St. Louis, MO--The election of Barack Obama in 2009 was significant for many reasons, but his prior experience as a community organizer has put a distinctive stamp on his presidency. His familiarity with community-level mobilization influenced both his campaign as well as his view of the role of locally based organizations in the well-being of the nation’s urban areas. As a person of faith, President Barack Obama has thrust a spotlight on the activism of religious groups as problem-solvers. How are faith based organizations playing a role in neighborhood renewal and our country’s economic recovery?
Attendees will learn from a panel of leaders about what their faith-based organizations are doing, how it’s going and the impact they are having. Dr. Nancy Kinney, Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Policy, and Director of the Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program, will lead each of the discussions.
The first lecture is on Wednesday, February 10th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on the UMSL campus in the J.C. Penney Conference Center. It is entitled The Role of Congregations in Rebuilding Urban Communities and features Howard McAuliffe, Executive Director at the North Grand Neighborhood Services and Kim Plank, Ministry Outreach at Windsor Crossing Community Church. The next Brown Bag Series lectures are on Wednesday, March 10th and April 14th and are entitled Faith Based Funding Approaches to Neighborhood Renewal and Faith-Based Community Activism.
Participants are encouraged to bring their lunch, but drinks will be provided. For more information, call (314) 516-6775. Free parking is available in lot C by the J.C. Penney Conference Center.
The Brown Bag Series is sponsored by the Community Partnership Project at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, working in cooperation with University of Missouri Extension, and is co-sponsored by the UMSL Nonprofit Management and Leadership Program. These monthly gatherings are designed for students and community members and are part of the Community Building Fellowship Program at UMSL.
For more information, call the Community Partnership Project at (314) 516-6775 or visit us on the Web at http://umslce.org/
