For Our City Podcast

There are over 15,000 children in the foster program in the state of Arizona, and Jonathan Sanborn with CarePortal is helping to connect churches with these children and families in crisis. Currently in 14 states, CarePortal gives churches the opportunity to show compassion and reshape an entire generation.

In this episode with Jonathan, you will hear how CarePortal works, and how you can bring this amazing resource to your community. For more information visit CarePortal.org.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there.

Visit forourcity.us to listen to previous episodes and to subscribe to the podcast.

Building a coalition of compassion in our communities means building significant, authentic relationships with government leaders. Kenny Martin is the City Manager of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee and Dennis Buchanan is the Ombudsman for the city. Together they work to prosper our city by creating an environment that welcomes everyday citizens and providing the best opportunity possible for business, schools, and churches to thrive.

Making a difference in the world really does happen at the local level. So in this episode of the podcast, you will get a sense of the challenges of running a city and how you and your church can help government leaders build wholeness in the city.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there.

Please visit forourcity.us for more resources and to subscribe to the podcast.

When you think of a Pregnancy Care Center you may think of a hot button political issue, but that's not the focus or ministry of Lisa Cathcart. She knows that whatever the laws are, men and women need compassionate care when facing a pregnancy decision. As the director of our local PCC, Lisa and her team serve hundreds of people every year. They certainly care about babies, but the ministry of the PCC provides wholistic care for men, women, and families by resourcing them with tangible help in the moment of crisis and then well beyond the crisis.

The Pregnancy Care Center in our community and those throughout the national Care Net organization provide hope and help to people from every walk of life, every nationality, every ethnicity, and every religious background because every person is created by God and worthy of respect.

So listen in to my conversation with Lisa Cathcart and discover how you and your church can make disciples of Jesus and advance His Kingdom by serving the common good in your community.

For more information about Lisa's work visit Pregnancy Care Center. Also check out Care Net and Pregnancy Decision Online for additional resources.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wherever you're going Southeastern can help you get there.

Visit forourcity.us to listen to previous episodes, subscribe to the podcast, or share with your friends.

Godfrey Hubert has been the pastor of Foundry Church in Houston, Texas since 1984. During his tenure, the congregation has grown from 200 to 5,000 members with two campuses and four venues.

In 2011, Godfrey founded and funded Cy-Hope, a 501c3 committed to making life better for kids in Cy-Fair who are economically, relationally and spiritually at-risk. The non-profit has impacted thousands of school children in the Cy-Fair I.S.D., the largest suburban school district in the country, with 116,000 students, half of them considered at-risk.

Cy-Hope was awarded the Non-Profit of the Year Award by the Cy-Fair Chamber of Commerce for 2014.

In this episode of the For Our City Podcast, Godfrey shares the Cy-Hope story, how they are impacting kids and families in northwest Houston, and what they've learned along the way.

Be sure to visit cy-hope.org to learn more about this incredible ministry.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there.

For more information on city movements or to listen to previous episodes of the For Our City podcast, visit forourcity.us. And you can always subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play.

In this special episode of the For Our City podcast, I share a few lessons I've learned over the last 12 months about city movements and how this podcast resources Christians and churches who desire to make disciples of Jesus and advance His Kingdom by serving the common good.

Please subscribe to the podcast at forourcity.us or at iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. And then listen in, share, and learn with me as we live for our city.

Also, you can follow me on Twitter here.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wherever you're going Southeastern can help you get there.

"Change happens at the speed of trust." Pursuing peace in our cities requires taking the time to ask questions, build relationships, and earn trust. I talk about that on this episode of the For Our City podcast with Dylan Hall.

Dylan Hall is currently the Director of One Troy which is a Collective Impact Initiative focusing on poverty reduction in the city of Troy, NY. This is under Governor Cumo’s Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative. Having worked with Leadership Foundations, he is passionate about connecting leaders, building capacity of others, and collaborative action that leads to city-wide transformation. 

For the last 10 years He has been working towards city transformation and previously served as a pastor of a church where he helped design and lead its city focused strategies. 

