tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-192597932024-03-20T02:47:50.971-07:00NorCalUrbanLoving the San Francisco Bay Area... Community development, urban ministry, trying to defeat poverty, faith, religion, politics, good music, the quest for the perfect pizza, the Yankees, motorcycles... All in a 'day's life'John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.comBlogger475125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-39352732740640119152011-08-18T15:04:00.001-07:002011-08-18T15:04:07.570-07:00PageMill, Wells Fargo and Sam Zell<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Dear Friends, </p> <p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Normal.dotm 0 0 1 888 5066 Northern California Urban Development 42 10 6221 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false <p>As many of you know we've been in discussion recently with Wells Fargo and Equity Residential, the proposed buyers of the former Pagemill Properties on the west side of East Palo Alto. As an East Palo Alto resident and leader I view this issue, and how Wells Fargo handles this important portfolio as a milestone event for our community and it’s residents.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>First, a little background (from my perspective): </strong></em></span></p> <p>A few years ago over 80% of East Palo Alto's multi family housing stock was purchased piece by piece by a predator equity group, Pagemill Properties. After the purchase Pagemill began systematically dismantling our rent control ordinances and aggressively evicting working class families. The community was in shock.</p> <p>However, the Pagemill group went bankrupt in 2009 and lost the property to Wachovia, soon to be acquired by Wells Fargo. Inmy opinion Wells initially, for the most part, acted in good faith. They secured the properties, stabilized the rental rates and began a process to include the community in a discussion about how to best deal with the portfolio of over 1600 units. The community has a lot of input, but the most common was 1) Don't sell to one investor. A monopoly of all our rental housing is a bad thing, and 2) Find a group that will affirm our rent control policies and support affordable housing for working families. </p> <p>After months of discussion, Wells suddenly went silent. Repeated requests for an update went unheard. About three weeks ago Wells floated the names of three potential buyers, Apollo, Prime and Equity. Some of our elected officials met with the three groups. Last week Wells indicated their intention to sell to Equity. They would not consider breaking up the parcel. The community was sucker-punched. </p> <p>The selection of Equity Residential is particularly unacceptable. The founder and chairman of Equity Residential, Sam Zell, was described in a 1995 New York Times article as “a classic vulture investor.” Mr. Zell is a well known opponent of rent control. His company, Equity LifeStyle has sued multiple California cities to invalidate local rent control laws, while funding a deceptive statewide ballot measure to end rent control in California. </p> <p>Current Conversation:</p> <p>Over the past week there have been many discussion about a plausible reaction from community groups. On Tuesday we met with David Ash from Wells Fargo and representatives from Equity Residential. In the meeting we submitted the following requests:</p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style=""><span><span>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span><span>Refrain from selling the Page Mill portfolio to Equity Residential;<span> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style=""><span><span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span><span>Immediately implement a process which engages public involvement in the vetting of potential buyers;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style=""><span><span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span><span>Break up the portfolio and transition the portfolio to multiple buyers to avoid another Page Mill fiasco; and </span></p> <p class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style=""><span><span>4.<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span><span>Complete the registration process of rents and comply with all other requirements of local law while Wells Fargo remains the owner of these rental units.</span></p> <p> </p> <p>The meeting with Equity and Wells was both contentious and cordial. They even brought cookies. We presented our requests to Wells, they promptly refused. Wells positioned the meeting as a courtesy call and that the deal was essentially done, with a 45 day period for Equity to perform due diligence.<span> </span>In the meeting David Ash had the guts to say with a straight face that Wells believes this is absolutely the best deal for East Palo Alto. An official from Equity was surprisingly honest. Their play is to hold certain properties and raze others. The razed buildings pulls the units out of rent control and allows them to charge market rate rents.</p> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Why are we upset?</strong></span></em></p> <p>Some may ask, “What’s the big deal?” Others may be opponents to rent control or affordable housing in general. There are a number of reasons this issue has garnished my attention:</p> <p>Issue One: I don’t think it’s ever a good deal for any one investor to have a monopoly on housing stock. As aforementioned, this is over 80% of our apartment housing as well as 50% of our below market rate stock and 15% of the County’s affordable housing stock. Clearly Equity Residental will have a market control While I’m a proponent of the free market, clearly this is a quality of life issue for our community and a situation where the market being monopolized the the playing field unleveled.</p> <p>Issue Two: Affordable housing is critical for working class families and the stability of the region. East Palo Alto remains a place of available housing for lower income Silicon Valley families. In spite of the challenges and reputation, East Palo Alto is a place where good families can create a home. Having a community / region where folks from diverse economic backgrounds can thrive is part of the fabric of our nation.</p> <p>Issue Three: Given the current economic challenges we must protect opportunities for middle and working<span> </span>and low income families. With the economic pressures on East Palo Alto due to foreclosures, unemployment and rising energy costs many families are being pushed out. Additionally, we are watching the possible impact on housing prices brought on by Facebook’s entry into the community and their possible addition of 3000 employees. The Wells property is a 10 minute bike ride to the new Facebook offices.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>How Can You Help?</strong></em></span></p> <p>There are a couple of ways you can immediately help the cause. We're looking to raise awareness of this issue and put as much pressure on Wells Fargo as possible. Wells is espcially sensitive to their public profile, so please do all you can. </p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span><span>1)<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>Contact Wells Fargo and insist they address our requests, listed above. You can contact: <span> </span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: .25in;"> </p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 32.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">David Ash</p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 14.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">West Coast Regional Manager-Special Situations Group-ORE</p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 14.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">600 California St.</p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 14.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">19<sup>th</sup> Floor</p> <p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 14.0pt; text-indent: .5in;">San Francisco, CA 94108</p> <p style=""> </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style=""><span><span>2)<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>Join us on a protest march on Monday, 8/22 at 3:30. We’ll meet at the Westpark Apartments at 5 Newell Ct., East Palo Alto. We will march to the Palo Alto Wells Fargo branch and present our requests to the group.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 50.0pt;"> </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 50.0pt;">Granted, this is symbolic gesture, but we are hoping to get media attention and to show solidarity for the cause.</p> <p style=""> </p> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style=""><span><span>3)<span style="font: 7.0pt Times New Roman;"> </span></span></span>Pray for justice and the cause of families in East Palo Alto</p> <p style=""> </p> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> <p style="display: inline !important;">While I may have a definite opinion about the way this transaction is being handled, I’m somewhat torn. Wells Fargo has been a faithful funder and partner for our organization over the years. They provided seed funding for our land trust project as well as supporting our foreclosure intervention program. Wells Fargo volunteers recently donated time to work on our Daphne house project and have taught homeownership classes for our students. Despite of being on the other side of Wells on this issue – we also appreciate their partnership. Sometimes the world is alot more grey than black and white.</p> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <p style=""> </p> </span><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks you for standing with us on this important endeavor. I encourage you to write a letter, come to the Monday protest and please pray for East Palo Alto.