By Rasheedah Jackson, Development Director, MCDC

Member organization Memorial CDC is hosting a conference June 27-29 to share best practices in community development. In the following guest blog, MCDC Development Director Rasheeda Jackson reflects on the organization’s history and successes and plans for the conference. 

The Vision

Twenty-three years ago, Pastor Adrian M. Brooks Sr. was given a powerful vision from God that would redefine the role of Memorial Baptist Church (MBC) within the center city of Evansville, IN.  At that time, the church had a small membership of about 50 people, and the community was distressed. The members of Memorial were diligent in sharing the good news and meeting the spiritual needs of the community, but it was apparent that people were living in despair. Blight, poverty, and addiction were just some of the challenges that they were facing. Memorial Baptist Church, with its strong roots in the community, was called to be an agent of change. Pastor Brooks and his 50 faithful members made a commitment to be public servants and a church that would be involved in every facet of peoples’ lives.  From that commitment birthed the Memorial Community Development Corporation (MCDC). The purpose of the corporation is to create enriching opportunities in economic development, health services, housing, education, and financial services, social services, and youth development. MCDC would be vital to the transformation of Evansville’s center city.                                          

“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

-James 2:17

The Harvest                             

Within the first five years of its ministry, Memorial Baptist Church and MCDC experienced an abundance of growth. The church membership grew to over 1,200 and there was an emergence of center city revitalization. Blocks of dilapidated housing and abandoned warehouses were eliminated and replaced with the new Memorial Baptist Church, two senior housing complexes, a health center, childcare facility, multi-family townhouses, and a Subway restaurant. In addition to development, more than 50 ministries providing various supportive services were being offered. Memorial established itself as a pioneer for holistic ministry in action. Residents began to look to Memorial as a solution to their issues. To date, Memorial has developed over 100 units of affordable housing; built and sold 13 single family homes; employed hundreds of youth; supported children and families through childcare and educational programs; provided repair services to homeowners; created access to fresh produce through the Urban Market; purchased a shopping plaza, and chartered a community credit union. God has positioned Memorial to be leaders and advocates poised to meet the ongoing challenges in the city of Evansville.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

 

The Conference

Memorial Baptist Church and MCDC have accomplished a lot. While demonstrating the impact a church can make in the community through faith and hard work. That is one of the reasons Memorial was inspired to host a conference this summer. Last November, Dr. Stacey Spencer, pastor of New Directions Community Church in Memphis, Tenn., and keynote speaker for the conference, hosted a meeting amongst five faith-based organizations from across the U.S. who spent two days sharing experiences and best practices in community development. The feedback that Memorial received from the participants at that meeting helped us to realize the wealth of information and resources we had to share. It was decided amongst the leadership team that a conference could be very beneficial to others that want to make a difference.

“Putting Faith to Work” is a conference that is not just for churches or faith-based organizations. This conference is for those who have a desire to make a difference and have a heart to serve their community. People should attend because it is a great way to expand their network, garner additional resources, and get one-on-one assistance. A range of businesses, corporations, and other non-profits will be represented at the event. The conference will offer small class sizes to allow participants to be engaged and interact with the presenters as much as possible, also attendees will receive a flash drive of all the learning materials and resources provided. It’s very important to us that our attendees walk away with good information. Another exciting component to this conference is the variety of sessions. There are four tracks: housing, economic development, youth programs, and special topics. Each track has three levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced. The courses are structured this way to reach a broader audience. Presenters represent local and regional communities and bring a wealth of knowledge from their areas of expertise.

Participants can expect to hear from some dynamic speakers and community development practitioners that have a track record of doing amazing work. I am particularly excited about the plenary session because each speaker is truly a community development all-star. Their biographies are available on the MCDC website. Outside of the conference, participants can experience great food, scenery, and entertainment in Downtown Evansville.

The conference will be held June 27 – 29, 2017. The event will take place at Tropicana Casino on Day 1 and Day 2 and at Memorial Baptist Church on Day 3, concluding with center city tours and Memorial’s annual luncheon. Those interested in registering should visit MCDC’s website for all info pertaining to the conference, including registration. You may also contact Development Director Rasheedah Jackson at 812-423-2500 or by email.