He consults churches and nonprofits, and is experienced in organizational health, culture building, strategic planning and measuring results. Dylan specializes in the use of Collective Impact, Results Based Accountability, and Asset Based Community Development. He lives with his wife and two kinds in Schenectady, NY. 

You can connect with Dylan at onetroy.org or on Twitter @lightthecitynetwork, @missioventures, and @dylanjosephhall. 

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there.

Visit forourcity.us to listen to previous episodes and find resources that will help you live for your city. Also, please subscribe and share the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play.

City transformation is possible when protecting our way of life is no longer our top priority. In this episode of the For Our City podcast, Alan Cross helps us recognize attitudes and biases that keep us from loving our neighbors and helping the most vulnerable people around us, and then offers a way forward.

Alan is a writer, pastor, advocate for racial unity, and champion of the stranger. Few people provide a clearer Gospel lens for serving the vulnerable than Alan Cross.

He is the author of When Heaven and Earth Collide: Racism, Southern Evangelicals, and the Better Way of Jesus.

Alan also gives leadership to the Evangelical Immigration Table, a broad coalition of evangelical organizations and leaders advocating for immigration reform consistent with biblical values.

Follow Alan on Twitter here.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there."

Please visit For Our City for more resources, to listen to previous episodes, or to subscribe to the podcast. You can also subscribe at iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. And feel free to comment on this episode in the comments section below.

Public school partnerships are a real possibility for you and your church, but every partnership is built on sincere friendship and a desire to serve. Listen in to my conversation with my friend and local school principal Bryan Adams.

Bryan is a Tennessee native, graduate of both Western Kentucky University and Tennessee State University, and is in his fourteenth year of public education. He is the principal at W.A. Wright Elementary School near my church. Several years ago, we began serving the school in any way possible, and today we enjoy a thriving partnership that helps Bryan, his staff, and faculty serve their students.

Children face many challenges and they are not always ready to learn when they arrive at school. Healthy partnerships between schools, churches, and other organizations can serve students and prepare them for greater success. These partnerships also lead to greater ministry opportunities and community impact.

Once again, today's podcast is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Wherever you are going, Southeastern can help you get there."

Thank you for your interest in the For Our City podcast. Please visit forourcity.us to catch up on previous episodes and discover new resources. And then, please subscribe to the podcast on the website or on iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Until next time, let's live for our city.

"OneGenAway’s mission is to wipe hunger off the face of America by eliminating racism, denominationalism and poverty." Hunger is a major problem even in the most affluent communities around us, but it doesn't have to be that way. Chris Whitney and One Generation Away "distributes healthy foods to families throughout Middle Tennessee that currently do not have access to food sources due to economic and physical barriers." They also help churches and other non-profits fight hunger in their own communities in a way that is making a real difference.

I recently caught up with Chris to hear his story and about the work One Generation Away is doing. So listen in, connect with OneGenAway, and let's wipe hunger off the face of America.

You will also want to pick up a copy of Chris' book, The Dirty Church.

This episode is sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. "Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there."

Visit forourcity.us to find resources, to listen to previous episodes, or to subscribe to the podcast. And then join with us as we make disciples of Jesus and advance His Kingdom by serving the common good.

On this episode of the For Our City Podcast, I'm honored to introduce you to Scott Sheppard, who is the Executive Director of 6Stones in Euless, Texas. "The vision of 6Stones is to be a catalyst of hope that transforms lives, homes and communities." They do that by building a coalition of churches, businesses, governments, schools, and other non-profits to provide real solutions that meet the needs of people in their communities.

Since 2008, 6Stones has helped countless families, built effective community partnerships, and led over 6000 people to take their next step with Jesus. If you're interested in impacting your city, Scott Sheppard and the amazing people at 6Stones provide a model to follow.

Scott mentioned the Stanford Review on Collective Impact, so check that out here.

Thanks to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for sponsoring this episode. Wherever you're going, Southeastern can help you get there.

Be sure to visit forourcity.us for more resources to help you and your church make disciples and advance Jesus' Kingdom by serving the common good in your city.