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> <p> <p style="">- John Liotti</p> <span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <p /> </span></p> <p> </p> </span></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://liotti.posterous.com/pagemill-wells-fargo-and-sam-zell">Insecurely Radical</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-49768915141761240892010-12-22T10:18:00.001-08:002010-12-22T10:18:04.762-08:00Untitled<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/zaIexrotptdrjtnsnagavmxqzpqmvwxtAxEEmamrJHHEknafJbjAmaqaqdfr/normal_1293041856.313753.jpeg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/zaIexrotptdrjtnsnagavmxqzpqmvwxtAxEEmamrJHHEknafJbjAmaqaqdfr/normal_1293041856.313753.jpeg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="373"/></a> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://norcalurban.posterous.com/37178521">JOHN's posterous</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-45635073738553978322010-12-20T15:57:00.001-08:002010-12-20T15:57:16.659-08:00Untitled<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/tsrFsEksFAhcordjmFjIqgvsEgaGetpCcBxlspomdfcoCrnvkHEukfCegxdC/normal_1292889360.462962.jpeg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/tsrFsEksFAhcordjmFjIqgvsEgaGetpCcBxlspomdfcoCrnvkHEukfCegxdC/normal_1292889360.462962.jpeg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="373"/></a> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://norcalurban.posterous.com/36999423">JOHN's posterous</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-5149826666576947222010-12-18T13:45:00.001-08:002010-12-18T13:45:06.193-08:00Untitled<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/CdemrCuyykpvGgtyGjmqfvfCnuFbBpjdgeywmACEspCIkmrlwhfzAurpotys/normal_1292708549.618195.jpeg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/CdemrCuyykpvGgtyGjmqfvfCnuFbBpjdgeywmACEspCIkmrlwhfzAurpotys/normal_1292708549.618195.jpeg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="373"/></a> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://norcalurban.posterous.com/36800036">JOHN's posterous</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-80339708334522055392010-12-17T21:31:00.001-08:002010-12-17T21:31:55.262-08:00Somebody help me out with this one! A severe injustice at the wrong time.<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>John Stewart hosted a panel of 9/11 first responders who were speaking out about the Republicans threatened filibuster of the bill. (See the link below.) He was outraged, and brilliant. For blocking the passage of this bill, the Republicans are, in my humble opinion, are deeply wrong. Conversely, the Democrats, including our President, have failed to aggressively promote and pass the bill choosing to focus on extreme left wing proposals that in many ways have divided our nation. Both sides are at fault. </p> <p>What am I missing folks? This bill, to me, seems to be a colossal 'no brainer'. The Republicans should fall in line and pass it without exception. The Democrats, forever the party of fumblers and bumblers should have made it a priority months ago. </p> <p>There are many issues I stand for, including the Dream Act, that while I may feel passionate about, despite my opinion I understand the other side's perspective. Even the in the case of the Tea Party, of which I am a vocal critic, I can likewise understand their outrage at ineffective, bloated government. However, for this issue I am dumbfounded. </p> <p>I'm honored to serve as a Police Chaplain. Chaplains, like my colleagues who serve the East Palo Alto PD, are considered first responders. Who can forget the photo of Father Judge's, a fire Chaplain, being carried out from the Twin Towers by firemen. He is an inspiration to me. If I was in NYC, or if there is, God forbid, a natural or other tragedy in the Bay Area you won't be able to keep me away from helping. If I get sick, I pray there is help for me - and for the police and firemen I serve. This one is getting 'close to home' for me. </p> <p>To my 'conservative' brothers and sisters, can you call you Senators and express your outrage and encourage them to pass this bill before the holiday break? Can you contact your friends and like minded acquaintances and ask them to make contact. Not passing this bill would be another tragedy impacting a group of folks who daily put their lives on the line, some of whom have been dying a slow death since crawling on the pile at the hallowed site at Ground Zero. l</p> <p>Check out the John Stewart interview here: <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-december-16-2010/9-11-first-responders-react-to-the-senate-filibuster?xrs=share_copy">http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-december-16-2010/9-11-first-responders-...</a></p> <p>See a good ABC news piece here: <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jon-stewart-rants-republican-filibuster-911-responder-bill/story?id=12422872&page=2">http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jon-stewart-rants-republican-filibuster-911-re...</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://liotti.posterous.com/somebody-help-me-out-with-this-one-a-severe-i">Insecurely Radical</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-91354328106875300242010-12-17T17:08:00.001-08:002010-12-17T17:08:08.786-08:00Untitled<div class='posterous_autopost'><p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/zmywbqwHuegzFsnAyGavtJatqvpkkwGbzpyoeDklvihylJFdBFvJmxndruEJ/normal_1292634364.792070.jpeg.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/norcalurban/zmywbqwHuegzFsnAyGavtJatqvpkkwGbzpyoeDklvihylJFdBFvJmxndruEJ/normal_1292634364.792070.jpeg.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="373"/></a> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://norcalurban.posterous.com/36722512">JOHN's posterous</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-3314002040700263152010-12-13T08:25:00.001-08:002010-12-13T08:25:40.433-08:00Power, Success, Happiness vs. Peace Love and Joy<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I'm reading <span style="text-decoration: underline;">'Secrets in the Dark'</span> by Fredrick Buechner. Here's a great quote that I've been meditating on:</p> <blockquote class="posterous_medium_quote"> <p><em>"Power, success, happiness, as the world knows them, are his who will fight for them hard enough; but peace, love , joy are only from God. And, God is the enemy whom Jacob fought there by the river, of course, and whom in one way or another all of us with fight-God, the beloved enemy. Our enemy because, before giving us everything, he demands of us everything; before giving us life, he demands our lives-our selves, our wills and treasure" </em></p> </blockquote> <p>Seems like these days I'm always in the eternal struggle of the self, between surrender to a Holy God and fighting for my rights, my reputation and my plans. The 'beloved enemy' so aptly describes my approach to God sometimes. I love him, but struggle to know him and to be loved by him - struggle to allow his Grace to conquer my heart an will. In my head I ascent to the fact that in God there is only freedom through surrender, my will feels very much to the contrary. </p> <p>This week, I will endeavor to surrender to a Loving God. To allow my heart to be 'pinned' as Jacob was pinned, crippled and blessed by the Stranger. </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://liotti.posterous.com/power-success-happiness-vs-peace-love-and-joy">Insecurely Radical</a> </p> </div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-36243792088107996852010-06-07T08:45:00.000-07:002010-06-07T08:46:05.381-07:00Going to Jackson, and This is Not a Johnny Cash Song<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 8px; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-position: initial initial; "><p>This Thursday I'm headed to Jackson, MS to celebrate the life and legacy of Drs. John and Vera Mae Perkins. John is turning 80 and they are celebrating his 50th year in ministry. For those of you who don't know about Dr. Perkins and his life here is his bio: <a href="http://www.jmpf.org/content/perkins/biography/" _mce_href="http://www.jmpf.org/content/perkins/biography/">http://www.jmpf.org/content/perkins/biography/</a>. We were asked to jot down a few thoughts to share with John and Vera Mae. I posted them below.</p><p>As I wrote this and reflected on our journey from youth to now entering middle age (betrayed by the gray in my sideburns and beard), I became overwhlmed with thankfulness for all God has done in our lives and the friends he allowed us to journey alongside.</p><div>I think about many of you, many I've reconnected with recently on Facebook. Some from Deland, from elementary school and church, St. Peters Catholic. Others from Berea Assembly of God, New Testamant Fellowship where I strengthened my relationship with Christ. Then to my YWAM family with whom were in the trenches in Texas, NYC, New Orleans, LA and finally Mexico. Our 'family' in Modesto who helped us settle, heal and rediscover ministry. And finally to the place where we've called home more than any other in our adult life, the wonderful community of East Palo Alto - the folks at Highway Community, St. Samuel COGIC and others friends and partners. Many of you, from each life phase, played a formative and inportant role in my life. </div><div> </div><div>Since I'm waxing poetic... reminds me of my favorite Beatles song</div><div> </div><div><span _mce_style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 11px;" style="font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial; font-size: 11px; "><em>There are places I remember</em><br /><em>All my life though some have changed</em><br /><br /></span></div><div><div>This weekend I'm thrilled to be traveling to Jackson, where it's 'hotter than a pepper sprout' to celebrate not only the lives of John and Vera Mae, but to reflect and honor God for all He has done for me, Melissa and Sam. </div><div> </div><div><em>Dear Dad and Mom Perkins,<br /><br />There are not enough words to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude for the impact your lives have had my life. I wanted to share a little of my journey and how your lives has changed mine.<br /><br />Born in New Jersey into an Italian family my parents abruptly moved to Florida to save their marriage and refocus their lives. Shortly after arriving in Florida they encountered Christ in what was called the 'Jesus Movement'. In 1970's Florida there was a palpable tension over race. The civil rights movement was not looked upon well and many whites were fighting for every remaining vestige of Jim Crow. My high school experience was marked by frequent fights and riots between African American and White students. When I accepted Christ I moved from the Catholic church where I was reared into a southern Pentecostal church. Racial jokes, comments and outright bigotry was common along with an apparent fervor for the Gospel. When I left Florida at age 18 I was deeply considering the intersection of race and faith and questioning if the Gospel had power to reconcile.