THRiVE! Y O U R C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T FA N
B U F FA L O N I A G A R A R E G I O N
W W W. T H R I V E B U F FA L O . O R G
COLLEGE TOWN
SEYMOUR KNOX RENAISSANCE MAN PAGE 13
RESTORING THE SOUL OF NEW ORLEANS PAGE 20
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REVITALIZING OUR CITIES PAGE 42
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS 16
20
36 32
2
Editor’s Note
4
Upcoming
5
Partners
6
Comments
8
Picture Page
12
Inside Out
13
Radar
16
Racism
20
Restoring the Soul of New Orleans
24
The Power of Small Thinking
28
Summer Reading List
32
College Town
36
Drumming to a Different Beat
41
Leaders Finish Strong
42
Revitalizing Our Cities
44
Success/Addiction/Redemption
THRiVE! | www.thrivebuffalo.org
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EDITORS NOTE
ONE Buffalo has an incredibly large and growing base of colleges and universities. These institutions of higher education serve as assets to our community and attract out of town students and thousands of international students every year. This is a major strength in our community that needs to be highlighted and promoted to businesses looking for a city to expand or relocate to. With over 20 colleges in our backyard, we have the talent to attract emerging leaders and businesses to our region.
TWO An old proverb states, “When right-living people bless the city, it flourishes; evil talk turns it into a ghost town in no time.� From this quote, we form the thesis of this issue, to speak life into the budding virtues in Buffalo that we believe have great potential to help our city thrive-- namely arts and academics. As our arts and culture issue, we celebrate who Buffalo is and we look forward with anticipation of what Buffalo is becoming. Without a vision, the people
A look at the arts and culture of Buffalo and how we can work together to grow, nurture, and keep new, emerging, and successful artists in Buffalo. The growing arts and culture scene downtown is something that we need to celebrate and appreciate. From musicians to playwrights, Buffalo has a budding art community that is something we should be proud of. THRiVE! brings you profiles of people you should know about like Seymour H. Knox IV, essays on urban issues like racism and how we can stop it by Dan Trippie, and our regular columns from Stuart Harper, Robert Stearns, Matthew Brown and a lot more. Additionally, visit us online at thrivebuffalo.org and join the discussion, listen to podcasts, and interactive with like-minded activists like yourself!
perish and without a vision of where Buffalo is headed we too will perish. With that in mind we highlight two important topics in this issue:
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THRiVE! | JULY / AUGUST 2010
Kyle Patterson
bring Your
WEBSITE ouT of THe
STONE AGE.
newbirddesign.com buffalo, nY: 716-989-4373
D E S I G N
begin@newbirddesign.com
THRiVE! | www.thrivebuffalo.org
3
UPCOMING
AUGUST 24
SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 31
Standing Firm: The long awaited release of Standing Firm,
40 Days for Life: Buffalo will be one of more than 200 cities in the
the Lewiston, NY film produced and directed by Kyle Prohaska
United States and internationally joining together for the largest
comes out this month on DVD. The film, produced on a shoe string
and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history -- the 40
budget of $30,000 has generated a facebook following of over
Days for Life campaign. 40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort
15,000 and is making waves in the Christian film market, ranked 7th
that consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting, 40 days of peaceful
this past August on christiancinema.com. The film is being heralded
prayer vigil and 40 days of community outreach. The mission through
as, “A moving story about faith, love, and the power of prayer,”
prayer is that with God’s help, this groundbreaking effort will mark
by the Dove Foundation. Moody Radio called it, “Realistic, fun,
the beginning of the end of abortion in our city -- and throughout
and entertaining.” Standing Firm is produced by Praise Pictures
America. While all aspects of 40 Days for Life are crucial in our effort
and is a story of suffering, God’s purpose in it, and being joyful
to end abortion, the most visible component is the peaceful prayer
despite it. Praise Pictures is an independently owned and
vigil outside the local abortion (or Planned Parenthood) facility. You
operated motion-picture and distribution company. The company
can help make a life-saving impact by joining the local vigil at 2500
develops, produces, and distributes innovative feature films and
Main Street, Buffalo, NY.
documentaries. Praise Pictures is actively involved in the filmmaking industry, specifically the independent Christian film market.
