Oakhurst Presbyterian Church
Description:
We are looking for a Beatitudes Fellow to work in our changing community as it shifts and gentrifies from an all black community to a mostly white community. We are seeking to develop a partnership between the new community residents and our membership, which is multicultural. In this time of transition in the community, many of the community organizations, which were started by our church in the past, have shifted their focus from justice issues to more individualistic issues. We are hoping the Fellow will help us design ways to begin the conversation with new community residents to see the necessity and the opportunity to regain the communal, justice aspects of our lives. This would involve going to community meetings, talking with leadership, brokering issues, and helping the community see possibilities for enhancing the lives of others through organization and focused interest and energy.
We envision a forum at the church on community issues, which intersects with justice issues, and our Fellow would be responsible for organizing and implementing the forum Because of our longstanding reputation in the community, the Fellow would have unusual access to power brokers in the city and in the county as a beginning point for conversations and proposals. The Fellow would be supervised by our pastors and guided by our Peacemaking and Justice Committee. This work is vital to helping recover a sense of possibility and interest in the areas of housing, criminal justice, and poverty in our community.
Unique Opportunities:
Our congregation has been in multicultural ministry for almost 40 years, and we have an unusual store of experience and wisdom in this area, which the Fellow would encounter in our still racialized society. The Fellow would encounter people of all racial categories who have been in one another’s presence and lives for a long time, and while racism certainly still exists in our community of faith, many of our folk have learned engagement skills which are rare in our culture. We are also highly experienced in community ministry and public policy advocacy, from which the Fellow could learn. The family of the Fourth District Congressman from Georgia are members at our church.
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