They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and [...]Read More
Religious Liberty, Ableism, and Racism
An excerpt from Lamar Hardwick's book, How Ableism Fuels Racism.In 1974, Larry and Sandi Zobrest gave birth to their first child, Jim, while living in Erie, Pennsylvania. Jim was diagnosed as profoundly deaf after a routine medical examination before his first birthday. Jim would later attend a [...]Read More
State of the Membership
As 2024 is well upon us, I’m excited to share some updates about the state of our membership. 2023 was a year of significant growth in our membership. We’ve also grown in our knowledge and understanding of our members. We're thrilled to share insights and statistics that showcase the assets of [...]Read More
Juneteenth and God’s Redemptive Blessings
Juneteenth celebrates the effective end of lawful slavery of African American people on June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people would be freed. The troops arrived two and a half years after the signing of the [...]Read More
Healing Through Trauma-Informed Community Development
Upon returning from several military tours in Iraq, Rev. Paul Abernathy became aware of an alarming fact. He noticed there were higher instances of people affected by trauma in his hometown of Pittsburgh than there were among those he engaged with in a war-torn environment. Understanding that [...]Read More
Building a Strong Non Profit
Building a Strong Nonprofit is a 5-Phase roadmap for new and existing nonprofits (NPs), which empowers NP leaders to construct robust nonprofit organizations that realize their vision, thereby fostering positive larger-scale transformation.Included Topics: Defining the NP, Leadership, Planning, [...]Read More
Collective Imagination: Seminary Students in Portland Embrace Collaborative Influence
An Old Question with a Dangerous New MeaningSince the Covid-19 pandemic my pastor friends here in Portland, Oregon have been asking an important question: “What is our new vision?” In a place like Portland, this question has a history of leading the church toward collaborative partnerships between [...]Read More
From Expectations to Partnership
What expectations do you have of the communities you are engaged with? What expectations do the people in the communities feel are being placed on them? Do you expect to help or to partner with the individuals in your community?During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and [...]Read More