Developing Community Partnership Handbook: The Repair of the Breach

By Dr. Helen Stafford Fleming

The success of community partnership is when all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord that are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). Prayers are answered when we come on one accord regardless of ethnicity. Let us run the race together and win the victory.

When we share in our diversity, a covenant between all parties will represent our character, ethics, and our trust in the Lord. As men and women of God, our commitment to love one another is His greatest commandment that must be adhered to with authenticity. We have an opportunity to exercise our social and business graces as a vital part of building the community and as a result we will bring the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514426920

Dr. Helen Stafford Fleming

REV. DR. HELEN STAFFORD FLEMING Pastor–Author–CEO–Community Partnership–Leadership Specialist-International Advisor, Speaker for Women/Men Seminars and Cultural Transition Dr. Helen Stafford Fleming is presently the Lead Pastor of Douglas Memorial United Methodist Church. She is the Executive Director of Douglas Worship Center Community Partnership Ecumenical Cooperative Parish. Dr. Fleming is also the founder of the Women Veterans Resource Center that is now located in 11 churches. In 2010, she retired from the Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church where she served as the Assistant to the Bishop for Lay Leadership Development, a Guide to 18 Churches and implemented the first Discipleship Academy and the first Certified Lay Minister classes. Dr. Fleming was formerly the first female Senior Pastor of Eastwick United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She developed a three campus church. In that capacity, she was the Founder/CEO of a $1.2 million Community Development Corporation (CDC). This multi-purpose center had an upscale Conference Center, Banquet Facility and Sanctuary. She was the founder of the Helping Hand learning center and a mission house that was an award winning food cupboard that served the community. Dr. Fleming has traveled internationally organizing non-partisan voter education and registration campaigns. She was invited by the United Nations and the Namibian political arena of Southwest Africa to assist in the one-person-one vote transition to independence from the apartheid regime. She has chaperoned African and Korean American youth on a tour for cultural exchange in Seoul, Korea. As an entrepreneur, she was the Founder/CEO of The Career Development Business School that trained and placed over 4,000 welfare recipients.. Dr. Fleming was appointed by the Mayor of Baltimore City as the Minority Economic Development Liaison for Entrepreneurs. She also hosted a radio and television talk show. Dr. Fleming is the author of “The Mind of a Preaching Woman.” Dr. Fleming has received over 42 awards; such as, President George W. Bush Faith-based Initiative recognition at the 2004 State of the Union Address, the Tennessee Honorary Citizen Award, Legislative Black Caucus Awards, the Coalition of 100 Black Woman Award, the Million Man March Award, the Korean Council of Churches Award, Philadelphia Liberty Bell Award, United Methodist Men Award, Military Chaplain Award and numerous other recognitions. Her desire is to continue to be a consultant to urban churches on community partnership, racial reconciliation and leadership development. She hopes to be a life line to churches that are being challenged during the shifting of the guards in the inner city communities.

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Copyright © 2015 by Dr. Helen Stafford Fleming.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5144-2691-3

                eBook         978-1-5144-2692-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

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Rev. date: 12/18/2015

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One Purpose Of Community Partnership

Chapter Two The Demographics

Chapter Three The Role Of Prayer

Chapter Four Voice Of Reasoning

Chapter Five How To Rebuild The Walls

Chapter Six Accumulative Data

Chapter Seven Examples Of Shared Ministries

Chapter Eight Social Events And Activities

Chapter Nine Property Evaluation

Chapter Ten Structuring A Community Partnership

Chapter Eleven Spiritual Leadership

Chapter Twelve Benefits Of Community Partnership

Chapter Thirteen Mutual Agreements

Summary

I dedicate this book to:

Douglas Memorial United Methodist Church family for their willingness to become a

Community Partnership Church;

Pastors who are seeking to revitalize their churches and community.

FOREWORD

For a good part of the last 15 to 20 years, urban communities all across the country have experienced a racially, socially, economically and culturally charged phenomenon called gentrification. It is the reality where a group of people buy into a poor, declining neighborhood at a lower price and build up their blighted homes. The market forces take over and make it virtually impossible for another group of people, many of whom have lived in that community all their lives, to stay there let alone buy back into the neighborhood. Displacement occurs, preferences shift, coffee shops and dog parks appear and poof! The transformation is on.

From Washington, DC to Atlanta, to Chicago, to Houston, to Los Angeles, to Oakland, gentrification is the reality of the day. And typically, it is wealthy white adults or young white millennia’s with great jobs or supportive parents who are leading the charge into these shifting communities. And it is African Americans of all ages, or Latinos of all ages who are being displaced or who are trying to make a quick buck as they see the trend happening and seek to cash in. What emerges from all of this movement is a great deal of tension between races, community groups, politicians, business owners and the like who struggle to keep communities together. There are many Blacks and Latinos who