Busy Summer Days
Greetings from your friends at Invested Faith,
The slow days of summer are upon us but, as you’ll see below, our Fellows are busy doing the hard work of healing the world. We are so honored to celebrate their work. Likewise, our Invested Faith Advisors have increasingly difficult decisions to make as the quarter 3 selection process for our next class of Fellows is underway! The more we investigate, the more we discover the most amazing stories of faithful people undeterred by a declining institution, ready to make justice and peace and wholeness wherever they are and however they can.
And that’s where so many of you can step in and walk alongside Invested Faith Fellows as partners in their work. Invested Faith is a hopeful option for churches and other religious institutions considering long-lasting legacy as their next institutional expression. If you are thinking institutionally or individually about how to leave a meaningful legacy, I’d love to talk about how Invested Faith could be part of helping make that happen.
The long days of summer are slowing us down for rest and renewal, but the work ahead of us is urgent. God’s work in the world is here, waiting for us to join in. Invested Faith is a powerful way to do that—join us!
With God’s peace,
P.S. The next few months you’ll be hearing a lot about my book, Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other. You can already preorder the book online and October 3 the book will be on the shelves! For the month of October I’ll be traveling, speaking, and preaching all over; bookmark my schedule to see if we can connect somewhere near you!
Updates from our Invested Faith Fellows
Our Invested Faith Fellows aren't taking the summer off! Read about their amazing work and news below:
Nikole Lim
Freely in Hope
Invested Faith Fellow Nikole Lim and her organization, Freely in Hope, have a vision to end the cycle of sexual violence through equipping survivors to take the lead. This month, Freely in Hope hosted Redeeming Sanctuaries, an event designed to equip Christian leaders with the tools and resources they need to promote safety in their churches and organizations.
Redeeming Sanctuaries brought together Christian leaders representing 30 different churches and organizations in the belief that "churches and Christian organizations and leaders inspired by their faith, can transform historical patterns of abuse and violence against the most marginalized and instead, uplift the flourishing of all people across all our communities", says Nikole. Attendees heard from a panelist of survivor-leaders on ways to support survivors and prevent abuse.
If you'd like to learn more or download these resources (including the event recording, Bible Studies, sermon series, and guides) for your own community, you can find them here: freelyinhope.org/redeeming-sanctuaries.
Chelsea Spyres
The Wilmington Kitchen Collective
The Wilmington Kitchen Collective in Wilmington, Delaware utilizes church kitchens, which sit empty and unused most of the week, to offer culinary entrepreneurs an affordable option for high-quality commercial kitchen facilities. The kitchens are used by caterers, food truck owners, bakers and other start-ups, helping entrepreneurs overcome a major obstacle in starting their business.
Here's the latest from Chelsea. If you're in Wilmington, make sure to stop by!
"Last summer a few of our entrepreneurs asked if they could start selling food in a pop up style in the parking lot of one of our partner churches. This pop up market has grown this summer to a weekly summer market, featuring a food truck or catering member selling the main dish, a baker or water ice member selling dessert, and a few of our other members selling products such as honey, spice blends, or BBQ sauces. In addition to our entrepreneurs vending we have live music and tables set up for folks to sit and enjoy their meal. What began as a pop up idea has become a summer staple in our community, and one of our favorite days of the week!"
Lizzy Case
Arrayed
Lizzy Case is the founder of Arrayed, a liberative people-first, planet-focused Christian apparel brand that aims to align the call for justice and wholistic flourishing found in Jesus’ life with the messages on and production of Christian t-shirts.
This summer, she will be on the road as a vendor at conferences and festivals (listed below), so if you or someone you know will be at these events, please stop by Arrayed's booth and say hi!
Dorian Hollingsworth, Jr.
The Teen Care Network
Dorian Hollingsworth Jr. is the CEO/Founder and Creative Director of the Teen Care Network whose goal is to support teens by connecting them with free mental health resources while working to break the stigma around mental health treatment.
Earlier this year, Dorian was named one of 10 McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Change Leaders, black leaders who are starting something good in their communities.
In June, five of those Change Leaders (Andrew Ankamah, Jr., Kamarie Brown, Nyla Choates, Dorian Hollingsworth, Jr., & Aaliyah Alicia Thompson) joined the CultureCon LA stage with an engaging and thought-provoking panel conversation about their personal missions to make positive change in their communities.
Join the Invested Faith Community
Join the Invested Faith community and support Fellows like Nikole, Chelsea, Lizzy and Dorian. . Here’s how you can get involved:
Request a phone call. Sometimes the old fashioned way is the best way. We'll be happy to schedule a phone or video call with you to answer any questions you might have about invested Faith and give you some ideas about how you can be involved.
Introduce us! Maybe you know someone who fits our criteria for an Invested Faith Fellow: rooted in faith, working for justice and addressing systemic problems in their community while building a sustainable financial model? At Invested Faith, we don't do typical grant applications. Read more about our criteria and how to apply here.
Match a grant. If your organization would like to partner with us to support an Invested Faith Fellow and build the work of Invested Faith, please reach out. We would love to talk!
Spread the word! Be sure to follow us on social media so you don't miss out on any of the news and fun! You can find us on Facebook at Invested Faith, on Twitter as @InvestedFaith, on Instagram as invested_faith_ and on LInkedIn as Invested Faith.
Give a generous donation to continue to build the work of Invested Faith: Create a legacy and send your witness forward in perpetuity. Give a generous tax-deductible gift to Invested Faith here.
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