Let us introduce you…
Dear friends of Invested Faith,
Amy Butler and Alisha Gordon
I’m so pleased to greet you today with so many exciting updates from Invested Faith! This month we have much to be grateful for, especially our second class of Invested Faith Fellows, the inspirational social entrepreneurs YOU are helping change the world. Below you’ll find details about each of them.
For even more inspirational content, click here to watch a conversation I had with a member of our new class of Fellows, Alisha Gordon!
It’s also Giving Tuesday, as so many worthy causes are reminding you. I hope that you are as excited and inspired by all the possibilities in the work of Invested Faith, so I’ve recorded a message you can watch here.
Please consider this work as you think about your giving for 2021; you can easily make a tax deductible contribution here. You can also send a check by mail to Impact Assets with a note directing your contribution to Invested Faith at this address.
I am grateful to be doing this work with you.
Building a Fund to Seed the Future
“Stories are powerful in helping shape an image and when we can tell stories that make people want to be with each other, to not see other people as a burden, in that, there’s a possibility for people to love one another. It’s the antithesis of what’s told now.
It’s not churches helping those poor folks that is the story. Now, it’s these groups of people who have agency doing God’s work. Let’s bear witness to that and support that. It helps people fall in love with each other.”
~De'Amon Harges
Invested Faith Advisor
Today is #givingtuesday
As you make your financial gifts, we hope that you will include Invested Faith. Help us as we continue to encourage and support innovative spiritual entrepreneurs like our new Fellows highlighted below.
Help us reach our goals by spreading the word about our work and making an individual gift here. We are so grateful for your support and so glad that you are a part of the Invested Faith community.
Leah Lonsbury, Atlanta Georgia - Just Bakery of Atlanta
Rev. Leah Lonsbury is the Executive Director and Founder of Just Bakery of Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that trains, certifies, and employs resettled refugees to make and sell pastries, bread, and other baked goods. Just Bakery provides job training and a living wage to new Americans to create a more diverse, inclusive, and compassionate community. Founded in 2017, Just Bakery creates opportunities for refugee partners to build economic security as they recreate home in the Atlanta area.
Ronnie Farmer, Marion, Indiana -
I Have a Dream Preschool Academy
Rev. Ronnie Farmer is the managing director of the I Have a Dream Preschool in Marion, Indiana which champions racial reconciliation among children. The I Have a Dream Academy is a language immersion early childhood education program, whose mission is to cultivate a love for self, a love for God, and a love for one’s neighbor within the hearts of children. The academy employs native Spanish speakers and encourages racial justice, understanding, and global citizenry through age-appropriate programs.
Alisha Madden, Indianapolis, Indiana -
Spolks
Alisha Madden is the project manager for Spolks Bike Shop in the Riverside neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. Spolks was created by neighbors after a plea for an organization to address crime prevention in the area. Local youth are trained as bike mechanics, paid a fair wage, and are offered a safe, supportive space in a neighborhood where rates of crime and incarceration are high. Bikes are offered for sale or given to those needing transportation in exchange for work hours at the shop.
Alisha Gordon, Harlem, New York -
The Current Project
Rev. Alisha L. Gordon is a faith leader, preacher, and educator whose work intersects faith, culture, and politics. Gordon is the founder of the The Current Project in Harlem, NYC, an advocacy-centered mission-driven organization focused on supporting the well-being of Black single mothers. TCP supports the transformation of women by connecting mothers to the resources needed to attain and maintain economic stability, helping them launch careers or projects that sustain their families and help them build security.
Become a part of the Invested Faith Story. Here are four ways to participate:
Help us build a fund to seed the future. Support the ongoing development of Invested Faith through a tax-deductible gift. Click here to support our work.
Grant a social entrepreneur. If you’d like your gift to go directly to someone working innovatively to reimagine the faith community, your tax-deductible gift of $5000.00 can make that happen.
Spread the word! Help us build our audience by using your social media presence and word of mouth to tell others about this important work. Join us on Facebook and LInkedIn and share our posts with your friends.
Interested in becoming an Invested Faith Fellow? Or maybe you know someone who fits our criteria: rooted in faith, working for justice, building community, and addressing systemic problems in their community? At Invested Faith, we don't do typical grant applications. Read more about our criteria and how to apply here.