COMING SOON THRiVE! Live: We mentioned this in our last issue but we want to reiterate and prepare you for upcoming THRiVE! Live events! We are really excited about offering a live feature to our magazine featuring panel speakers, live music, art showings, and networking opportunities. Our first one had to be pushed back from the original June date but keep your ears open as more info will be coming in upcoming issues.
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THRiVE!
PARTNERS
Y O U R C I T Y ’ S B I G G E S T FA N
B U F FA L O N I A G A R A R E G I O N W W W. T H R I V E B U F FA L O . O R G
THRiVE Magazine May/June 2010 www.thrivebuffalo.org Clarence Center UMC Pastors Chuck and Kim Smith 741.2410 www.thewayonline.net
Zion Dominion Global Ministries Pastor Roderick L. Hennings 716-250-7040 www.ziondominion.org
True Bethel Baptist Church Pastor Darius Pridgen 716-895-8222 Truebethel.org
Wesleyan Church of Hamburg Pastor Greg McClain 716-649-6335 www.wchamburg.org
The Chapel at CrossPoint Lead Pastor Jerry Gillis 716-631-2636 www.thechapel.com
The Tabernacle Pastor Tommy Reid 716-675-2888 www.thetab.org
Northgate Community Church Pastor Jon Hasselbeck www.northgatebuffalo.com
Elim Christian Fellowship Bishop Troy Bronner 716-832-7698 www.elim-world.org
Grace Fellowship Pastor Richard Giano 716-681-2059 www.gracefic.org
Teen Challenge of WNY Rev. Walter Thomas 716-855-0602 www.buffalotc.org
All Nations House of Prayer Pastors Sean & Tammi O’Brien 716-462-6300 www.anhopinc.org
Pentecostal Temple Pastor Matthew L. Brown 716-852-5502, www.pentecostaltemplechurch.com
ART DIRECTOR: Jamie Callari PHOTOGRAPHY: Matt and Angela Brown PHOTO EDITOR: Jennifer Santora CONTRIBUTING Ryan Kozey WRITERS: Matthew L. Brown Robert Stearns Stuart Harper Christine Smyczynski Dan Trippie Erik Ticen Lisa Littlewood
THRiVE! Magazine is a production of THRiVE! Media Group, a Buffalo, NY based media company. THRiVE! operates through subscriptions, bulk subscriptions, and advertising. Please visit www.thrivebuffalo.org or call 716903-3515 for more information on how you can receive
Rev. Kevin L. Wright 716-688-8668 www.bethel-nab.org
THRiVE! and help spread THRiVE! across Western New
My Father’s House Pastor Randall Smith 716-655-1389 www.myfathershouseministry.net
Eagles’ Wings Ministry Robert Stearns 716-759-1058 www.eagleswings.to
The Philadelphia Church
Lovejoy Gospel Church Pastors Ron and Judy Burgio 716-651-0400 www.lovejoy.org
New Life World Harvest Restoration Center
Pastors John & Barbara Burkholder 716-832-6791 www.swordofthespiritministries.com
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR: Julianna Patterson
Bethel Baptist Church
Sam O. Pulliam 716-408-7400 www.tpc2.org
Sword of the Spirit
PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Kyle Patterson
York and beyond!
COMMENTS? Please E-mail: kyle@thrivebuffalo.org
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! www.thrivebuffalo.org/subscribe Phone: 716-668-1072 Rates: 1 year (6 issues) $19.95
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Pastor Melvin J. Taylor 716-725-6235 www.newliferestorationcenter.org
Visit www.thrivebuffalo.org for news, articles, teachings
New Bethel Community Church
teachings in your inbox every month. You can subscribe by
Pastors William and Toni Clark 716-835-8300 www.newbethelonline.com
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COMMENTS
I like the diversity of political, faith and relevant articles focused on issues in our city and county. Very interesting magazine. There are a lot of needs in Buffalo and people really don’t understand what real poverty is. Thank you for informing the community.
On James Giles Interview via thrivebuffalo.org: I quite agree with the content of this article. As a community organization we have a faith-based initiative to strengthen our community through literacy and have been reaching out to the faith community since March. One of our greatest challenges is to understand the needs of the faith community before we can affect change within the faith community. Buffalo is rich with resources and there are many organizations with resources to share to help strengthen our community. We do need to work together and coordinating these key change agents is one of our greatest challenges.