<br /><br />After high school God immediately called me into ministry with an international missions organization, Youth With A Mission (YWAM). In Los Angeles with YWAM I met this stunning young Mexican girl who became my wife. At the time we were working with teenage prostitutes in Hollywood. Shortly thereafter YWAM sent us to Mexico for four years to pioneer a new ministry location in Tijuana on the US / Mexican border. I am greatly indebted to YWAM. It taught me about stepping out in faith, seeking the voice of God and expposed me to a world of joy, pain, hurt and ministry.<br /><br />During our time in Mexico we encountered a deep level of abject poverty, deeper than anything I had seen in the States. However as such a young age we didn't have the paradigm to process or address the dire situation in which we found the city and nation. We found refugees living in shanties, working to cross the border by any means, struggling for food and shelter. Our Pentecostal evangelical paradigm and methods simply could not address the deep physical needs of the border. I became frustrated and dissatisfied with merely 'leading people to Christ' or simply giving them a ham sandwich. After four years in Mexico, experiencing all we had through the streets of Hollywood to the hills of Tijuana I was tired, discouraged and burned out on evangelical ministry and began to question its theology.<br /><br />Melissa became pregnant with our son Samuel and we eventually landed in the Central Valley of California. We needed a place to raise Sam, heal and process all we had learned from the streets of the US and Mexico. I thought I was finished in ministry. However God had his hand on us. Through a connection to Larry Acosta and Urban Youthworker's Institute I came across CCDA and your life and ministry. Your book, "With Justice For All" impacted me greatly and 'turned the lights on' again. It truly was a breath of fresh air. No one had been able to connect my deep commitment to Biblical Christianity with the need to address issues of poverty, racism and injustice. Your example, and the example of the leaders of CCDA, provided me with a new approach, a new paradigm and a new way of thinking about community ministry and the poor. I can truly say that I owe my life's work to your example and, perhaps given the situation I was in, you helped save my faith. I am eternally grateful.<br /><br />In 2000 God moved our family to East Palo Alto. I greatly appreciate the times you've come to encourage our work. As you're aware, you helped us raise our profile with the credit union project (which opened in 2007). Using that as a platform we have developed the FutureProfits youth program teaching over 400 urban students each week life skills and about financial concepts. Additionally we have thrown ourselves headlong into the current housing crisis and are working to save homeowners from foreclosure and homelessness. Melissa serves young unwed mothers in a residential program, New Creation Home. She 'mothers' the moms and their kids and provides them shelter, training and direction in life. Our life and work are a direct result of your Apostolic ministry to us. All we have done and are doing is a part of your legacy. </em></div><div><em><br /></em></div><div><em>Today we stand committed to sharing the Gospel, serving the poor, the widows and the orphans, extending the Kingdom of God and combating injustice as we wait for His return.<br /><br />Melissa and I and our team at Northern California Urban Development in East Palo Alto wish Dad a happy birthday and congratulate you both on 50 years of ministry. We love you deeply. May God grant you peace as you continue to serve him.<br /><br />In His service,<br /><br /><br />Rev. John and Melissa Liotti </em></div></div></div></span>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-55015869779430055542010-01-19T08:21:00.000-08:002010-01-19T08:22:29.323-08:00Comments from Bob Luption<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><blockquote type="cite"><div><div style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="guideBackdrop" id="guideBackdrop" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 870px; "><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="guideRoot" id="guideRoot" style="border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; width: 600px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><tbody><tr><td align="left" class="mainBackground" colspan="2" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="region guideHeader" id="guideHeader" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="html block_slogan guideBlock" id="fKSqlMYk" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Geneva; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); "><div align="center" style="font-size: 18pt; ">Church-centric Missions</div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td align="left" class="mainBackground" valign="top" width="67%" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="region guideContent" id="guideContent" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="html block_article guideBlock" id="JJOQVplB" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Geneva; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); "><div><div>I am a missionary. That’s how I am listed on the annual missions report of a suburban church that supports our work in the city. My picture is placed on one of the bulletin boards that line their main hall, along with a score of other sponsored ministries and missionaries that serve all over the globe. My monthly newsletter is also posted there. I am prayed for regularly and am invited to give a field report at the annual missions conference. For years the financial support of this church body has been one of my most steady, dependable streams of income. I am enormously thankful for their support. They have played a significant role in enabling me to follow the call of God to serve among the poor of the inner-city. I trust that I have been a faithful steward of their investments.</div><div> </div><div>A while back I was invited to join their pastor and members of their missions committee for lunch at the church. It was for fellowship and encouragement, they said. Not far into the friendly chit-chat another agenda surfaced. They wanted to explore ways their church could be more personally involved in hands-on ministry in the city. Over the years, they reminded me, some of their members had volunteered with us but that was some time ago. They wanted to discuss new ways they could become re-engaged in service with us. They were re-evaluating their missions giving and wanted to allocate their funds in the most strategic ways, which meant having as much as possible the personal participation of members in the ministries they supported.</div><div> </div><div>It was a welcome offer. We certainly need compassionate, committed friends to join with us to help shoulder the demanding workload. There are sports teams to coach, kids to tutor, houses to build, widows to visit. But as I went down through a menu of opportunities, I could tell by the expressions on their faces that I was not scratching quite where they were itching. What they would really like, it eventually came out, was a monthly listing of needs and service opportunities for church members to select from and someone from our staff to schedule and coordinate volunteer involvement. A volunteer coordinator to handle the volunteer needs of their church? Is that what they were asking for? Well, yes, they explained. In this way their missions dollars could both support their missionaries and at the same time meet the spiritual needs of their membership to be personally involved in missions. It was a win-win approach. They might even consider upping my support level. </div><div> </div><div>My mind went to the growing stack of demands that awaited me back at my office, each with immediate priority. And the staff who were stretched thin trying to keep up with their pressing duties – the tense zoning hearing at city hall that would determine if we could start construction on a house a family desperately needs… intrigue at the school board meeting where a self-serving board member was attempting to torpedo our application for a new charter school… meeting with a banker who would give thumbs up or down on a property we had been working on for more than two years… and, of course, the predictable stream of crises – evictions, break-ins, arrests, runaways, fights, all laced into the routine responsibilities of running an urban ministry. I wondered where in my list of priorities I might insert the additional duties of a volunteer coordinator.</div><div> </div><div>The thought of picking up the weight of one more responsibility made my stomach tighten. On the surface I remained cordial, maintained good eye contact, but inside I was beginning to seethe. Did these bright, efficiency-oriented, well-resourced church leaders really think that I should drop front-line duties in order to promote, organize and manage the urban mission outreach for their congregation? And the not-so-subtle offer of a potential increase in financial support? It somehow felt more manipulative than supportive.</div><div> </div><div>I inhaled deeply, silently, and released a bit of the tightness (no, anger!) that was knotting my viscera. These were good people, friends, wanting to be faithful and intelligent leaders in their church. They were also busy people trying to efficiently expedite the good works of other busy people. Time is money in their world. Return on investment (ROI) was responsible stewardship. Getting a double return on their mission investment – support a missionary and support church volunteerism with the same dollar – this was good money management. What they were failing to take into account, however, was that someone was going to have to pick up the cost of volunteer management. Me! Had I been more desperate for their extra dollars, I might have agreed to their offer. After all, fundraising is a necessary discipline for missionaries. Instead, I encouraged them to create a position within the church – call it ministry of volunteer mobilization – that would take on this important mission. I would be delighted to coordinate urban service opportunities with that person. </div><div> </div><div>The church dropped my support.