Dear CLDI Family and Friends, My wife and I have lived in the South Side for the last 4 years, and I am just realizing that being an authentic neighbor is more than just physically moving closer. It means recognizing the God-given worth of our neighbors and creating...
Part #2 of Promise’s Story of Healing. Read Part #1 “Healing Her Broken Belief” here. When Promise first moved into the Hannah House, it felt like she had nothing to offer.She had little job experience and very few skills, but the staff encouraged and supported...
Dear CLDI Family and Friends, Since I was a kid, I have had an infatuation with timeless items. I loved my dad's old records and record player, the infamous buck knife my parents got me as a young boy, and my grandfather’s bolo ties. The ageless spiritual works I...
Mentorship is an essential component of the fourth principle of Christian Community Development: Leadership Development. Through our holistic, gospel-centered approach to mentorship, we encourage and equip individuals to grow and become empowered. As we invest in...
Words by Jackie Patten In light of Valentine's Day, our office has a “heart attack” game going around where we have to essentially bomb each other's work desks with goodies, candy and words of affirmation. The individual who chose me wrote words of encouragement that...
Hello Friends of CLDI! Even with the cold weather and winter storm, we were able to get the remaining walls poured Thursday, and we will pull the forms today. Next week we will backfill around the foundation and start the plumbing. The good news is that we are still...
Ministry Partner Encouragement: By Nate Poetzl We love partnering with the church. The relationships we’ve built with local bodies have been integral to the work that we do in the South Side community. In November, Faith Chapel Pastor, Nate Poetzl, spoke about the...
Internship Update: From Alex Streeter Change has become a recurring theme in my life over the last six months. There have been apparent changes, such as my occupation and living situation, as well as deeper inner changes regarding my worldview and life goals. One day,...
Volunteer Highlight by Eddy Welch Before becoming an apprentice mentor through Rail//Line Coffee, I was looking for a ministry to partner with. I wanted to help people not only to grow in their walk with Christ but to further themselves in the professional world as...
The 8th principle of CCD is Empowerment. Empowering people is an important element of Christian Community Development. How do you ensure that people are able to help themselves after they have been helped? Oftentimes, Christian ministry, particularly in poor...