Monday, February 06, 2006

"GENTRIFICATION WITH JUSTICE - STARBUCKS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT"

Gentrification affects all of us is urban ministry, either now or in the very near future. In many of our communities it is stampeding us like a runaway herd of cattle.

The Christian Community Development Association is sponsoring a working seminar with Bob Lupton on the challenges of gentrification. The symposium will be on Tuesday, 28 th February, 9 AM until 2 PM at Lawndale Community Church, 3827 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL. The seminar is free to CCDA members and lunch is provided. Non-CCDA members are invited and will be charged the cost of the lunch.

Dr. Robert Lupton is Executive Director of FCS Urban Ministries; he has been engaged in Christian Community Development for more than three decades in his native Atlanta. Bob has lived in the inner-city neighborhoods, he has worked so diligently, faithfully and tirelessly to help redevelop communities to bring about diversity, both racial and economic. He has championed the cause of developing communities that would reflect the kingdom of God. Bob is one of the co-founders of CCDA.

Bob’s work in Atlanta has been a model of how Christians can react to gentrification which is inevitable according to Bob. And while it might be inevitable, Bob encourages us to seek gentrification with justice. The working seminar is entitled “Harnessing the Forces of Gentrification for the Kingdom.”

Please contact Jimmy Gaither at the CCDA office to advise us that you will be attending the Bob Lupton seminar. Jimmy’s email is Jimmy@CCDA.org or you may call him at 773.762.0994. We need to know if you are attending so that we have lunch for all.

The seminar is being co-sponsored by World Vision in Chicago, Extension Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church and Lawndale Community Church.

2 comments:

Westy said...

This sounds very interesting--I wish I could attend.

Gentrification is so interesting. It's regarded as evil in many impoverished communities, but it's a natural market reaction to any positive changes a community experiences. The problem is that you cannot make a neighborhood better without property values rising and thus 'gentrification'. Quite the conundrum.

PrincessMax said...

I think property values rising and property values skyrocketing to the point that long-time residents are pushed out are two different things. I'll be interested to hear what Dr. Lupton has to say.