A One-stop Shop for Flourishing: The Story of Revive Church

In this episode, we talk with Kyle Morris who is the Lead Pastor of Revive Church in Arvada, CO. We hear about his church's decision to stay where they were and seek the shalom of their neighborhood rather than move to a different (and wealthier) part of the city. 

This decision forced the church to deal with a problem of too much space through the acquisition of a shopping center, and then radically re-thinking how they used all of the space. Rather than starting with needs within the church, they asked questions about needs within the neighborhood. And what they discovered was that their neighborhood needed 1) childcare, 2) workforce development, 3) affordable housing, and 4) new business incubation. 

This process led the church to redevelop the shopping center into an exciting project called The Bridge where they partner with other local organizations to help meet some of the city's identified needs. Kyle talks about the challenges of leading a church while also leading a number of initiatives. He discusses finding a balance between investing in the neighborhood where you live and where your church is located. And, he talks about the challenge of adapting while staying mission focused with changing circumstances. 

Episode Contributors

Kyle Morris, Lead Pastor of Revive Church

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. 

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Revive Church

The Bridge - The shopping center owned by Revive Church that has been revived physically and is home to thriving for-profit and non-profit organizations that are collaborating and working to serve vulnerable families. 

Beyond Home - A nonprofit whose mission is to provide a comprehensive approach for families to become self-sufficient for life

Marsh Collective - A team of consultants that works with leaders, companies, patrons, and developers to help clarify vision for their city, business, or team

Lionheart Children's Academy - A nonprofit Christian organization committed to excellence in early childhood education

CrossPurpose - A non-profit organization abolishing relational, economic, and spiritual poverty through career and community development

Colorado Foundation for Conductive Education - A nonprofit organization that offers an intensive, holistic alternative approach to traditional therapy for individuals with motor disabilities

"Churches Don’t Have to Be Lousy Stewards. Here’s Proof" Story of Revive Church by Amy Sherman and Jacob Baldwin in Common Good Magazine: Issue 11, May  2023

Canoeing in the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger

Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon

Church Unleashed by Frank R. Tillapaugh

Key Terms

- Proximity

- Placemaking

- Affordable Housing

- Shalom

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, we talk with Matt Busby who is the Senior Associate Pastor at Mission Chattanooga. Matt describes for us the evolution of a relationship between a specific church (Mission Chattanooga) and a coffee shop/restaurant/event space (The Camp House) in three different neighborhoods in downtown Chattanooga. Mission Chattanooga and Camp House began renting in the  Southside neighborhood, moved to the MLK neighborhood, and now are located in the Onion Bottom Neighborhood. 

This conversation highlights some of the ways that a church can bless the neighborhood in which it is located. The Camp House has been a gathering space, a cultural incubator, and a forum for important community conversations. And by drawing people into the neighborhood this entity has helped to enliven the neighborhood. In addition to gathering a diverse community for worship, Mission Chattanooga has sought ways to bless the neighborhood through mercy ministries and civic engagement. 

Matt shares with us some of the tradeoffs between working with volunteers in a non-profit setting and paid employees in a for profit endeavor. He also talks about his shifting pastoral identity as he navigates dividing his position description between event coordination and pastoral ministry. If you have ever wondered about how a church building can be utilized to bless a neighborhood throughout the week, this is an episode you won't want to miss. 

Episode Contributors

Rev. Matt Busby is the Senior Associate Pastor at Mission Chattanooga

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. 

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Mission Chattanooga 

Chattanooga Design Studio

Sidewalks in the Kingdom by Eric O. Jacobsen

The Space Between by Eric O. Jacobsen

Eugene Cho

Mike Watkins Architect - Urban design and architecture firm dedicated to designing and implementing a walkable, lasting, and beautiful public realm that fosters community

Key Terms

- Charrette 

- Third Place

- Chronological Connectivity 

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

Stained glass, digital photos, or a pile of rocks. Today, we join the co-hosts of the Device & Virtue podcast to talk about how the church builds memories and the role of technology in this space. It’s a podcast inside a podcast.

Memories help people establish identities and build communities, and physical places are fertile ground where memories take root. But are new digital spaces uprooting our memories, or giving them new soil to grow in? 