</div><div> </div><div>More recently I have been in dialogue with another church, a rapidly growing young congregation in an upscale in-town area of Atlanta. They are a “seeker friendly” church attracting thousands of young professionals to media-rich services with live contemporary music and winsome gospel presentations. The leadership recognizes the importance of a “love God, love neighbor” theology and is encouraging their congregation to become actively engaged in service, especially among the less fortunate of the city. And their theology is more than mere words – they have a full-time staff person whose responsibility is to mobilize members to active involvement beyond the walls of the church. We have had a number of meetings to explore how their congregation might partner with our inner-city ministry. </div><div> </div><div>The reservoir of talent in this church is daunting. Released into society, this energetic, highly skilled force could have amazingly redemptive impact. The church leaders recognize this awesome responsibility and are taking it very seriously. They have rejected the traditional church missions model (missions committee, budget, conference, etc.) and have decided rather to put their energy behind mobilizing members to hands-on community service in a broad range of settings. Money follows vision, they have rightly concluded. As their members catch a vision for ministry in the community and the world, their giving will flow toward the causes that have captured their hearts. The church’s role is to raise their awareness to the needs, help connect them to opportunities and let God do the rest. Last Saturday more than a hundred of these eager young professionals converged on our neighborhood to repair a widow’s home, landscape a blind woman’s yard, paint a community thrift store, pick up truckloads of trash and old tires, and a least a dozen other community-enhancing tasks. The whole event cost our ministry nearly $4,000. </div><div> </div><div>The church has made a decision not to give money to ministries like ours. On occasion they might offer a small donation to assist with a project their members participate in. But their major contribution, they contend, is the labor they provide. The real benefit to our organization is not only the free labor but the support their members will offer out of their own pockets as they become involved in our work. This “real benefit” almost always costs us money.</div><div> </div><div>I understand their rationale. When a church is attempting to mobilize thousands of volunteers, it certainly isn’t going to have enough funds to support the plethora of programs its members are engaged in. Picking and choosing which ones to fund and at what levels – well, that could lead to all sorts of tensions and conflicts among members. Better to leave funding decisions to the personal discretion of individual members. Experience has shown us, however, that when busy people have sacrificed their precious Saturdays they are hardly eager to fork over an additional hundred or two to cover costs for supervision and materials. So for us it becomes a real challenge to raise funds from other sources to support the service project of an affluent church.</div><div> </div><div>I offer this Tale of Two Churches to tee up a question. When a church makes decisions about serving others, whose interests are being considered – the church’s or the ones being served? Regardless of whether a church expects their missionaries to provide volunteer coordinating functions or whether a church expects urban ministries to organize, fund and staff their service project, the issue is the same. Are they helping to shoulder the weight of the front-line troops or are they placing additional burdens on the battle-fatigued?</div><div> </div><div>I understand well the need for efficient systems. We face this challenge on the urban ministry end of the equation as well. Take our administrative team for example. Their role is to add-minister – that is, enhance the ministry of our staff by relieving them of the myriad details required to make an organization function responsibly. Handling a dozen different programs all with different accounting demands, cranking out payroll for 50+ staff each with different hours, pay scales and deductions, responding to scores of check requests all of which have immediate priority, monitoring company credit card charges, meeting audit demands and IRS reporting requirements…you get the idea. If they are to keep their sanity and maintain a semblance of control, they have to create systems to bring order to their work. Timesheets in by 3 PM Thursday, three-day turn around for check requests, receipts to accompany reimbursements – all reasonable requests to keep the ministry running smoothly for everyone. But over time these reasonable requests can begin to sound a bit more like dictatorial directives, like authoritarian regulations with penalties for non-compliance. No paychecks if timesheets not in by noon Thursday, no reimbursements if not submitted on proper form and accompanied by legitimate receipts, do not disturb bookkeeper on Fridays. In the name of efficiency the “ad-ministers” tend to devise all manner of forms and rules and procedures to make their job easier. When their goal is efficiency they can easily ignore the time and effort it takes the ministry staff to jump through an increasing number of hoops. The ad-ministers can end up adding burdens rather than lifting the load of those they are supposed to be serving. Believe me, I know the tension.</div><div> </div><div>I do understand how this happens – how good people wanting to do a good job can end up creating self-serving systems. And how good churches led by busy people can devise ways to efficiently expedite their duties at the expense of others. But at some point, someone has to raise the question: who’s serving whom? Are administrators serving the staff or are the staff serving the administrators? Is the church enabling missionaries to minister or are the missionaries serving the church? Is the church lightening the load of the front-line workers or are the troops on the ground bearing the additional weight of the church’s efficiently-run service projects? There. I’ve stated it. I feel much better now! </div><div> </div><div><em>Bob Lupton, January 2010</em></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td><td align="left" class="mainBackground" valign="top" width="33%" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="region guideSidebar" id="guideSidebar" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></div></td></tr><tr><td align="left" class="mainBackground" colspan="2" valign="top" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><div class="region guideFooter" id="guideFooter" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="html block_divider guideBlock" id="gtU8wJVB" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana, Geneva; background-color: rgb(238, 238, 238); padding-top: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); "><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 590px; "><tbody><tr style="height: 10px; "><td class="dividerColor" style="border-collapse: collapse; background-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); font-family: Verdana, Geneva; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); "><div style="font-size: 1px; line-height: 1px; "> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></blockquote></span>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-92085954312602144852009-09-14T15:02:00.000-07:002009-09-14T15:03:06.352-07:00Important Meeting Tomorrow Night<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><div>As many of you know, we've been working in collaboration with the EARN group and one of the Menlo Park City Councilmen to implement an innovative approach toward saving local homeowners in foreclosure. This approach effectively de-leverages local homeowners through an innovative investment of city redevelopment funds coupled with mortgage write down by local banks. We believe this approach is exceedingly fair to both the city and the homeowner and could end up saving 10 to 13 homeowners. Additionally, we're hoping this will serve as a pilot program to other cities. Tomorrow night the city council will host a study session for the plan. If passed, the city will allocate $1 million to this project, to be paid back to city coffers over time. </div><br /><div>If all goes well it will go to a vote on October 6th. We have had positive feedback from the council and staff members to this point. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are a few ways you can help: </div><div><br /></div><div>1) You can attend the council session tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 7:00 pm at the Onetta Harris Community Center and hear about the proposal. The community center address is: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">100 Terminal Ave Menlo Park, CA 94025</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">2) You can tell others about the session, and ask them to also attend</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">3) You can email, call or write the council members to express your support. You can find their contact information here: <a href="http://www.menlopark.org/council/city_council.html">http://www.menlopark.org/council/city_council.html</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">4) Pray that God will guide the council as they consider this proposal</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">I have attached an early draft of the city proposal for your review. The final should be available at the meeting (as we have suggested some changes). Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for your support. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">Regards. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; ">- John</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><br /></span></span></div></span>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-31858760214324987682009-09-08T09:26:00.000-07:002009-09-08T09:34:44.774-07:00Another Useless Homicide in EPAAnother homicide in EPA this weekend. Another young life cut short. This one was closer to home, since it was the son of one of the other tenants in our building. I'm tired of the violence. <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_13288861">You can read the news report here.</a> Pastor Bains knew this young man well.<br /><br /><div>I found strength in the U2 song 'Drowning Man' this morning. I'll take it as words from God and a prayer for the family. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Take my hand<br />You know I'll be there<br />If you can<br />I'll cross the sky for your love<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">For I have promised<br />Oh, to be with you tonight<br />And for the time that will come<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Take my hand<br />You know I'll be there<br />If you can<br />I'll cross the sky for your love<br />And I understand<br />These winds and tides<br />This change of times<br />Won't drag you away<br />Hold on, and hold on tightly<br />Hold on, and don't let go<br />Of my love<br /><br />The storms will pass...the storm will pass...