2011 Year End Update
CCDA Regional Chapter Pilot:
We kicked off the CCDA Regional Chapter pilot in 2011 by organizing and presenting two major regional CCDA conferences featuring CCDA founder Dr. John Perkins. The Ohio conference was held in Columbus in March and the Western New York conference was held in Buffalo in April. Over 1000 people participated in both conferences. I continue to serve on the Board of Directors of CCDA and was appointed to chair the CCDA Regional Strategy Task Force. This group of key people from around the country came together for meetings, conference calls and a planning retreat. Please pray for the proposal that we will be presenting to the Board in January. I also had the opportunity to lead a workshop on Understanding Poverty and to present as part of a panel with Dr. John Perkins and Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner at Project URGE in Rochester. We will continue to have an emphasis on building a regional network in Ohio and WNY.
Leadership Development:
In 2011, KJ and I focused on our 30 years of experience in discipleship and leadership development by forming initiatives using the home church and cell-based multiplication model. Through our church, we began a culturally diverse Bible study in our home, which has grown from 7 to 23 people. We recently multiplied from 2 to 4 discipleship cell groups. We are also meeting with a young leadership couple in our group (Rod and Megh), with plans to plant a new home group in the urban neighborhood where they minister with Queen City Farm.
We believe that leadership development can best be accomplished in communities of need through personal relational discipleship. Four young people that we meet with from our home group now lead the Merge teen ministry at the Buffalo Christian Center (Ayla, Ahmad, Jerome, Valencia)! Please pray for them and for us as we continue to ask God to use us to raise up leaders through personal discipleship and to work with other groups interested in learning the cell-based multiplication model for their communities of need.
City Networks:
City Vision gathers together urban ministry leaders who are involved in Christian Community Development for fellowship, sharing, training, and prayer on a regular basis. Our Community Partners have been meeting in Columbus since 2005. Friendships are built and we have found that together we can make a greater impact on those in need. We also formed a new network of City Vision Community Partners in Buffalo as a result of the conference in the spring. We have met 4 times since then. We have had the opportunity to serve in a consulting role with several Community Partner ministries!
CITYserve:
One of the greatest needs identified by our Community Partners is for volunteers. City Vision launched a new program this year called CITYserve. KJ has organized the volunteer opportunities with our Community Partners through CITYserve in both Columbus and Buffalo. These opportunities are listed on our website in an easy “pick and click” process. Periodic updates encourage those interested to check out the website for the latest one-time and ongoing opportunities.
Buffalo Christian Center:
City Vision continues our Operational Engagement at the Buffalo Christian Center and I am involved in a huge way serving as the Executive Director. This was a year of transition with the staff at the center. Charlie Pero, a tremendous leader (and now a new friend!), was hired to fill the key position of Operations Director for this 65,000 square foot youth facility! The game room looks great with a miniature golf course, new couches, and new equipment (foosball, air hockey and pool tables). The gym and roller rink are favorites for kids in the city! We are still praying for the financial resources to get the swimming pool open again. The ministry continues to reach people for Christ with programs such as Urban Teen MOPS, Summer Day Camp, hosting Mission Teams, Merge Teen Ministry, Friday Bible Study Lunch and many events including Bills Night Out, Strengthening Urban Churches, Open Center Saturday and The Center Bookstore. We increased to over 44,000 visits in 2011. Over 14,000 were visits to meetings that focused on sharing the gospel.
As you can see we have been really busy this past year! I thank God for my wife KJ, for the great support she is to me and the ministry work she does. We could not do it together without the prayer and financial support of friends like you. We pray that you will consider a year-end gift to help us continue with our plans in the coming year! We are so grateful. May God richly bless you this Christmas season.
A Vision As Big As The City!
After raising my family in South Linden and doing inner city ministry there for fifteen years, I saw God work incredible miracles:
- Hundreds of kids began a relationship with Christ.
- Major crimes went down over 40% in our targeted area.
- The cycle of poverty is being broken in the lives of so many as kids as they graduate from high school and get jobs rather than going to jail.
- The value of marriage is embraced by many couples making marriage commitments.
- People from the community have become leaders in transforming the community.
- People are moving to the community rather than fleeing from it.
I believe these same miracles could transform other high crime and impoverished neighborhoods in our city (and other cities) if the Church would mobilize their people in unity across the racial and class barriers.
City Vision exists to ignite a movement of community transformation. I invite you to become part of this movement by contacting Jim via the
contact form.