Deborah Porter Community Outreach Coordinator/Faith-Based Initiative Facilitator Read to Succeed Buffalo, Inc.
- Cal Fenner
The article on human trafficking was touching and eye opening. Who knew that it goes on right here in Buffalo. I commend the work that is being done by local organizations to stop this travesty locally and internationally. May we all continue to work to put an end to this modern day slavery.
Anonymous
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A few thoughts while the Church at Buffalo reflects on its Christian duty. Refugees are people. People who are just as ambitious, creative, industrious, tough, and resilient as anybody else. They have families, hopes, and dreams. People who have, in some cases, spent years even decades in refugee camps. Camps that are outside the purview of law, where bad things can and do happen. Really bad things. These folks have been through a number of traumas. From whatever happened in their home country, to the trauma of a refugee camp, to the trauma of moving to the U.S. where they don’t know the language and where government help ceases after 6 months. The Church at Buffalo needs to understand that these are folks in need. They need a hand, not pity. In interacting with our friends from other countries we might do well to remember what Jesus did for each and every one of us. He met us where we were.
Eric Budin On thrivebuffalo.org
LEADING A GENERATION TO CHRIST THROUGH WORSHIP
IMMANUEL: GOD WITH US
Pick up a copy of the NEW CD today at Life Resources Christian Bookstore 1551 Niagara Falls Boulevard
www.myspace.com/immanuelmusic
The students pictured are with Jericho Road Ministries’s F.L.Y. Program or Focused Learning for Youth, a name chosen by the refugee middle-schoolers who participate in this after-school program by Hope Refugee Services. Special thanks to Brenda Dusel, RPM Network, Starfields Productions Recording Studios and Peace of The City Ministries for making this event happen.
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THRiVE! | JULY / AUGUST 2010
Students visit a local recording studio and participate in a recording project with Stephen Kulu of Christ Records. The students got to sing/rap for the song “I Made It” an original by Kulu featuring Moe Badger. The song has a very positive message the kids got to take home with them.
Live Life Loved, an event hosted at Park School in May sponsored by Restoration Church, helped raise money for combating human trafficking
THRiVE! | www.thrivebuffalo.org
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INSIDE OUT
GUNGOR
Michael Gungor is one of those emerging artists that you need to know about. Some say he is pioneering new ground in worship music. He is the leader of the band Gungor and also the church Bloom. We sat down with Michael Gungor while he was in town recently for a quick Q & A. You wrote on your website that you never write music to get noticed but rather to contribute to the faith community you are a part of, can you explain that a bit? For me songs and music have always been closely tied with my faith. I have played in bands since I was ten years old. Music was always associated with my faith, they go hand in hand. Sometime the needs of the community drive my song writing, sometimes life squeezes and songs come out. Sometimes that is inspirational good
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things about life, sometimes that is the hard painful times and songs come out of that as well. Was there a defining time when you knew you were going to play professionally? There was a moment when I had to decide that I was going to do this professionally. I had always played and wrote music but there was a moment when I had to decide this is what I was going to major in. It’s crazy to try to be a musician, and back then a worship leader wasn’t what it is today, you can go online and search job openings as a worship leader at a church, back then that didn’t even exist. So it was a scary step but I felt like this was what God had made me to do, I didn’t know if I was going to make any money but this was all I knew to do with my passion, time, and money. That was kind of the main real major decision point, but the rest of the time it has been really gradual and music has always just been a part of my life. How many people are in your group now?
BY JOHN CARTER
We do these things called Beautiful Things Events and we have 12 people, but the next circle out there will be five when you see a Gungor gig.
I have listened Beautiful Things with my friends and all of it seems very intentional and pure. Can you explain the process of song writing?
Wow, 12. What is rehearsal like?
Yeah, well all the songs have a story to them. It is pretty thematic, the beautiful things theme about God bringing beauty into the chaos of the world. We were planting a church during this process in our living room with our friends. That was very organic and innocent, simple, and pure. But also kind of painful and not as romantic as we walked into it thinking it would be. We thought we were going to make a bigger difference in Denver than we did. Also making the record we didn’t go to a recording studio we rented a house in the mountains with no cell phones.
