NorCalUrban

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.) You can find it here. The title of the book is somewhat unfortunate, it's meant to be sarcastic. 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: "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." "Let’s call the advocates...

Reflections from Jackson 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. 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. Last w...

My friend and CCDA "emerging leader" Andrew Marin of the  The Marin Foundation just had his first book published "Love is an Orientation". Andrew is elevating the important conversation between the evangelical and homosexual community. You can get his book here. You can also read his blog here or check out the recent Christianity Today review of the book. This is obviously an important for us living in the SF Bay with our active and large homosexual community. We've been feeling the backlash from the California Proposition 8 decision and the impact it has had on both communities. I'm proud of Andrew, thankful that he is elevating an important conversation.

To all of my deprived readers (if there are any left), Please forgive my absence. Frankly, blogging started to feel more like work than fun - so a break was in order. Going forward, I hope to be more focused with my posts. They may be less frequent but hopefully will have slightly more content. Over the past three months I've focused my attention on a few key issues. The first and main issue is formulating a response to the current housing crisis. We've been working on a Housing Market Stabilization Initiative (HMSI) which would work to intervene for families who are losing their homes. Secondly, NCUD's  youth program, now dubbed "Future Profits"is growing and needing more and more attention. Lastly, I've been working on an Emerging Leader Initiative (ELI) for CCDA . The ELI will be a one year cohort program designed to pass on the CCDA legacy from the founders including Dr. John Perkins. Overarching all of this is the economy - which is making all of us in th...

Just returned from a wonderful CCDA board meeting in Cincinnati. Just made it out before the snow and frigid cold. Boy, do I love the Bay Area! You HAVE to check this out. here is a wonderful article on Dr. John Perkins called Radical Faith: The Revolution of John Perkins that was in the Jackson Free Press. It's a wonderful read... especially in light of the upcoming inauguration of President Obama. I'd love to hear your comments.

OK - I know I haven't been posting much lately. After the  CCDA conference, then a week of vacation I came back to a whirlwind. I hope I still have some readers! Here's a few things that has been going on to catch you up on the randomness of my life: - Andy Hartwell, founder and former Executive Director of my former employer Bayshore Christian Ministries attended Max Torres' funeral. Here's some of Andy's reflections "I went to Max' funeral. It was pretty amazing. We got there a little before 10 and still ended up sitting in the gymnasium. The sanctuary and overflow room were already packed. Later, the little passageway between the 2 got packed out as well. I think there were 1000 people there, certainly 800+. Lots of bikers. The speakers were great. They really knew Max and reflected well on his personality and his legacy. It was really positive without being at all shallow. It wasn't happy-happy; it was really moving. His oldest son got up to thank...

Left San Jose for Miami yesterday for the  CCDA board meeting and conference. 7:30 AM flight, the sky was beautiful as we took off. After a long delay in Chicago I arrived at the hotel at 9:30 pm. On Wednesday lots of EPA folks arrive. Jenni and Gil from our office at NCUD, Joe, Linda and Phil from Community Trust Credit Union, Heather from FYBY, and Rolando and Amy from BCM. I'm looking forward to hanging with all the EPA folks in Miami. I'll post updates as often as I can throughout the week.  If you're coming to the conference please don't miss the specific 'emerging' CCDA leader's track that I've been organizing. Heather and I are also doing a workshop on leadership transition on Thursday. I'm also leading a panel discussion on Thursday at lunch. Here's some details: - Emerging Leader Panel: CCD and Shalom as Implemented by the Next Generation of CCDA Leadership - Thursday, 11:45am - 12:45pm - When the Sand Shifts: Personal Leadership Tr...

Just arrived in Dallas. I'm here for the  National Federation of Community Development Credit Union's annual conference. I arrived late, so I had to grab a bite to eat in the lounge before crashing. It's in the same hotel the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) conference was at a few years ago. We attended that conference with the Bayshore Christian Ministries staff. I still remember the BCM folks playing broom hockey at the rink nearby. It's good to be here. "The Federation" provided us council and assistance as we organized the partnership that brought about Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto. I hear Juan Hernandez will be here tomorrow. I hope to connect with him. Juan spoke at the CCDA conference a few years ago also. I do a workshop tomorrow afternoon then jump on a late flight back. In the last six weeks I've been in NYC, LA (twice), Chicago and now Dallas. As much as I like to travel, I'm ready to be home for a sp...

