Peace and Blessings,

 

We chose to build  this campaign with those called to the work of healing the brokenhearted, liberating the captives, and restoring sight to the blind. We thank God for the witness of the Black Church, its enduring impact on our communities, and the foundation it has given so many of us to be steadfast and unmovable in righteous work.

 

Yet I write with urgency. Our times reveal a widening gap between the Church’s calling and its current witness. Where once the Black Church was a center of education, organizing, and mutual aid, many now see it as distant, unsafe, or irrelevant. Attendance declines, neighborhoods are left unattended, and the phrase “come as you are” too often becomes marketing instead of lived hospitality. If the Church does not model repentance, healing, renewal, and authentic transformation, how can we expect our communities to believe it is possible?

 

But we are not without hope. We believe the Spirit is still calling us to reimagine what it means to be the Body of Christ, an embodiment of divine consciousness, in these days. To sit at table with the sinner (Matthew 9), to receive all with joy (Luke 19), to create spaces for confession and healing (Matthew 26:38), and to build communities where the gospel becomes tangible—on earth as it is in heaven.

 

For this reason, we invite you to join us in making your church a hub for community care. Together, we can partner with grassroots organizations, listen deeply to the needs of our neighbors, and share resources that build both faith and resilience. The times are quickly changing. From price increases for food and other daily necessities, government shutdown, job loss and a variety of other issues plaguing the people, needs for community care continue to arise. We have prepared strategies that include hosting community dream sessions, creating asset maps, and canvassing neighborhoods so that together we may restore what has been broken and strengthen what remains.  

 

It is our belief that our faith can heal us, but it must be lived out in action. If we rise together in the Spirit’s power, God can do abundantly more than we could ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

 

Thank you for your labor, your witness of love, and your openness to new ways of being the Church in this season. I look forward to speaking with you and discerning how we might walk this path together. If you are a community leader with a space looking to partner and are not a pastor, we also welcome your inivolvement as we draw the circle wider.

 

In faith and expectation,

Jionni Olamidè, Founding Director