Rehearsal is so hard, but the core of us live in Denver. But for the special events they are coming from all over, and we will have a special rehearsal for that. Your music is being labeled the next thing in worship music. Have you heard that? I don’t know, some people like it. I try to balance what people say. I am 29 now but I have been doing this since I was ten, I have been playing for almost 20 years. I have to for my own soul and sanity, really not center my thoughts on what people think about it, cause if I do I easily get sidetracked. This record (Beautiful Things) was a pretty pure process, not that others weren’t, but this record I was really trying to be intentional about being honest, and just be who God made me to be and play the music that God put in my heart and not care if any radio stations play it, and not many do. (laughing)
How long did that take? I did all the mixing myself so it took a long time. We rented the house in the mountains for a month and we brought all the elements of the mountains and house into the recording!
Listen to the full interview and hear Michael play live at www. thrivebuffalo.org/iTunes
Seymour RADAR H. Knox IV Renaissance Man By Kyle Patterson
S
eymour H. Knox IV is no stranger in Buffalo, after all his family name is all over the city from Knox Farms State Park, to the internationally
renowned Albright-Knox Art Gallery, to the street named after his late father on which HSBC Arena resides. Catching up with Seymour recently we chatted about life as a Knox, business in Buffalo, and what his day to day life consists of. Knox, a clean cut, well connected entrepreneur in his mid fifties, is carrying on his family tradition of business, art, sports, and charity in Buffalo, one venture at a time. This kind of involvement in the culture runs in his family line from when his great-grandfather merged his more than 100 five and dime stores to form the F.W. Woolworth Company, to his grandfather’s leading role in the modernist art movement and progressive culture, to his father and uncle’s entrepreneurial spirit and love of sports that inspired them to create the Sabres. Knox IV didn’t fall far from the tree, from coaching hockey and squash, to running a consulting business, to his relentless advocacy of the arts in Buffalo and
love of Buffalo’s waterfront, Knox is a regular chip of the old block. You see, Knox believes everything that comes across his office on West Tupper happens for a reason and he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and try his shot at something new. His thought- nothing ventured is nothing gained. That is the Knox philosophy- I am learning- not being afraid to take risks and thinking outside the box about his and our city’s future. He after all has to make a living, pay for his kids college education, and invest in new and emerging businesses in Buffalo to make a living, even as a Knox. His company, BPG Global, works with high net worth individuals in succession planning and other financial matters, yet his open hearted attitude in business connects him with people from all walks of life sharing a common do-gooder desire for Buffalo and beyond. Catching up with Seymour recently at Spot coffee he reflected on his years with the Sabres and his love of the game, his passion for art, boating, the restoration of Buffalo’s waterfront, and his dream of turning Buffalo into a cultural icon for generations to come. His latest project is a budding rowing club, The Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association, at 301 Ohio Street on the Buffalo River where he plans to provide additional opportunities and access to Buffalo’s waterfront for all types of boat hobbyists and
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competitors. The company’s first customer is The Buffalo Seminary and according to Seymour, rowing has had tremendous growth across the country in recent years. Interestingly at the turn of the 20th century there were over ten clubs in Buffalo and until the launch of Knox’s venture this past spring there has been only West Side Rowing. He looks at his latest venture not as competing with West Side Rowing but as an alternative site similar to a city having multiple hockey rinks, a place for people to come and enjoy the waterfront and the growing popularity of water sports. The plan includes providing additional access to Buffalo’s growing waterfront and will piggy back on the current projects planned to create a better waterfront downtown. Currently he and his partners are raising money for a permanent structure to be built on site, but never-the-less the site is serving customers and is open to more. Knox sees the potential of taking a site surrounded by the ravages of old industry and slowly turning the tide on an area that has been an eye sore downtown. If the knack for finding opportunities for fun and business is anything like his ancestors, Knox may indeed be onto a growing new franchise. Reflecting on the beauty of the central California coastline and the water sports that abound there, Knox’s thought is to make a business that can thrive on Buffalo’s natural resources. The approximately two acre site is located with direct access to the Buffalo River and Lake Erie. Talking with him we counted on our two hands the limited access to Buffalo’s waterfront and yet the growing recreational industry of water sports including kayaking, canoeing, and wind surfing which provide the opportunities for his venture. Aside from his rowing venture, consulting company, art and photography collecting, and love for sports, Knox keeps busy with his involvement on numerous boards including the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the George Eastman House, among others. Involvement in the community is what fuels Knox’s commitment to make Buffalo a better place for future generations and hey, why not have fun while doing it!