<br />It won't be long now...it won't be long now...<br />His love will last<br />His love will last...forever<br /><br />Take my hand<br />You know I'll be there<br />If you can<br />I'll cross the sky for your love<br />Give you what I hold dear<br /><br />Hold on, hold on tightly<br />Hold on, hold on tightly<br />Rise up, rise up<br />With wings like eagles<br />You run, you run<br />You run and not grow weary<br /><br />...Take my hand, take my hand...<br />Hold on, and hold on tightly<br />Hold on, hold on tightly<br />To this love...last forever<br />To this love...last forever<br /><br />Take my hand</span></span></div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-1983822178770510652009-09-06T08:39:00.000-07:002009-09-06T08:43:54.563-07:00Author of 'Dead Aid' on ColbertThanks for the head's up, <a href="http://www.urbanonramps.com/">Rudy.</a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.urbanonramps.com/"></a><br /><table style="font:11px arial; color:#333; background-color:#f5f5f5" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="360" height="353"><tbody><tr style="background-color:#e5e5e5" valign="middle"><td style="padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a target="_blank" style="color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/">The Colbert Report</a></td><td style="padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align:right; font-weight:bold;">Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</td></tr><tr style="height:14px;" valign="middle"><td style="padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;" colspan="2"><a target="_blank" style="color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/223405/april-01-2009/dambisa-moyo">Dambisa Moyo</a></td></tr><tr style="height:14px; background-color:#353535" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; width:360px; overflow:hidden; text-align:right"><a target="_blank" style="color:#96deff; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/">www.colbertnation.com</a></td></tr><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding:0px;" colspan="2"><embed style="display:block" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:223405" width="360" height="301" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="autoPlay=false" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></td></tr><tr style="height:18px;" valign="middle"><td style="padding:0px;" colspan="2"><table style="margin:0px; text-align:center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" height="100%"><tbody><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding:3px; width:33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes">Colbert Report Full Episodes</a></td><td style="padding:3px; width:33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/">Political Humor</a></td><td style="padding:3px; width:33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/video?keywords=health+care+protesters">Health Care Protests</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><br /><b><i>What say you? Does the traditional models of relief and aid work? What is the alternative?</i></b>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-41005803827548320182009-09-05T10:47:00.000-07:002009-09-05T10:50:42.675-07:00Book: White Man's Burden - thoughts for Labor Day Weekend<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium;"><div style="font-size: 13px; ">I'm reading a fascinating book that has some of the same themes that run through Bob Lupton's recent writing. It's called 'White Man's Burden" by William Easterly. (I get the feeling some of you have read this already.) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Mans-Burden-Efforts-Little/dp/0143038826/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252172102&sr=8-1">You can find it here.</a> The title of the book is somewhat unfortunate, it's meant to be sarcastic. </div><div style="font-size: 13px; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: 13px; ">There are some amazing points here, stuff NCUD and others at CCDA have been talking about for years. I encourage you to check it out - here's a couple of great excepts from the first chapter:</div><div style="font-size: 13px; "><br /></div><div style="font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><i><b>"But I and many other like-minded people keep trying, not to abandon aid to the poor, but to make sure it reaches them. Rich countries have to address the second tragedy if they are going to make any progress on the first tragedy. Otherwise, the current wave of enthusiasm for addressing world poverty will repeat the cycle of its predecessors: idealism, high expectations, disappointing results, cynical backlash."</b></i></span></div></div><div style="font-size: 13px; "><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div style="font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><i><b>"Let’s call the advocates of the traditional approach the </b></i><i><b>Planners</b></i><i><b>, while we call the agents for change in the alternative approach the </b></i><i><b>Searchers</b></i><i><b>."</b></i></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><i><b>"The Planners have the rhetorical advantage of promising great things: the end of poverty. The only thing the Planners have against them is that they gave us the second tragedy of the world’s poor. Poor people die not only because of the world’s indifference to their poverty, but also because of ineffective efforts by those who do care. To escape the cycle of tragedy, we have to be tough on the ideas of the Planners, even while we salute their goodwill."</b></i></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; font-size: 13px; "><i><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "></span><br /></b></i></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><i><b>"Yet helping the poor today requires learning from past efforts. Unfortunately, the West already has a bad track record of previous beautiful goals. A UN summit in 1990, for example, set as a goal for the year 2000 universal primary-school enrollment. (That is now planned for 2015.) A previous summit, in 1977, set 1990 as the deadline for realizing the goal of universal access to water and sanitation. (Under the Millennium Development Goals, that target is now 2015.15 Nobody was held accountable for these missed goals."</b></i></span></div><div><i><b><br /></b></i></div></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><i><b>"As for the actions of the West, asking the aid agencies and development workers to attain utopian ideals makes them much worse at achieving the doable things called for by the Searchers. It also makes them much less accountable for making specific things work, as the focus on the Big Goals of the Big Plan distracts everyone’s attention from whether more children are getting twelve-cent medicines. Acknowledging that development happens mainly through homegrown efforts would liberate the agencies of the West from utopian goals, freeing up development workers to concentrate on more modest, doable steps to make poor people’s lives better."</b></i></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><i><b><br /></b></i></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><i><b>"Idealists, activists, development workers of the world, you have nothing to lose but your utopian chains. Let’s give more power and funds to the many Searchers who are already working in development. You don’t have to immediately eliminate world poverty, bring world peace, or save the environment. You just have to do whatever you discover works with your modest resources to make a difference in the lives of poor people."</b></i></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; ">Interesting and provocative thoughts on a weekend we celebrate the working person! To me, it fits well into the CCDA redefinition of 'Redistribution' into 'giving the poor the necessary skills and resources to work their way out of poverty'.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; "><br /></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; font-size: 13px; ">What do you think? </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div></div></span>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-81110111837105128022009-09-01T08:22:00.000-07:002009-09-01T08:24:34.455-07:00Pagmill May Still Get What's ComingMany have been following the fight betweeen the City and EPA's largest landlord, Pagemill Properties. Here is a recent news article about their financial woes. You can't mistreat the poor and get away with it. God's justice will prevail. <div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; "><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td height="38px" style="padding-top: 3px; "><b>The Daily News 09/01/2009, Page A01</b><br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td width="400px"><div id="content"><div id="topscroll"></div><p align="justify"><span class="abody">EAST PALO ALTO</span><span class="maintitle"><b><br /><br />Page Mill may lose <b>1</b>,700 units</b></span><span class="abody"> <b><br />n</b><span class="subtitle"><b>Properties spokesman says company didn’t make $50M payment to Wells Fargo</b></span><br /><span class="abody"><b><br /><br />BY JESSICA BERNSTEINWAX</b></span><span class="abody"><br /><br />Daily News Staff Writer</span><span class="abody"><br /><br />A Page Mill Properties spokesman said Monday that the ownership of more than 1,700 units in East Palo Alto is in question after the company failed to make a $50 million payment to Wells Fargo Bank</span><span class="abody"> last month.</span><span class="abody"> The company and its subsidiaries couldn’t make the onetime balloon payment on Aug. 4 because of financial problems</span><span class="abody"> due to the economy, spokesman Sam Singer said.<br /><br />“They have been successfully servicing the debt on the loans for the properties, but this balloon payment — they just didn’t have that amount on hand due to the declining economy,” Singer said.<br /><br />He added that Page Mill is in talks with Wells Fargo and hopes to reach some resolution in the next month or so.<br /><br />“It’s ironic that the bank would not want to renegotiate</span><span class="abody"> the loan in a flexible manner given the glut of foreclosed properties on the market,” Singer said.