphia; there are also children in every school who come to learn and do learn! Her comment was the first to receive a resounding round of applause from the audience.

You can find a list of upcoming meetings and more information on this facebook page.

The Notebook has more coverage.

Love Feast

These beautiful covenant keepers (and more) came together on Saturday at Marlton and Crescent. Joshua Grace reminded us that being the Body of Christ is not something that happens in our heads, but that it is a mutual expression of love between real people, with Jesus at the center. We ate, talked, worshiped with song and received the communion meal from Jesus and from one other. The communion meal, in particular, was joyful evidence of our freedom and belovedness. Marlee Sheaffer, Hannah McMinn, Brett Steiger, Drew Ericksen, Andy Hankermeyer, Mable Bakali, and Jamie Weist were welcomed into our covenant. Marlee and Drew were baptized.

Reporting: Rachel Sensenig

Baby (&Kids) Goods Exchange

It was 100 degrees outside one week ago...but that didn't stop over 40 adults and children from walking in the doors of our Marlton & Crescent space to drop off their gently used baby and kids goods and pick up what they needed for the summer and fall seasons!

On July 20, our team of 8 Circle of Hope volunteers set up tables and displays, greeted folks, passed out bags, baked delicious cookies, and carried items out to the cars of the friends that showed up to take part in this event - the Free Baby & Kids Goods Exchange.

Tracy, a new grandmother from Cherry Hill stopped by. She couldn't believe that everything was free! It was perfect timing for her as her daughter was lacking the funds to purchase new items for her infant son. Tanya from Camden was able to find clothing for both of her daughters, as well as some new toys and baby gear for her sister and nephews. No one left empty-handed, and everyone asked when the next exchange would happen.

Overall, the exchange helped us to meet neighbors, add new contacts to our ever-growing e-mail list, sow generosity and provide for the needs of others. We are looking forward to the next season to continue the giving!


Reporting: Kim Hewlett

Take Back Vacant Land doesn't recess

The Campaign to Take Back Vacant Land met yesterday afternoon in Center City. Rachel Sensenig was representing our team.

Right now, we're working on putting up "danger" signs in vacant lots to garner the attention of City Council.

We recently realized it was a powerful strategy when the head of the city's Redevelopment Authority called our coalition leaders from his vacation to angrily ask us to stop because the city has plans for some of these lots.

So over the next few weeks we need to put signs on privately-held tax delinquent properties  to raise awareness of the problem and our proposed solution (the Land Bank Bill).  Rachel will be helping in the 1st district (BW/FN) and in the 8th district (Germantown). Jonny is working  Let me know in the 5th district (BD). Do you of any vacant land in those districts that need attention?

The coalition agreed today to escalate our efforts in the fall because city council convenes again on Sept. 12.  We want a hearing for the bill as soon as possible (it got pushed aside in the spring due to school issues and such).  The coalition agreed to meet at city hall that day at 9:30 a.m., and talked about publicizing some kind of message then that we want a hearing within 30 days.  We'll continue to meet weekly at City Hall on those Thursday mornings that the Council meets and do a countdown of sorts.  On the fourth week, if the bill hasn't come to hearing, the coalition will most likely do a "People's Hearing" there.

Next coalition meeting is in the same spot (Liberty Resources on 7th and Market St.) at noon on Sept 4.

From Rachel Sensenig and Jonny Rashid

Destroying Evil with Generosity

Last Monday night, our Capacity Core Team hosted a conversation around Circle of Hope's Common Fund Budget. We are committed to the counter-cultural act of talking about money. Believing that how we allocate our common resources is a reflection of our values, 32 people gathered to discuss where we stand on Sources (income) and Uses (spending) half-way through the calendar year. We heard about some significant new uses in 2013 on technology, speaker honorariums, and QuickBooks online - which are all increasing our Capacity for meeting the next person in our region. We discussed a new way of allocating our World Hunger Giving, and will be sending a percentage of our Common Fund giving with Macha Mission, a community, hospital, and malaria research center founded in Zambia. Finally, we brainstormed in small groups about how we might allocate our resources in 2014 - centered around our 3 main uses: Human Resources, our shared spaces, and technology. We hope that this conversation serves as a springboard for further discussion about how Circle of Hope shares our common resources.

If you would like to continue the conversation, please reach out to Capacity Core Team members Alison Wear, Michael Heneghan, Kyle Zieba, or Aaron Foltz. If you have shared with Circle of Hope's Common Fund in the 2nd Quarter of 2013 (April, May, June), you will receive a Statement via email in the next week or so. Please check your statement for accuracy, and contact Operations Manager Matthew Abraham with any questions or concerns.

Reporting: Alison Wear

The Congo

On Saturday we hosted our fourth seminar of the year as our friends Bruce Campbell-Janz and Jesus Cruz from Mennonite Central Committee led us to ponder the Congo, an active faith, and God's call to the world. Over 50 people gathered to hear about a country devastated by nearly 20 years of war. MCC's work with youth, refugees, and internally displaced peoples was inspiring and gave us a good picture of where some of our Common Fund sharing dollars go.

As an added bonus, a visiting Syrian Orthodox Church bishop joined in our conversation and commented on the recent conflict in Syria, the humanitarian toll, and the physical and psychological damage being inflicted within the borders of his beloved home.

As a group, we were driven to our feet in solidarity, offering prayers of peace, reconciliation, healing, and restoration. We continue to pray for Jesus to be at work and for the safety of our partners as they do the work of Jesus in difficult circumstances.