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RACISM
Dan Trippie
“ WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, THAT ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, THAT THEY ARE ENDOWED BY THEIR CREATOR WITH CERTAIN UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, THAT AMONG THESE ARE LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.” In reading these words it seems the imagination of our founding fathers had in view a society devoid of bigotry and injustice. Can there be a more lofty ambition than to create a place where racism and intolerance seize to exist? Surely the longing of such virtue is found in the hearts of man. Yet the irony behind these words is in the juxtaposition of those who enslaved Africans while imagining such a world of freedom. Perhaps the greatest paradox of our nation’s history was found in our struggle to be freed from tyranny while at the same time enslaving others. Many have pondered how such a dichotomy could exist in 1776. Yet the fog lifts as one considers the prevailing worldview of the 18th century. By the mid 1700’s, Deism was a common lens in which the world was viewed. Deism is a belief that although a creator exists somewhere in the universe, he is not intimately involved in the day-to-day operations of his creation. Thus a Deistic worldview holds a position where God is somewhat less than an absentee landlord. His character is inferior to the landlord in that not only does He not care for the welfare of his property, but He also demands no rent.
One must consider how dangerous a lens like this is to wear. A worldview is the determining factor for how one considers complex issues such as sex, religion and race. For it is out of one’s worldview that vital interpretations emerge as well. Interpretations of words such as “all”, “men” and “rights.” As the language of our nation’s most critical documents were crafted, is it possible the meaning of such words were held to the subjectivity of the author’s worldview? After all, who are the “all” they are referring to, who are the “men” worthy of such rights? Clearly the African slaves did not fall into their definition of “all”. Perhaps the greatest deception to overtake our founding fathers was a movement to a worldview that stripped the power of objectivity from their words. Deism did not hold an external standard by which one could measure the meaning of specific words. The lack of belief in a personal Deity that could actively participate in human affairs allowed for the subjectivity of specific meaning to arise. Judgment on who “all men” were was thus left to the eye of the beholder. This seems like an innocent detail when all the beholders shared a common value. But what happens when opposing views collide with various people groups? Groups that perhaps differ in gender and ethnicity? It would seem the move to a worldview that diminished the behavior of a personal God opened the door to oppression.
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As our nation moves further and further down the path of subjectivity, one can only wonder what the implications for race relations will be on our future. A recent report done by Brookings Institution titled “Metro America”, records the United States population stands as 1/3 non-white today. However, as immigration continues to fuel our current growth rate, this generation stands on the precipice of a transition to a non-white majority for the first time in our history. The question must be posed then: If the roots of Deism allowed for the turning of a blind eye to slavery in 1776, are there potential hazards looming for a nation holding a Post-Modern worldview as it transitions its ethnicity? No doubt we have come a long way in the area of race relations in the last 200 years, but it would be fantasy to believe our nation has achieved the full virtue laid out in the Declaration of Independence. For those who challenge this idea, I simply encourage you to spend time listening to the experiences of those living in the nearest minority community. It seems you would be hard pressed to find anyone who will testify that we have achieved a full annihilation of bigotry. Regardless of all our good progress and all our good effort, the evils of inequality still exist in the streets of our cities. After 200 years, it seems safe to say our founding documents failed to create a society free of racism. So if the documents we hold fast to as a nation cannot provide a place where all men are truly viewed and treated as equals, where are “we the people” left to turn for equality? How will we find a worldview capable of transitioning our countries ethnicity without seeing the fabric of social order come apart? What paradigm will allow us to process subjective experience without sacrificing objective realties? Only the Cross of Jesus Christ provides a worldview capable of moving us through complicated transitions of our future. For no other system of belief can adequately deal with the complex tension found between the objective and subjective reality. There is no other philosophy that can answer difficult questions such as “what is good?” (is there a person who would argue the goodness of one laying down his life for a friend?). Finally, the Cross is the only environment where all humans are found to be equal regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or religion. The Cross is the great equalizer, providing for us the only environment with the power to end racism. What we learn from the last 200 years of American history is that racism is not something a human system can eradicate. For the only worldview capable of creating a society devoid of bigotry and injustice is one that casts a shadow first from a Cross!