The last few weeks have been extremely busy - evidenced by my lack of blogging.  As I write this I'm on the way home from the CCDA board meeting - of which I recently became a member. I got to O'Hare somewhat early and after a short nap on the floor - felt ready to post an update. (I'm sure I'm quite the sight as I snore away in a corner... )It's an honor to serve CCDA and Noel Castellanos - the new CEO. While I've enjoyed getting to know all the members, it's been a particular joy to spend time with Dr. Louis Carlo from (where else...) NYC. Dr. Carlo is a wonderful, fun, brilliant and warm man.  Last weekend we attended another amazing  Urban Youth Workers Institute in Los Angeles. It was a special honor to have my son Samuel do a workshop with me. We spoke on " What Do You Do When The Community You Serve Doesn't Look Like You?" Sam did a great job. He had the chance to speak about his life and experiences growing up in East Palo Alto. A cou...

What a great weekend! Last Friday and Saturday we were honored to co-host the Christian Community Development Association's (CCDA) Institute at our church (St. Samuel's). On Friday Noel Castellanos taught the class, "The Church's Role in Community Development" and on Saturday Bob Lupton taught on "Empowerment". Both classes seemed appropiate for what God is doing in East Palo Alto and the Bay Area.  We had an intimate group for both days which made the class interactive and fun. On Thursday night Melissa and I got to spend some time with Noel, and had a great dinner at Palace Barbaque in Sunnyvale. Noel is on a no-carb diet - and there is no better place to eat meat than Palace! I had a major grant application due Friday, so I was in and out for Noel's class - but the couple of hours I spent there were rich. I was able to attend all of Bob's teaching on Saturday. This is my second time through this class - and it seems to get better each time. B...

Join us for the the Christian Community Development Association ( CCDA ) Institute this Friday and Saturday. You can read more  here.   On Friday Noel Castellanos will be speaking on 'The Church's Role in Changing Communities" and on Saturday Bob Lupton will be speaking on "Empowerment".  Classes are from 9 to 4 each day and are located at St. Samuel at 1199 E. Bayshore Rd. in East Palo Alto. Call our office at 650-328-1890 for more information. 

It's been hard to get a chance to blog this year. I had hoped for a more relaxed pace once the credit union was open. I guess I was wrong.  This year has already been fruitful and busy. Here are some bullet point updates on what's going on.  - This weekend is the Bay Area Reload  event at Patten University in Oakland. This year Bart Campolo, Leroy Barber and Joy Challenger are our speakers. Yours truly is doing a workshop on suburban / urban partnerships. If you're in the area, come and join us! - I've recently joined two boards of director, one for One East Palo Alto, a local non profit intermediary organization and Christian Community Development Association. I'm honored to serve both these excellent organizations. Last Tuesday I attended my first OEPA board meeting and last week I was in Miami for the CCDA board meeting. All that to say my plate is full... - My parents are out here. Dad is an electrician who specializes in nuclear power. He's working down at...

At CCDA Plenary Session: Mt 5:45 God "rains" on the just and unjust God can be good to sinners The Unjust recieve: Common grace Dispensed by Social institutions To people Supported by taxes The Just recieve Saving grace Church dispensed To people Supported by tithes However, the just must influence and impact the way that the unjust recieve grace. It's our role to monitor and control the dispensation of grace to the world. From Nyack College afterparty where Dr. Benard addressed college student's questions: How to build effective ministry Establish purpose Craft statment One word reason for sucess: persistence How did you recieve your call? Call is progressive - a process. "like a NYC block - see the end, walk towards it." Knew what he was not supposed to do. Other Great Comments: Spend your life increasing your value not looking to increase your influence. Integrity is a powerful thing. Be extra careful in your interactions. Hamilton federaist papers - bui...

Early Wednesday morning, June 20, 2007, a fire devastated a North Philadelphia neighborhood causing 100 residents to evacuate. Among those affected by this fire was CCDA board member, Shane Claiborne and many of his neighbors and fellow workers of the Simple Way. You can get more information at the Simple Way website. Please keep Shane and all of his neighbors in prayer, as many of them have been left homeless.

Last Monday I went to LA to meet with Amy Sherman. We went down to talk to the California / Nevada Credit Union League about Amy's Econonmis program. Economis is an excellent web based 'token economy' that teaches kids econonic literacy through a very like program. We're looking to impliment the program in a local East Palo Alto school and offer the program to three to five other community partners. We had a great time with the League and then headed back to the Ontario airport for our trip back to San Jose. Amy is a great person. Very engaging and bright. She's written a few books including this one. She's recognized as a national leader in CCDA circles. NCUD is thrilled to be workign with her. In EPA we had a great time meeting with our potential partners. I'm especially excited about working at my son's school East Palo Alto Stanford Academy. Jenni and I have alot or work to do to get ready for the roll out of our financial literacy initiative...