Has your church thought about partnering with others, inside and outside the faith community, to bring neighborhoods back to life, but you weren’t quite sure how to go about it? Well then, this might be the workshop for you! John will start things off with some brief – but important – reflection on the sound theological reasons for engaging in cross-institutional partnership building around neighborhood renewal. After that, he will share some “best practices” and important “postures of the heart” for doing this kind of ministry work, drawing on his 20+ years of experience as Community Outreach Pastor at RiverCross Church. Maybe you’re not quite sure how to get started with partnership building, and you need some A plus B plus C guidance to get going. Or maybe you’ve started, but aren’t sure what your actual role is within the partnership, and could benefit from some experience-based advice about this. Or maybe you’ve been partnership building for a while now, but the time and energy, and the frustrations and disappointments, are wearing you out – and you just need some encouragement and a fresh perspective. We will unpack all this and more over the hour we share together. And you will leave equipped with some tools to do this work in a more effective way.

John Knight has been serving as Community Outreach Pastor at RiverCross Church in Saint John, New Brunswick since January 2004. His work focuses for the most part on two neighborhoods, the Old North End and Crescent Valley, which represent the largely concentrations of low income in the city. Over the years, John has grown what Community Outreach at RiverCross encompasses to include a compassionate response to needs while also tackling some of the long-term systemic challenges in these neighborhoods. This has often been accomplished through partnerships with other organizations. But most importantly, it has been accomplished through partnerships with the people who call these neighborhoods home.

Within a local church, how do you cultivate a culture where people care about justice for their neighbours, both near and far? How do you create a culture of prayer for justice?
We’ll talk about what you can do to cultivate a culture where people are developing God’s heart for justice. The new CBAC Strategic vision is to see every CBAC church overflowing with hope, God’s hope, into their community – especially where there is injustice in our communities.

Renée MacVicar ran into God’s grace as a young adult and continues to be changed by that grace every day. Renée has a passion to see everyone join God in their neighbourhoods. She serves as the Executive Minister for the Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada. Renée lives with her family – Joe, Emma, and Isabell – in Salisbury, NB where they like to enjoy board games together.

This session will lay a foundation on the current state of poverty in Atlantic Canada, the factors that are driving the rapid increase in visible homelessness, and the challenging future we face if we do not act.

Lisa Ryan

This session will be an interactive discussion: Guided questions will lead participants to identify potential solutions to a current need within their community, and begin identifying the steps and strategies to bring these solutions to life. Participants should be prepared to discuss their ideas in an open group and commit to approaching new concepts with curiosity.

Lisa Ryan

What are we supposed to do when government policy gets in the way of our ability to work for change? How can we work to remove the systemic barriers that hold back the most vulnerable people in our communities? In this workshop, we will take a look at the Canadian political system and explore how grassroots and direct government advocacy can be used to advance efforts for a more just country.

Jonathan Schut is the Atlantic Canada Representative for the Mennonite Central Committee – an organization devoted to providing relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ. His interest in politics and passion for justice meet in the world of advocacy, and he is eager to help others learn how they can amplify the voices of the most vulnerable in their communities. Jonathan lives in Cornwall, PEI, with his wife, Tera-Mae, and their dog (who still thinks she’s a puppy!), Lucy.

How we see a neighbourhood—and the people, places, spaces, and history that comprise it—significantly determines our relationship with a community and our approach to renewal. What difference would it make to center conversations about renewal on the assets of a neighbourhood rather than its deficits? How might we avoid a “toxic charity” that robs people of dignity? Christian community development employs asset-based strategies to restore hope through mutual transformation. Come learn some basic practices of this approach from the book of Nehemiah and beyond.

Steven Porter has worked alongside friends and neighbors to cultivate beloved community, advocate for justice, and bear witness to the way of Jesus as a minister, educator, and denominational leader. He loves helping people engage the places they live more deeply. He presently teaches at Acadia Divinity College and directs the doctoral program where his wife, Dr. Jodi Porter, also serves. They reside with their children in Wolfville, NS, where they are active in Wolfville Baptist Church.