Communities of
Shalom unified for a city of Shalom
 The
fall of 2006 saw the inauguration of UMUMR’s
involvement in a comprehensive community development
model in Richmond, Communities
of Shalom. Since
then, eight Shalom teams have completed the training,
and have begun building their communities into
Communities of Shalom. This best practice model,
developed by the United Methodist Church and
internationally implemented, has proven an effective
way to organize communities through an
empowerment-based process.
The goals of this model are:
-
Developing
the shared prosperity and economies of communities
-
Strengthening
relationships among diverse neighbors
-
Improving
community healthcare and delivery of services
-
Renewing
the spirit of God in congregations and
communities.
Each
Shalom site is required to build a team of volunteers
from a diverse body of local faith congregations and
community organizations.
The team undergoes a five month training
program on topics such as systemic change, community
development, asset mapping, health and wholeness, and
multicultural collaboration.
The culmination of this training is a
presentation by each Shalom team sharing their
independent strategic plans developed for addressing
community needs by utilizing the assets of their
communities. As their training period concludes, UMUMR
will continue to support their community action plans.
Some Shalom sites may decide to transform their
community through environmental or health initiatives; others may focus on education,
arts, or multi-cultural sharing. Still others may target city or corporate policies
that unjustly affect them. The strength of the program is that communities independently
develop their plans, while collaborating across the region for support.
Examples of Shalom plans developed by sites in other
areas are:
-Recruiting
and developing means for affordable health care
-Collaborating
with local organizations to provide affordable
housing
development and repair
-Educating
and organizing around policy issues such as fair
wages
-Working
with local schools to create literacy and
mentoring programs
-Partnering
with multiple faith congregations to create child
care facilities
For more
information:
Flyer:
Community
of Shalom Flyer
Email: Beth
Wright or
Dave Cooper
Phone: 804-266-9350
Web: Community
of Shalom Website
Application: How
to Become a Community of Shalom
Richmond
Shalom Sites
Hull
Street Shalom
Team
Ampthill Shalom Community
West End Community of
Shalom
Broad Rock Shalom Site
Old South Community
of Shalom
Fulton Hill Community of
Shalom
Church Hill Community of Shalom
Council for Creative Urban Ministries
The Council for
Creative Urban Ministry (CCUM) has been formed to
coordinate the disparate Communities of Shalom sites
to form a collaborative City of Shalom through an
empowerment-based model. In short, CCUM was created
and is facilitated to accomplish to following:
1) Create a
coordinated effort in urban ministry across
Richmond;
2) Facilitate partnerships and information sharing;
3) Empowering individuals and congregations
Be part of this collaborative initiative!
The Council is made
up of volunteers from Richmond’s churches, other
faith community congregations, and human services
organizations, who act as a creative advising
council towards the efforts of linking and
coordinating the urban ministry efforts. This group
is open for anyone to attend, and meets monthly at
different sites across Richmond. Check our
organizational calendar to find out about our next
meeting!
Join the conversation!
A list serve
has been developed to promote conversation about
urban ministry resources and opportunities. To
join the CCUM city-wide conversation click here
info@umumr.org to indicate you would like to
receive an invitation to the email group.
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