<br /><br />He added that the loan has nothing to do with a nearly $70 million investment the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, or CalPERS, made in the properties in 2006.<br /><br />Wells Fargo did not immediately respond to an e-mail requesting comment Monday.<br /><br />Tenants became alarmed after seeing employees of Woodland</span><span class="abody"> Park Management — Page Mill’s property management company — taking down signs Monday.<br /><br />However, Singer said the company took down one large sign advertising its properties only because the city ordered it to do so. East Palo Alto and Page Mill are involved in a bitter legal dispute over rent increases and other issues, with about 10 active lawsuits pending between them.</span></span></p><p align="justify"><span class="abody">It wasn’t clear Monday whether Page Mill’s financial problems are connected with the recent closure of a number of swimming pools at the properties. The pools remained closed Monday afternoon with signs indicating San Mateo County health officials shut them down Aug. 21</span><span class="abody"> due to lack of chlorination.<br /><br />At least one of the pools was bright green with algae.<br /><br />Tenants should not experience any changes in management as the property owners negotiate with Wells Fargo, Singer said.<br /><br />“For the time being, Page Mill is in control of the property and will continue to assist the tenants with any life safety and any</span><span class="abody"> habitation issues, any livability issues,” Singer said.<br /><br />“They are in the same position as many regular people, husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, who given the declining economy don’t have enough money in the bank.”</span><span class="abody"> <i><br /><br />E-mail Jessica Bernstein-Wax at <a href="mailto:jbernstein@dailynewsgroup.com">jbernstein@dailynewsgroup.com</a>.<br /></i></span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-64739487261094305642009-08-21T12:09:00.000-07:002009-08-21T12:12:46.307-07:00Lupton on Mission Trips vs. Kingom TourismHee's some very insightful words from <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.fcsministries.org">Bob Lupton</a> calling for truth in advertising for a $2 billion 'missions' industry...<br /><br /><blockquote>Cheerios just got a black eye. For as long as I can remember, those little round “O”s have been a breakfast favorite of both children and adults. Kids have spelled words with them in their cereal bowls, moms have carried baggies of them in their purses for snacks, dads have shoveled down spoonfuls as they hurried out the door on the way to work. In recent years these nutritious, fiber-rich, toasted 100% whole grain oat delights have boasted an amazing ability to lower bad cholesterol. I believed them. Who wouldn’t believe in Cheerios? Then some whistle-blower or competitor cried foul and the Federal Trade Commission took a close look at these health claims. Cheerios may be nutritious but no longer can they claim to lower cholesterol. They got caught doing false advertising.<br />Is it buyer beware or do we want government watchdogs checking the validity of our marketing practices? Frankly, I’m glad there is some ethical standard in our society that attempts to maintain a modicum of honesty. Can you imagine living in a culture where you could believe nothing that you read or heard? What chaos! I’m disappointed in Cheerios. I wish their advertising were as wholesome as their 100% whole grain oats. But I’ll keep eating the little “O”s for breakfast. And I’ll also keep taking my cholesterol pills.<br />The Federal Trade Commission, an independent agency of the U.S. government, is charged with keeping American business free and fair. Included in its many responsibilities is “to prevent the dissemination of false and deceptive advertising of goods, drugs, curative devices, and cosmetics.” False claims, whether by Cheerios, car dealers or snake oil peddlers, when detected are subject to public exposure, penalties and immediate corrective action. The FTC has jurisdiction over a broad spectrum of activities but there is one realm it cannot penetrate – the church. The church-state barrier offers protection against government intrusion into the practice of organized religion. Of course, one would expect that, since the Judeo-Christian traditions are foundational to the ethical and moral codes of American society, the church would be the last institution in need of ethical policing.<br />Certainly the church is not without its flaws. The moral failure of church leaders is legendary. The media feeds off such scandal. Yet, in spite of the damage caused by the occasional fall of religious leaders, the church as an institution strives to preserve and protect high standards of conduct. Though its members, and too often its leaders, fail to measure up to its high ideals, the church remains the primary guardian of moral and ethical values. It may wrestle with controversial issues of the day such as gay marriage and abortion, but it does so in pursuit of a moral high ground. <br />But there is one area that seems to have eluded the ethical scrutiny of the church. Churches from the left to the right, high and low, share the same blind spot. Perhaps it’s because the practice is so pervasive or because the claims seem so spiritual. But if the FTC were to shine the spotlight on the marketing of missions, the expose would be, well, perhaps not damning but certainly embarrassing. Take a look at most any promotional package for a mission trip and you will get the distinct impression that lost, starving, forsaken people have their last hope riding on the willingness of Christians from the US to come and rescue them. The pictures are heart-rending – a close-up of a child’s sad face, a tin-roof shack beside an open sewage ditch, an old woman struggling under a load of firewood sticks. The emotional call goes out for the “healed, trained, empowered and Spirit filled teens to be missionaries to the world.” Such experiences promise to touch lives, change the world, and have a dramatic, life-changing impact on those who will sacrifice their comfort to go. For a week!<br />Can we be honest? Mission trips and service projects are important. For lots of reasons. But the truth of the matter is that dropping into a strange culture for a week or even two creates far more work for the local leadership than it’s worth, except for the money and gifts we leave. And those gifts more often than not do more long-term harm than good. As one local leader told me: “They’re turning our people into beggars.” Much of the work we do is make-work – painting a church, digging a foundation, leading a summer Bible school – all work that could and should be done by locals. “Our men need the work,” a seminary president once told me as we discussed the impact of US mission trippers in her impoverished country.<br />But this treatise is not about the downstream impact of mission trips. Some ambitious young reporter seeking to make a name for himself will sooner or later handle that expose. This is about the dishonesty in our marketing of these trips. Our “people-are-dying-and-you-can-save-them” rhetoric may be effective spin to lure young people (and older as well) into signing up but we know that only on rare occasions is this actually true. Yes, there are Katrinas. But the overwhelming majority of our mission trips are to places where the needs for development are far greater than for emergency assistance. And development is about enabling indigenous people to help themselves, not doing the work for them. Development is much longer term, calls for professional expertise and planning, requires lending and investing – not the sort of things that lend themselves to a typical short-term mission trip. <br />I am not saying that mission trips don’t have value. They do. Great value. They open up new worlds, new perspectives, new insights. They expose us to fascinating cultures, connect us with new friends, allow us to experience God at work in surprising ways, inspire us, break our hearts, build camaraderie among traveling companions. Any one of these benefits might well justify the time and expense. But isn’t it time we admit to ourselves that mission trips are essentially for our benefit, not for the benefit of the ones our marketing material portray? Would it not be more forthright if we called our junkets “insight trips” or “exchange programs”? Or how about Kingdom adventures? Do we really need to justify our journeying to exotic lands under the pretense of missionary work? Religious tourism would have much more integrity if we simply admitted that we’re off to explore God’s amazing work in the world.<br />I know we have to have good reason to justify spending the kind of money we do on mission trips. US churches spent well over $2 billion (that’s with a “b”) on them last year. This is not at all inconsistent with our normative pattern of church spending, however. We typically spend upwards of 95% of church budgets on ourselves anyway. So to admit that mission trip expenditures are primarily for the spiritual benefit of our members would not be out of line, that is if we feel justified spending that percentage on ourselves. But that’s a discussion for another time. Our subject here is marketing with integrity.<br />So how do we capture the imagination, the compassion, of a younger generation if not by appealing to the tenderness of their hearts? Come to think of it, it was the story of fatherless children that drew me into urban work nearly 40 years ago. I wanted to make a difference. That was a powerful motivator. So maybe “touching lives” and “changing the world” is appropriate rhetoric after all. It certainly appealed to my compassionate side and it played at least some part in shaping my call into ministry. The idea of sacrifice was also appealing to me, to offer myself up to a cause of great importance. I wanted my life to count. That was important. But playing to those tender Spirit-sensitivities should be done with great care. Setting up unrealistic expectations can lead to discouragement. Portraying false representations can lead to cynicism. Is it not enough to simply say “come and see” and then allow the Spirit to do the touching and surprising? <br />Here’s my bottom line: the Kingdom doesn’t need our hype. The Kingdom needs people who speak the truth.