As Christians, God consistently calls us to remember all that he has done and the ways he has been faithful. How can we root our memories in physical places and digital spaces, and cultivate the benefits of both? 

We asked our friends Adam Graber and Chris Ridgeway, the co-hosts of the Device & Virtue podcast, to help us sort this out. Call it a podcast playdate. We ask each other questions such as: 

What does memory look like in digital and built spaces? 

How do these spaces shape the capacity, and content, of our memory?

Hear stories of churches that have established creative practices that both embrace lament and celebrate God’s healing. If your church wants to build memory and community through digital and physical spaces, check out this episode!

Learn more about the Device & Virtue podcast on their website, Twitter and on Instagram. Listen on Apple, Google, Spotify, and everywhere else.

Adam Graber co-hosts the Device & Virtue podcast, is a consultant with Leadership Network and FaithTech, and a coach at Wheaton College’s Center for Faith & Innovation. Adam researches and writes on emerging technologies, and consults with Christian leaders on digital spiritual formation. He has developed tech courses for Northern Seminary and Fuller Seminary.

Chris Ridgeway consults and coaches on digital transformation, brand strategy, and teamwork + leadership for businesses and non-profits. He writes and comments on: digital privacy, culture, tech, ethics, strategy, & leadership. He cares about justice and urban environments. He has developed a course teaching nervous cyclists how to become confident commuters.

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen, Sara Joy Proppe, Adam Graber, and Chris Ridgeway

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, Eric and Sara Joy listen to the story of Kevin Finch, the Executive Director of Big Table and a former pastor who was moonlighting as restaurant critic. During his days as a pastor and a restaurant critic, Kevin was exposed to the high levels of need that existed among workers in the hospitality industry. As he sought a way to provide help and care for this often overlooked sector, he could not find a single nonprofit that was dedicated to serving this particular community. Then he received a very unusual and distinct calling from God to step up to the plate to address this need. 

This calling led Kevin to begin Big Table in 2009, a nonprofit solely dedicated to meeting the needs of workers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Operating on a referral model, Big Table helps cover rent, provide cars, assist navigating health issues, etc. for those in the hospitality industry. Kevin impresses upon listeners the need to really see the people in your community and neighborhood who are so often overlooked because these relationships are too often viewed as purely transactional. He sparks a new way of thinking and a new population to consider when it comes to caring for the least in your neighborhood.

Sara Joy and Eric also speak with two field guides who provide more insight into the work of Big Table and the needs that so many service and hospitality industry workers face in their daily lives. Paul Cunningham, head pastor of La Jolla Presbyterian Church, shares how his church helped establish a Big Table presence in the San Diego area. Through funds and connections to the local restaurants, the church has been a catalyst for expanding Big Table to southern California. Paul also shares how their collaboration with Big Table has inspired his congregants to be kinder and more generous people to those with whom they come in contact in the service industry. He reiterates the importance of seeing the unseen people in the community and caring for them in tangible ways.

Eliza Harris Juliano, another field guide for this episode, provides a helpful perspective from urban planning as she notes that housing and transportation costs together are large factors that affect the livelihood of hourly wage workers, like those in the restaurant and hospitality industries. She highlights that when workers have to live far from their job, they are more dependent on reliable transportation which can be costly when it comes to maintaining a car. She also points out that deficient and/or unreliable public transit is another hurdle that these workers face, particularly when being late to a job because of a slow bus can actually cost them their job. Providing affordable housing in places near jobs and increasing public transit infrastructure to serve these areas are ways this sector of the community can be better supported. In that regard, she encourages listeners to pay attention to zoning and advocate for better policies that create the places where people of all socioeconomic classes can live together.

Episode Contributors

Kevin Finch is the Executive Director of Big Table based in Spokane, Washington.