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New Orleans
By Matt Brown 20
THRiVE! | JULY / AUGUST 2010
I linked arms with thirty volunteers this past April for a week long mission trip to New Orleans, LA and came away with a small education in community revitalization, a renewed sense of hope, and a desire to share what I learned, something I believe could be applied to Western New York and cities across America. Our team of thirty was sent out April 10 from Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church in Clarence with a mission to continue restoring the spirit and soul of New Orleans after Katrina, a city that 5 years later is beginning to glimmer with hope again. We teamed up with the Annunciation Mission, a church enabling groups of volunteers to serve in New Orleans by providing room and board while they are in town and The Salvation Army who is taking the lead in long term sustainable redevelopment of the city, one home at a time. The Annunciation Mission and The Salvation Army sit across the neutral ground (median) from each other in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans. Broadmoor, four miles from downtown New Orleans, has the same breakdown racially and socioeconomically as the City of New Orleans with incomes ranging from $15,000 to six figures. Following the disaster, Broadmoor, along with several other hard-hit neighborhoods, was marked for demolition in order to be turned into parks and green space. The Broadmoor community leaders, however, set up a tent on the neutral ground and rallied together to resist the planned leveling of their neighborhood. Expecting about 40 people to show up, 400 people came with many driving overnight determined to save their neighborhood. Residents, both black and white, rich and poor, pulled together to rebuild and today they are back to 85% restored. The recovery effort in Broadmoor is now ahead of many other neighborhoods that weren’t threatened for demolition. This happened because the people did not pull out, but stayed and worked together, making a better rebuilding process and a better community. Into this context we arrived with hopes to serve, help, and learn.
The Annunciation Mission, led by Director Duane Nettles was home base during our stay. The Mission is a cross-denominational Christian ministry that welcomes and hosts teams of volunteers to the Broadmoor neighborhood and the City of New Orleans. Nettles shared how the church was tested and strengthened after Katrina and how the storm served to awaken the congregation to the needs in the community. In the midst of the chaos and pain, little by little Nettles and his team began seeing
referred to as a three-sided home. What happened was rebuild agencies started working on each home with a certain budget of time and money and they weren’t always able to complete every home, despite good intentions. Homeowners were left with three sides of their house done well while the back of the home might have tar paper covering the outside resulting in high utility costs, and less resources to devote to rebuilding their lives. This is where we fit in. Our job was to come along side these
good come out of such a devastating event. While the majority of our volunteers worked with The Salvation Army, a group stayed on campus to work on the Mission’s new community center and coffee house doing plumbing, framing, drywall, landscaping and other small projects.
homeowners, assess their situation and help come up with a solution, something that proved to be both rewarding and challenging, more on this in a minute. I want to first introduce you to the initiatives we had the opportunity to be a part of.
The Salvation Army’s Emotional and Spiritual Care Program led by Captain Ethan Frizzel, area commander, visited approximately 8,000 households in New Orleans since the hurricane and were able to give $25 million in furniture to people willing and able to return home, and $10,000-20,000 in grant monies for rebuilding allocated according to individuals and family vulnerability. The Salvation Army has been working with sixty rebuilding agencies rebuilding and inspecting homes that were reconstructed in the Katrina aftermath. During this process they began noticing what they
It was very difficult for many people to return due to the housing crisis that followed the storm. The Salvation Army decided that if they were going to help someone get a home or rebuild their current home, they would not just confirm they were in need but they made sure they could support the home. One of the ways to make homes sustainable is to reduce their energy costs through energy efficiency. In response The Salvation Army created the enviRenew initiative to establish a replicable model for affordable housing while at the same time establishing community capacity
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so that New Orleans communities can grow even stronger than before. EnviRenew targeted 5 out of 72 neighborhoods to become recipients of funds to be applied specifically through community organizations, because they believe community organizations better understand what their neighborhoods need. There are four programs that are being implemented in the chosen neighborhoods. • New Home Construction. EnviRenew’s hallmark new home construction program aims to tackle the affordable housing issue facing New Orleans head on. EnviRenew seeks to leverage strategic community partnerships to help build 125 green homes for teachers, fireman, police officers, and other community capacity builders. • Green Home Sustainability. The EnviRenew Green Home Sustainability (GHS) Program enhances an individual’s quality of life by reducing