<br /><br />- Bob Lupton</blockquote>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-51850887529481397562009-07-24T17:05:00.001-07:002009-07-24T17:05:40.837-07:00off the gridI'll be off the grid for the next couple of week on vacation, blogcation, twittercation, email-cation, work-phone-cation and facebook-cation. see you in August!John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-40351634531434944512009-07-22T07:58:00.000-07:002009-07-22T08:27:56.085-07:00Wisdom from Tozer<blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves., waiting for us to recognize it. God himself is here waiting our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to recon upon it's reality.</span> </blockquote>From "The Pursuit of God" by A. W. Tozer<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-God-W-Tozer/dp/0978479912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248274898&sr=8-1">Get the book here.</a> It's one of my 'desert island' books...John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-78181117559554976632009-07-17T14:33:00.000-07:002009-07-17T14:40:28.810-07:00My Intervew in Sojourners MagazineSee it <a href="http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0908&article=six-questions-for---rev-john-liotti">here.</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Short Takes<br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Six Questions For ... Rev. John Liotti<br />Interview by Elizabeth Palmberg</span><br /><br />B<span style="font-weight:bold;">io: Founder and CEO, Northern California Urban Development (www.norcaludc.org)<br />Blog: norcalurban.blogspot.com</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1. How would you describe Northern California Urban Development’s work? </span><br />Our vision is broad—to relieve the causes and effects of systemic poverty. We strive to have an effect on “the street.” We’re honored to serve amazing communities: East Palo Alto and Redwood City. East Palo Alto specifically, while having an abundance of assets, has been overlooked by the success of our surrounding area, Silicon Valley.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. What have you accomplished? </span><br />In NCUD’s short four-year history, we’ve brought a credit union to East Palo Alto, which was desperately unbanked and being preyed upon by financial predators. We’ve also founded a youth program that focuses on financial literacy and life skills, which is currently serving more than 200 “urban” students weekly. We’re working on an approach toward the housing crisis, including brokering an innovative program where cities help homeowners refinance in exchange for a stake in the house’s future appreciation. These efforts strive to break the curse of generational poverty by giving folks the tools and resources to conquer poverty.<br /><br />The hallmark of all we’ve done is partnerships—collaborative relationships with individuals and organizations from outside and inside our community. Our role, in many ways, is to cast and shepherd the vision to completion—but to do so in a collaborative manner.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. What is the best thing anyone has taught you in your work? </span><br />Dr. John Perkins, quoting an ancient proverb, says, “But of the best leaders, when their task is done, the people will remark, ‘We have done it ourselves.’ ” This has been a great challenge to me. So many times we want the credit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. What’s your biggest challenge personally? </span><br />To maintain balance and joy. It’s so easy to focus on what isn’t right, rather than to celebrate the good things: family, community, beauty, and art. Being in a community with a lot of needs, I can find myself putting out fires and dealing with the urgent, but not necessarily the most important. I’m learning that if I’m not striving for a healthy lifestyle, then there is no way I can be a healing presence in the community. I’m not there yet—but I’m trying!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. What delights you in your daily work? </span><br />There is so much creativity and energy in the body of Christ. I love finding ways to connect the resources and individuals who can create change with the need—and help them engage in the process of transformation. I’m excited when I see folks using their skills and resources in kingdom of God work.<br /><br />I also take delight in seeing young leaders find their calling. I love seeing the next generation rise up and take its place!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. What gives you hope? </span><br />My pastor recently made a statement that, while simple, struck me. He said, “You know, the throne’s not empty up there!” There are so many things to worry about these days. When I stop, center myself, and realize that God is truly in control, I can rest and find joy. <br /><br />—Interview by Elizabeth PalmbergJohn Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-4448971662819864472009-06-15T11:02:00.001-07:002009-06-15T11:07:39.071-07:00Stunning Op-Ed in NYT on the Current Reality for the PoorHere is a stark article in the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/opinion/14ehrenreich.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1">New York Times</a> abotu the current conditions for the poor. Here's the summary: <blockquote>The recession of the ’80s transformed the working class into the working poor, as manufacturing jobs fled to the third world, forcing American workers into the low-paying service and retail sector. The current recession is knocking the working poor down another notch — from low-wage employment and inadequate housing toward erratic employment and no housing at all. Comfortable people have long imagined that American poverty is far more luxurious than the third world variety, but the difference is rapidly narrowing.<br /><br />Maybe “the economy,” as depicted on CNBC, will revive again, restoring the kinds of jobs that sustained the working poor, however inadequately, before the recession. Chances are, though, that they still won’t pay enough to live on, at least not at any level of safety and dignity. In fact, hourly wage growth, which had been running at about 4 percent a year, has undergone what the Economic Policy Institute calls a “dramatic collapse” in the last six months alone. In good times and grim ones, the misery at the bottom just keeps piling up, like a bad debt that will eventually come due.</blockquote>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-85542434828545484272009-05-17T08:59:00.000-07:002009-05-17T09:07:01.320-07:00M. Ward<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSK2ZonQC9Ej0fQLZysDDDYF5TT2p_ELgQ_SHH5FfdJsCKhLTEklo8q2yVEvFPXOQijRb2phkWDou9CvuJsZfoXbd0HkzikYQTjHWfw1H7g4oHUjKuq5j0OY6MGc_D509bilpYdw/s1600-h/IMG_0080.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSK2ZonQC9Ej0fQLZysDDDYF5TT2p_ELgQ_SHH5FfdJsCKhLTEklo8q2yVEvFPXOQijRb2phkWDou9CvuJsZfoXbd0HkzikYQTjHWfw1H7g4oHUjKuq5j0OY6MGc_D509bilpYdw/s200/IMG_0080.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336824175384131890" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1ZviX5X49usqsagtqyDUFVwcp5RlccD3YCAyJW2PUDB4vP-43KFtAQZI9aZqPG4O8DJYpfVoW9BmfQlQR-O0p0FK_WZRGCLhMKe4D8Ag9leBaWWYrCa09lK6SCczZRvsLCb9nw/s1600-h/IMG_0087.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE1ZviX5X49usqsagtqyDUFVwcp5RlccD3YCAyJW2PUDB4vP-43KFtAQZI9aZqPG4O8DJYpfVoW9BmfQlQR-O0p0FK_WZRGCLhMKe4D8Ag9leBaWWYrCa09lK6SCczZRvsLCb9nw/s200/IMG_0087.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336824169237219122" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aCls6uAYC8_1b5kHbJSQqdX7r-aiCCzJ0eK_B35KOlVUSDQTTaENKTQtT4NbD6Q-flvr8lc423oCEZz8GfxWUB3xo09x7dDsr3uJjVCAdu9n7QoCBpVcl19KqYFmHuwQdAfWzA/s1600-h/IMG_0086.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2aCls6uAYC8_1b5kHbJSQqdX7r-aiCCzJ0eK_B35KOlVUSDQTTaENKTQtT4NbD6Q-flvr8lc423oCEZz8GfxWUB3xo09x7dDsr3uJjVCAdu9n7QoCBpVcl19KqYFmHuwQdAfWzA/s200/IMG_0086.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336824168054928514" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sam, Melissa and I went to see M. Ward last night. The newly renovate Fox Theatre in Oakland is truly amazing. It's a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">restored</span> 1920's movie palace. It could now be my favorite venue for shows in the Bay. <div><br /></div><div>M. was amazing. He's the real deal, for sure. An amazing guitarist, intriguing vocalist and brought along a stellar backing band. He'll be around for a long time - I'm sure. Here's video: <object width="580" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-uVj_LCMv70&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-uVj_LCMv70&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="580" height="360"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div></div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-40047555350008606312009-05-12T05:51:00.000-07:002009-05-12T11:17:03.926-07:00Reflections from Jackson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKuIVh4qF18UxPz4mZ9k9DEaad5RTjKeVcHC0t5sRAlGOWp7cjLHVqaXM_oNBsNbJb8NDpGKXmU-EyiQAIFXqWjHd4GM3nNO_OT7Elrs7sU6i7l10xBN6CcS9rBnyu35epQG5zw/s1600-h/IMG_0076.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKuIVh4qF18UxPz4mZ9k9DEaad5RTjKeVcHC0t5sRAlGOWp7cjLHVqaXM_oNBsNbJb8NDpGKXmU-EyiQAIFXqWjHd4GM3nNO_OT7Elrs7sU6i7l10xBN6CcS9rBnyu35epQG5zw/s320/IMG_0076.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334920182968008066" /></a> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Reflections from Jackson</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">For the better part of the last year I’ve been working on the Emerging Leader’s Initiative for the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). This initiative is designed to recognize and empower the emerging leaders within CCDA. John Perkins, Wayne Gordon, Mary Nelson and many others originally founded CCDA in the 1980’s. These men and women were very tight-nit and have a strong bond of friendships. CCDA has now grown to be many thousands of people. As a board we’ve been concerned about the aging of the leadership of the Association and I was tasked to develop and lead this initiative. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">The initiative revolves around choosing 20 or so individuals, we call them cohorts, to journey together for a year. The cohorts are mostly leaders under 40 years old who are in primary leadership in a CCDA member organization. During the year there is a focus on relationships, on transfixing the ‘legacy’ of the founders and considering the future of CCDA. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Last week was our first cohort retreat. We traveled to Jackson, MS to be with John Perkins for a week. CEO Noel Castellanos and board Chairperson Barbara Williams-Skinner also joined us. One unexpected blessing was to have Lowell and Dixie Noble also join us for the week. Mr. and Mrs. Nobel are likewise CCDA pioneers. Lowell is a theologian and provides much of the theological reflections for CCDA principles. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Last week’s retreat was truly a wonderful and anointed experience. The cohort team came with a spirit of excitement and expectation. In addition to Noel and Dr. Skinner’s anointed teaching John Perkins was in amazing form. It’s such an honor to sit under that humble servant of God. Every time I’m with him I have the sense I’m in the presence of greatness. I imagine it’s much like being with one of the Apostles or one of the great historical leaders of our faith. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">One of the highlights of the trip (among many) was our time in Mendenhall. On Thursday we rented a tour bus and traveled with Dr. Perkins to the place of his early ministry during the civil rights movement. Mendenhall, MS was where he planted a church and founded Mendenhall Ministries, which was the early model of CCD ministry. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Along the journey to Mendenhall Dr. Perkins narrated some of the stories of his youth. We stopped by the truck stop on the infamous Highway 49 that Dr. Perkins and his team integrated. He recounted the story of literally having to sit on his hands in the booth as he ordered food because his hands were shaking out of fear. He told the story of parking on the side of the road during MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, weeping over the impact of the words on a young civil rights soldier. We saw one of the jails he spent time in while being persecuted for standing for justice and his rights. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Dr. Perkins had many works of wisdom for us. He admonished us to remember the poor. He challenged us to focus our ministries on the neighborhood and not to be concerned with fame or largess. He talked at length about the simplicity of serving and not asking for a return. I was over and over impressed with the ‘mustard seed’ faith of this man. I saw the results of simple acts of faith and trust in God. For those of us in the CCDA family Mendenhall is a sort of Mecca or akin to the Vatican. It’s a place that helped define many of our lives. As I walked around the small Southern town I was shocked how normal it was. We saw young African-American boys and girls playing in a school with white children. Perhaps this is a mundane everyday occurrence in our generation. However, only 40 years ago that would have been an act of treason. Simple faith produced results that changed a generation. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Dr. Skinner likewise was profound. Her late husband Tom Skinner was a close friend and Kingdom conspirator with Dr. Perkins. Barbara told of her and Tom’s courtship, marriage and ministry. Barbara talked about her conversion and a lifetime of ministry in Washington, DC. Today she regularly walks the halls of congress interceding for the congressmen and congresswomen. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">Barbara called us to be ‘lifers’ in the work of restoring communities and serving the poor. Aptly and prophetically she ended her sessions with us talking to us about prayer. She emphasized that prayer is where the seeds of change are planted. I again was challenged to a deeper prayer life. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">However, one of the greatest blessings of the whole week was having my son Samuel with me. Melissa and I decided to pull him from school so he could participate and observe Dr. Perkins life and ministry. The cohort team embraced him and included him in all of the events. I’m grateful for their expression of love to my son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I pray that this experience was formative as he enters high school and begins to seek God’s will for his life. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:-.5in">All in all I’m overwhelmed and somewhat exhausted from the week. I have yet to digest all the events and experiences. As is hopefully the whole team, I’m already getting excited about the next gathering in Santa Cruz. It’s such an honor to serve these wonderful leaders, both the cohorts and the CCDA board and founders. </p> <!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment-->John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-50918328267262019662009-05-05T06:17:00.000-07:002009-05-05T06:21:11.288-07:00SF Chronicle Article on Our Project<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/05/BUHJ17ED9B.DTL">See the entire article here. </a><blockquote>Menlo Park's City Council tonight will consider an innovative approach to preventing foreclosure for struggling homeowners - but one that comes with a big up-front price tag for the city.<br /><br />"To me, the most important thing is to keep people in their homes and not disrupt families, not take kids out of school," said Councilman Andy Cohen. "This is the only program on the horizon that does that."<br /><br />The Foreclosure Prevention Program targets owner-occupied homes with mortgages more than 90 days past due. Program administrators would approach the bank that holds the defaulting mortgage and ask it to sell the mortgage at the home's current fair market value - the same amount the bank would receive if the home went through foreclosure, but with fewer expenses and less time and trouble for the bank, said David Shapiro, CEO of the EARN Group, a Los Gatos company that develops real estate financing tools.<br /><br />A local community bank would then refinance the mortgage for about 70 percent of the home's fair market value. In what is essentially a "silent second mortgage," the city would put up about 30 percent of the home's value as a cash investment, leaving the homeowner with a mortgage for 70 percent of the home's fair market value at today's low interest rates. The homeowner's monthly housing costs potentially could be halved, EARN said.<br /><br />The city would have an equity stake in the home. It would get repaid when the home is sold (assuming it sells for more than today's price) and would also receive half of the home's appreciation above the current market value. If the home sells for less than today's price, or is lost to foreclosure, the city could lose part or all of its investment, because it would be in second place after the bank that did the refinancing.</blockquote><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 22px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; "><p>EARN, a for-profit company, teamed with the nonprofit Northern California Urban Development, an East Palo Alto group that works to alleviate poverty, to develop the program, and is now seeking cities to serve as testing grounds. Shapiro said large banks have expressed interest in the plan, and a small credit union, Community Trust in East Palo Alto, is willing to do the refinancings for Menlo Park, as well as for East Palo Alto, which also is considering the plan.</p><p>"This is aimed at keeping people in their houses in their communities, rather than having the houses turn over and flip," said Marc Prioleau, a founding board member of NCUD.</p></span></blockquote>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-84509373551051574142009-05-01T07:28:00.000-07:002009-05-01T07:31:51.181-07:00Sam, Malik, Cody and SierraSam's gonna be a star! No doubt! This is his rap group.<br /><br />Song: Glommy Day<br />Priduced by Samuel J. Liotti<br />Vocals: Samuel J. Liotti, Malik R., Sierra and Cody K.<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8JVoUAXmQKU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8JVoUAXmQKU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-16007550277299056732009-04-25T19:39:00.000-07:002009-04-25T22:02:55.443-07:00Meet Up in DC -Cross post from <a href="http://www.urbanonramps.com/?p=654">Urban Onramps</a> For thise who are attending the <a href="http://sojo.net/index.cfm?action=events.m2ep&item=m2ep-home">Mobilazation to End Poverty (M2EP)</a> we're meeting Sunday night. Come on - all you west coasters will be hitting your stride at 8:00 pm! <br /><br /><blockquote>DC MEETUP THIS SUNDAY NIGHT: Here’s a Meet-Up in conjunction with the Mobilization to End Poverty (MEP). The MEP starts on Monday morning, and for those who are in town on Sunday night and would like to connect, the spot is Lauriol Plaza Restaurant in DC, 1835 18th Street NW (about three blocks from DuPont Circle). We’ll be there for dessert (or whatever else you choose) starting at 8 p.m. So far… it’s me, John Liotti from NorCal Urban CDC, and Glory Okeke from Harambee Prep. Open Invitation - All Are Welcome. Email me if you plan to attend (or send a tweet).<br /></blockquote>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19259793.post-23627187363468308652009-04-22T17:26:00.000-07:002009-04-22T17:31:55.716-07:00Cultivating Community Based Financial LiteracyEvidence suggests that these types of (financial literacy) programs can be successful in helping the unbanked and underserved improve their financial skills and develop successful banking relationships. For example, a survey of participants in the FDIC's Money Smart program, showed that financial education training can positively change consumer behavior and improve knowledge about the basics of checking, saving, budgeting, and credit. Money Smart is a financial education curriculum launched in 2001 by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation that is in wide use today.<br /><br />The survey results indicate that participants, 6 to 12 months after taking the Money Smart training, were more likely to open deposit accounts, save money in a mainstream deposit product, use and adhere to a budget, and have increased confidence in their financial ability. In addition, more than half of the respondents reported that their level of savings increased, their debt decreased, and they were more likely to comparison-shop for financial products and services.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.occ.gov/cdd/Ezines/spring09/articles/look_inside/cde09spring01.htm">See the whole article here.</a><br />Check out more information on NCUD's financial literacy efforts <a href="http://www.norcaludc.org/">Here. Click on "programs".</a><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>John Liottihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18142936641601868298noreply@blogger.com0