Rev. Dr. Paul Cunningham is the Head Pastor of La Jolla Presbyterian Church

Eliza Harris Juliano is a Principal in the Urban Design studio and serves as the firm’s Director of Urbanism at Canin Associates based in Orlando Florida.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on November 22, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Big Table

Big Table | Serving Hope Video

La Jolla Presbyterian Church

The Center for Neighborhood Technology

Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY)

Yes In God's Backyard (YIGBY)

Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by M. Nolan Gray

Key Terms

- Affordable Housing

- Inclusionary Zoning

- Missing Middle Housing

- NIMBY (Not in my backyard)

- YIMBY (Yes in my backyard)

- Zoning

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, Sara Joy and Eric talk with Pastor Dwayne Cline about James North Baptist Church and their journey towards providing affordable housing in their neighborhood in the north end Hamilton, Ontario. With a vision for incarnational ministry, James North has been serving their neighborhood for over 130 years. As one of the most economically depressed neighborhoods in the city, they have faithfully provided care and resources for many of those struggling to make ends meet. As the neighborhood tide began to change with new development and rising property prices in more recent years, the church recognized a growing need to provide affordable housing options for the long-time local residents. Their solution was to build affordable housing into their church property plans.

The church had already drawn plans and paid over $700K in costs for designing their new church building when they hit the pause button to rethink their property. In prayerful consideration, they decided to go back to the drawing board and design a new building that would also accommodate 45 units of affordable housing. The total project cost was $22 million with half of those costs related to the housing and half related to the church. They used a mix of government funds and a church capital campaign to cover the development expenses. Additionally, they worked in close collaboration with Indwell, a faith-based affordable housing developer, to guide the project to successful completion. Indwell also provides the property management and supportive services necessary for the property. The level of grit and collaboration required of the church has been great, but their relationships with the city officials and local neighborhood players opened doors for a successful project. 

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with two field guides who provide more insight into the affordable housing context and resources that exist to guide churches in participating and advocating in this arena. Jill Shook, founder of Making Housing and Community Happen, explains classifications of affordable housing and talks about how churches can advocate for policy changes that allow for more affordable housing production in their communities while also considering opportunities for churches to play a direct role in providing it themselves. Patrick Duggan, Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Church Building and Loan Fund, gives some practical steps for churches to assess whether affordable housing makes sense in light of their location and their mission. He also shares about ways churches can mitigate risks by partnering with organizations like his to guide the development process.

Episode Contributors

Dwayne Cline is the Lead Pastor of James North Baptist Church in Hamilton, Ontario. 

Dr. Jill Shook is the Founding Director of Making Housing and Community Happen, working with churches to bring about housing justice in the United States. She is author of Making Housing Happen: Faith Based Affordable Housing Models. She has developed and taught Housing Justice and Community Organizing in the Azusa Pacific University MA Social Work Department. Today she does a variety of workshops, including One-Day Housing Justice Workshops around the US. 

Rev. Dr. Patrick Duggan is the Executive Director of the United Church of Christ Church Building and Loan Fund. He is responsible for advancing the mission and growing the capacity, reach and social impact of CB&LF products and services. Patrick has more than 30 years of experience in bi-vocational ministry, serving the local church while working in the public sector, including education, government, nonprofit organizations and economic and community development.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on August 23, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

James North Baptist Church

Growing to Serve: The Story of James North - video

Indwell - a Christian charity that creates affordable housing communities 

Making Housing and Community Happen - a faith-based nonprofit that equips congregations, community leaders, and neighbors with practical tools needed to transform their communities to end homelessness, and to stabilize the cost of housing

United Church of Christ Church Building & Loan Fund - an institution that transforms communities by helping the Church live into God’s economy, helping congregations plan, raise, finance, and build transformative projects

CNU - Members Christian Caucus: Churches + Affordable Housing Case Studies

Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller

Christianity's Surprise by C. Kavin Rowe

Making Housing Happen: Faith Based Affordable Housing Models by Jill Shook

Key Terms

- Affordable Housing

- Displacement

- Entitlements

- Gentrification

- Inclusionary Zoning

- Tax Credits

- Zoning

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, Sara Joy and Eric talk with Pastor Gabe Coyle about the fruition of Four Chapter Gallery, an art space developed, curated, and managed by Christ Community Church in downtown Kansas City. As an artist himself, Gabe discusses how his passions and dreams have taken on new shape by planting a church with the intention of connecting with the local arts community. The Four Chapter Gallery was born in 2013 from both the passion of church staff and the neighborhood request to see gallery space as part of the church development. 

