Englewood Church is a 130-year-old church congregation on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis, IN (USA). Around the mid-1990s, the congregation transitioned to being intentionally locally rooted, with members deliberately relocating to be closer to the church. 80% of the congregation now live in the immediate neighbouring blocks to the church.

Whilst not technically an intentional Christian community, Englewood are an incredibly inspiring witness of how intentional community can be fostered in a congregational context - a rare blend of the intentional and institutional being married together in really quite cool ways! Their intentionality around love of neighbour and neighbourhood has also born awe-inspiring fruits.

Listen in to learn more about this hopeful, humble, energised, vocationally driven, church congregation with a huge heart for love of neighbour and neighbourhood community.

You can subscribe to the mentioned Englewood Review of Books’ substack here :):

[One of the two mics unfortunately ran out of storage 30min into the interview so apologies for the slightly inferior audio quality of the second half.]

In this interview Mark shares of Amistad Catholic Worker’s 30 yr journey - from moving into the neighbourhood and sweeping the sidewalk to get to know people, to opening their backyard and house as a place of refuge and community for the formerly unhoused.

Listen in for an exploration of homelessness in the US, what radical hospitality can look like today, and to hear the wisened reflections of a longtime communitarian. An inspiring and thought-provoking listening!

More about Amistad CW can be read about here: https://amistadcw.wordpress.com/https://www.nhregister.com/news/article/tiny-homes-new-haven-homeless-backyard-encampment-18645323.php

CRECHE - the Charles River Episcopal Co-Housing Endeavor - is a “nonprofit organization that creates and supports a network of mixed-income, inter-generational co-housing communities in partnership with The Episcopal Church”.

In providing church-affiliated community housing, CRECHE helps individuals secure long-term affordable housing amid the hostile Boston housing/rental market and provides opportunities to belong to, and be blessed by, long-term community living. By virtue of their stability and their wider commitment to community, CRECHE houses also nourish their congregations and work to improve and revitalise their neighbourhoods.

Listen in to be inspired by CRECHE’s compelling model for church-affiliated community housing and to hear of the abundance of God through a number of Spirit-filled events.

This October 2024 I had the utmost privilege and joy of attending the Nurturing Communities Network gathering on the beautiful sprawling grounds of Camp Loucon, Kentucky. I am incredibly grateful to the organisers for giving me the opportunity to present my research and to the many who expressed interest in my workshop. You have empowered me on this journey - thank you!

I am always cautious of representing communities on their behalf and in this presentation I am only able to give very brief overviews. In editing the recording, I have also noticed areas where I have gotten details slightly incorrect, or retrospectively would have used different and better language. I ask for your grace and also highly recommend supplementing this presentation with the more detailed community overviews and interviews available here on Dwelling Place (you can use the search bar to find resources on a specific community). Please reach out using the comments section if you would like access to the accompanying PowerPoint presentation, comprising of summary slides and photos.

Craig Lodge is a House of Prayer, “a place of hospitality, healing and spiritual revival… with a special care for the formation of young people” and with “a vision that all people have the opportunity to encounter the saving love of God”. Craig Lodge also runs a 9-month formation programme for 18-30 year-olds, to equip, move, grow and empower “spirit-filled evangelizers for the renewal of the Church”. (Reflections on my experience of Craig Lodge can be read here.)

In this Zoom interview, long-time family and staff member Joe Black powerfully communicates Craig Lodge’s witness as a House of Prayer and as a community of formation for young adults. This interview is steeped in the wisdom and power of prayer making for an incredibly inspiring and nourishing listen.

“Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author.  Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia.  He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.” ~ https://www.shaneclaiborne.com/bio/

Listen in on this talk, given at Earlham College, to be inspired by Shane’s intentional and local Christian community work, and national and international activism. Filled with joy, compassion and grace, with a generous sprinkling of humour, you are sure to find yourself uplifted and inspired by Shane’s striving to walk the way of Jesus.

Bloomington Catholic Worker is an ecumenical intentional Christian community in southern Indiana, USA. Built upon the tradition of the Catholic Worker movement, the community lives a life of prayer, voluntary poverty, pacifism and living out the works of mercy. As part of living deeply into this way of life and love, the community extends hospitality to the unhoused and has an emphasis on intentionally practising reconciliation within the community.In this conversation, held in the blooming spring garden, co-founder of the Bloomington Catholic Worker, Andrea, energetically and honestly shares the ups and downs of the community’s 16 year existence, and the growth and learnings the community has been through. Full of humble wisdom - of the sort born only from long-term community commitment - you are sure to be touched by Bloomington Catholic Worker’s perseverance in love and learning.

Koinonia was founded by Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England in 1942 as a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” At a time when racial segregation was expected and violently upheld, Koinonia controversially lived an interracial communal life where blacks and whites were paid equally and lived together.

Today, Koinonia remains an interracial community attracting people from a diversity of places, ages and spiritual backgrounds. In this interview, Daniel and Carolina reflect on their experience of being interns at Koinonia Farm and how this intertwines with their spiritual journey and growth.

Koinonia was founded by Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England in 1942 as a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” At a time when racial segregation was expected and violently upheld, Koinonia controversially lived an interracial communal life where blacks and whites were paid equally and lived together.

Listen to this interview with the wonderfully gentle and vibrant Sue to learn more about Koinonia’s pioneering history and how it strives to be a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God” today.

The Blackfriars Community is a dispersed new monastic community in London, founded in response to a struggling parish. 2 years old, it is a small but flourishing community with an emphasis on contemplative prayer and seeks to be a place of welcome for all, including the ‘un-churched’ and spiritual seekers.

In this interview, Ian shares more on the Blackfriars Community whilst also generously sharing his wisdom from setting up other Christian communities. Knowledgeable, experienced and passionate about new monasticism this is deeply enriching interview and a must-listen for anyone curious about the importance of Christian community/new monasticism for the Church today.