Using the biblical framework of four chapters (movements): creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, the Four Chapter Gallery seeks to bring flourishing to the local arts community by offering beautiful gallery space and valuable support in promoting the work of the artist and treating each artist with care and dignity. Additionally, Christ Community Church has chosen to make the art gallery a significant budget line item so that everything is funded by the church, which provides the flexibility to not take a percentage from the artists. The gallery has gained a respected reputation among artists and their shows are currently booked out through January 2024. 

The Four Chapter Gallery hosts concept-based art exhibitions that engage culturally relevant themes and ideas. They have three core values when it comes to the kind of work they desire to present in their space. These values are:

Art with ideas - artwork that has been created around particular themes, ideas, or research.

The work of emerging artists - they has a special desire to boost emerging artists.

Art that creates generative conversation - they love exhibiting work that presses into issues relevant to the culture, city, and neighborhood in a generative way. 

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with two field guides who provide more insight into the value and characteristics of good gallery space and programming for art and the ways that churches have engaged art throughout history. Sandra Bowden, an artist and curator, discusses the value of gallery space and programming that supports the artist and provides thoughtful, educational connections with the art to steward a viewer's experience with the art itself. David Taylor from Fuller Theological Seminary provides the historical framework on the connections between art and the church, highlighting various movements in history and within specific theological traditions that have come to shape the way churches engage with art. 

Episode Contributors

Gabe Coyle is the Campus Pastor of Christ Community Church in downtown Kansas City, MO. 

Sandra Bowden is a visual artist based in Chatham, MA. She has been interpreting Scripture and her own spiritual walk through mixed media for more than forty years. She has been acclaimed as one of the most unique, impressive and inspiring Christian artists in America. Bowden’s work has been featured in books, magazines and gallery shows across the United States, Canada, Italy and Jerusalem. She is co-author of Seeing the Unseen: Launching and Managing a Church Gallery.

David Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to his appointment at Fuller, Dr. Taylor served as a pastor for ten years in Austin, Texas. Taylor serves on the advisory board for Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts as well as IVP Academic’s series, “Studies in Theology and the Arts” and has served as board member of Christians In the Visual Arts (CIVA). He is the author of Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts  and The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation and the Liturgical Arts. He is editor of For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on August 23, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Christ Community Church - Downtown KC

Four Chapter Gallery

Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)

Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA)

Agents of Flourishing by Amy Sherman

Seeing the Unseen: Launching and Managing a Church Gallery by Sandra Bowden and Marianne Lettieri

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, Eric and Sara Joy chat with Pastor Scott Woller about the model of building both a church and a coffee shop. While Pastor Scott does not say it directly, in essence, he aimed to develop a "third place." Third place is a term coined by Ray Oldenburg to describe those places that we find ourselves visiting on a fairly regular basis that are not our homes and not our places of work. Third places can take a variety of forms. They can be coffee shops, pubs, barber shops, or even a collection of mailboxes near some seating. Third places play a crucial role in connecting people in a neighborhood and breaking down barriers presented by demographic differences. 

With a mission to reach the urban dweller who may have little interest or experience with a church, Scott and his wife started Corner Coffee as a way to connect with neighbors and build relationships within walking distance of where they live and worship. He started Corner Church alongside Corner Coffee in order to reach regular customers in the neighborhood with the gospel.

A distinctly different model than a church with a coffee shop in the lobby, Corner Coffee is the main user and lease holder on the property and Corner Church leases space from the coffee shop in order to meet there on Sundays. The pastoral staff of Corner Church also serve in management, service, and administrative capacities for the coffee shop. The financials between the church and the coffee shop are completely separate, and Pastor Scott shares about the risky and sometimes tough road it has been to build both a profitable business and a sustaining church. Despite the difficulties, they have been dedicated to creating a place that cultivates regular, consistent interactions with the neighborhood so they can make a difference in people's lives. A coffee shop has been their chosen venue for turning a localized customer base of "regulars" into friends and community members. 

He also discusses their church's foundation of evangelism being centered on "redefinition." This approach means they want to be at the forefront of redefining what is means to be a follower of Christ, what it means to be the church, and walking relationally with people through the learning process. This is their "why" and what motivates them to continue pressing into the daily grind of coffee shop work and pastoring. Since its inception in the North Loop in 2005, Corner Church has planted three additional coffee shops and churches in walkable neighborhoods in the Minneapolis metro area.

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with two field guides who expand upon the concept of third places in communities and the important role these play in our civic relationships and well-being. Hazel Borys with PlaceMakers shares her definition of third place, why these spaces matter, and important characteristics that make them successful. Rich Heyman from the University of Texas provides the historic background on the development of third places and the positives and negatives that can be associated with these communal spaces. 

Episode Contributors

Scott Woller is the North Loop Pastor of Corner Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Rich Heyman is a Lecturer in the Department of American Studies at University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include cultural geography, urban geography, critical theory and Marxism, history of geography, pedagogy, and public space. He recently contributed to an article in The Atlantic entitled Do Yourself a Favor and Go Find a ‘Third Place’.

Hazel Borys is the Managing Director at PlaceMakers. As Managing Principal, Hazel inspires the company to deliver an exceptional product to a developing marketplace. She guides governments through zoning reforms — allowing walkable, mixed-use, compact, resilient places to develop by-right — and helps developers get things built under the increasingly-prevalent form-based codes and character-based land use laws of the new economy.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on August 23, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Corner Church

Corner Coffee

PlaceMakers

Do Yourself a Favor and Go Find a ‘Third Place’ - The Atlantic

The third place: What is it & how does it relate to coffee shops? - Perfect Daily Grind

The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg

Season 5: Episode 2 - Social Infrastructure and the church - The Embedded Church Podcast

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

- Pedestrian Shed

- Proximity

- Third Place

- Social Capital

- Suburbanization

- Zoning

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Pastor Scott Pontier about how Jamestown Harbor Church has explored the needs and opportunities for creating a "center" in their suburban community. After a few years of conversation with the local township board and other organizations, they landed on partnering with a local sports program to design a facility that provides gathering space for the church and also serve as a sports complex. Though not using the term specifically, it is evident through this interview that the missional heart of Jamestown Harbor Church has been to create "social infrastructure" in order to be a blessing to their community.

Social infrastructure is a term coined by Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist from NYU, which refers to the physical spaces and places that are the venue for the formation of civic, social bonds with those in living in proximity to one another. The journey of Jamestown Harbor Church demonstrates a church leadership team and congregation that has sought to identify where there is a deficit of social infrastructure in their community and discern how their church can play a super important role in creating a venue that fills the void and builds opportunities for people to form relationships in their suburban context. 

Pastor Scott stresses the importance of being flexible and being more in love with your mission than your stuff as essential qualities for taking on partnerships and building places that are to be used freely by the local community. He acknowledges that the process has been arduous at times with dead-ends or outcomes that look vastly different than anticipated, but trusting that God is at work and staying laser-focused on the mission of blessing the community has enabled this vision to move forward despite the unplanned pathways. At Jamestown Harbor Church they are intent on creating a place where relationships are formed and deepened among members of their township so that people can experience the fullness of shalom found in Jesus.

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with a couple of field guides who provide professional expertise to expand upon the sociological and design facets of social infrastructure. Eric Klinenberg of NYU shares his definition of social infrastructure, why it is so important, and how it differs from social capital. He also discusses the ways churches can either support or detract from building cohesive and integrated communities with their facilities and programs. Greg Snider with Aspen Group gives more color to the community process that Jamestown Harbor Church engaged before landing on their current plan for to include a sports complex. He also highlights several avenues churches can pursue when considering the type and design of social infrastructure elements on their properties. 

Episode Contributors

Scott Pontier is the Lead Pastor of Jamestown Harbor Church in Hudsonville, Michigan. 

Eric Klinenberg is Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and Director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. A New York Times bestselling author, he has written several books including Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (Crown, 2018), Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone (The Penguin Press, 2012), Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media (Metropolitan Books, 2007), and Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2002).

Greg Snider is a Ministry Space Strategist at Aspen Group. He has more than 20 years of construction experience in residential, light commercial, and interior build-out. Fifteen of those years were spent building churches, including Living Water Church in Bolingbrook, Illinois, West Side Christian Church in Springfield, Illinois, and Community Christian Church in Naperville, Illinois. At Aspen Group, he works diligently to obtain an intimate understanding of the mission and vision of each church. He then uses this knowledge to guide the project team as they translate that vision into effective design and ultimately into a finished, ministry-enhancing facility.

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on July 26, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Jamestown Harbor Church

Aspen Group

Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg

The Celtic Way of Evangelism by George G. Hunter III

Season 1: Episode 2 - Community Collaborations (Third Church Community Charrette Process) - The Embedded Church Podcast

Season 3: Episode 6 - Reading Palaces for the People - The Embedded Church Podcast

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

- Charrette

- Civic Sphere

- Fragmentation

- Public Belonging

- Social Belonging

- Social Capital

- Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

- Social Infrastructure

- Threshold

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative

In this episode, Eric and Sara Joy talk with Pastor Cynthia Wallace about how the Oasis Farm and Fishery was implemented and is operating out of Bible Center Church in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Originally begun as an educational initiative to help families learn how to eat and cook healthier, the program has evolved into growing food for the local community. This work began as the church gained a deeper understanding of the food insecurity, or lack of access to food, that so many of the local neighborhood residents are facing. 

Pastor Cynthia reminds us that listening to God and your neighbors is a vital part of recognizing what needs the local church is called to fulfill in the community. The process can be slow and full of small steps, but God has been faithful to expand the work of Bible Center Church in a well-timed and manageable way. The Oasis Farm and Fishery has been in operation for almost nine years, expanding to include gardening classes, cooking classes, farm stands, and vegetable box delivery in the community.

Eric and Sara Joy also speak with a couple of field guides who provide professional research expertise to expand upon the social and economic implications of food insecurity in our communities. Both Dr. Stephanie Boddie of Baylor University and Dr. Norman Wirzba of Duke University help us better understand the extent of how poor access to healthy food in our communities is detrimental to our well-being and contrary to the way God designed us to eat and enjoy food. Each of these field guides provides inspiring challenges to churches to be a light of the Gospel in their communities through growing and enjoying food together.

Episode Contributors

Cynthia Wallace is the Executive Pastor of Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is also the Executive Director of the Oasis Project, which includes the Oasis Farm and Fishery. 

Dr. Stephanie Clintonia Boddie is Assistant Professor of Church and Community Ministries with affiliations at the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, the George W. Truett Theological Seminary, and the School of Education at Baylor University. Boddie is also a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society and an alumni fellow at the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program. Her research interests include Congregation-Based Social Surveys, Trends in Faith-Based Initiatives, and Social Entrepreneurial Approaches to Disparities in Wealth, Health, and Food Insecurity. She teaches a course entitled: Black Churches: Past, Present, and Future.

Dr. Norman Wirzba is Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology and Senior Fellow at the Kenan Institute of Ethics at Duke University. His research and teaching interests are at the intersections of theology, philosophy, ecology, and agrarian and environmental studies. He has written several books including The Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity; Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating; This Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World; and Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land (forthcoming).

Access more Show Notes with pictures and resources related to this episode. Sign up for the free online Community Forum on June 28, 2022 to discuss this episode with Eric, Sara Joy, and Chris and other podcast listeners. Register today!

More information about this podcast and helpful church and urbanism resources can be found on The Embedded Church website.

Related Resources

Oasis Farm and Fishery

Bible Center Church

Hope in Homewood – article about the  Everyday Cafe run by Bible Center Church

Black Church Food Security Network

Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land (forthcoming) by Norman Wirzba

Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating by Norman Wirzba

This Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World by Norman Wirzba

The Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity by Norman Wirzba

What’s Not to Like: All the Good Things that Happen in School Gardens (Tricia Elisara's Blog)

Find these Key Terms on The Embedded Church website:

- Embodiment

- Food Desert

- Hospitality

- Localism

- Zoning

Show Credits

Hosted and Produced by Eric O. Jacobsen and Sara Joy Proppe

Edited by Adam Higgins | Odd Dad Out Voice Productions

Theme Music by Jacob Shaffer

Artwork by Lance Kagey | Rotator Creative