their occupancy costs. Through energy-efficient home upgrades, residents save money, enabling them to spend energy savings on goods and services with greater value. • Solar Grants. Recognizing the need to combat the issue of long-term affordability for homeowners from multiple angles, EnviRenew has developed a pilot solar thermal grant program targeted at 125 existing homes within the EnviRenew Green Renew Zones. When delivered in combination with the new home program, EnviRenew will reduce occupancy costs in 250 homes resulting from solar thermal installation grants. • EcoBasket. The EcoBaskets aim to further fulfill the EnviRenew mission of improving homeowner sustainability in two critical ways: the first is to reduce occupancy costs through small green home improvements thereby preserving long-term affordability. The second is to foster a sense of an EcoCommunity within each neighborhood, where residents can become engaged and invested in the process of developing sustainable home improvement options in their own neighborhoods. The EcoBasket program is what our team focused on. We split into several groups and met with homeowners in the Broadmoor neighborhood to perform an assessment of their home. Listening to the homeowner was an important part of these assessments. We also assessed insulation, water use, energy efficiency and quality of life products and services. Often the homeowner would explain what was and was not working correctly in their homes. The EcoBasket program allowed us to select up to $500 of energy efficient and quality of life products based on our assessment and from listening to the homeowner. If an EcoBasket was the best program for them, we proceeded with making the appropriate energy efficient repairs and upgrades. Some of the more common items used were weather stripping, door sweeps,
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sealant, digital thermostats and green cleaning products. Many in our group commented on how a program like this could work back home in Buffalo. “In this process we continue to make improvements. And the reason we continue to make improvements is because we believe there needs to be a higher standard of restoration. As more than 45% of our homes were damaged in Katrina, and as a large portion have been reestablished by well meaning volunteers and church groups, we realize we need to put into place practices that will take energy efficiency, sustainability, community capacity, which just simply means we value the person in the home, into effect at the beginning instead of at the end.” - Captain Ethan Frizzel The work we did that week, and the information and feedback we gave, is helping The Salvation Army share and integrate it in a way so it will become replicable not only in New Orleans but throughout the country. Captain Frizzel presented a challenge to us at the beginning of the week. “Do we want to do this as missionary tourists, or do we want to do this as kingdom builders that build communities and build relationships?” One of the privileges we had was to share God’s word through daily devotions, the time we spent with the homeowners, and Friday night during a special service at The Salvation Army. While the work was not what we had expected, we did it because it’s what we were asked to do. This is the same with God’s calling. When God tells us to do something, we might not always understand it fully, but we do it because He asked us to. Our group didn’t finish the community center, we didn’t even complete all of the EcoBaskets we set out to do, yet I know that our team made a difference. I went from thinking this wasn’t the work I wanted to do, to understanding the work I was called to do was beyond my ability to complete. In New Orleans, I learned the power of one. I learned that my work mattered to God, to the homeowners, and to myself. I was sent there for a reason and a purpose and I want to share the work and vision with others so together we can continue rebuilding lives, one person, one home, one neighborhood, one community, and one city at a time!
Links:
Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church www.easternhillschurch.org
enviRenew www.envirenew.org
Annunciation Mission www.annunciationmission.org
Green Light New Orleans www.greenlightneworleans.org
The Salvation Army www.salvationarmy.com
The Power of Small Thinking
[ How Micro Churches are Changing the World ]
Erik Ticen
To this day the irony makes me laugh. After all, my livelihood revolves around helping ministries get larger. Strategic marketing and branding plans, integrated media productions, growth analytics – I’m neck deep in this stuff every day and I love it. No, not every successful mega-ministry in the U.S. is making a difference – but most are. I mean, some of these organizations are literally impacting millions of lives a year for the better. So it strikes me as hilarious that I would find myself as part of a micro-church. I’m not talking about a church that is failing to fill the pews. This is a church that is tiny by design. No paid professionals. No church building with pews to fill. Not even a sniff of “integrated media strategies”. What am I doing here?
A FAST GROWING MOVEMENT Of course, micro-churches (or house churches as most call it) are nothing new. The first century church met in homes, as do the majority of churches in many modern third world countries. But that is often because they have no other option. We Americans do have a choice and yet by some estimates millions are choosing to go small. Last year a study by the Barna Group found that between 3 to 6 percent of Americans regularly participate in a group “sometimes known as a house church or simple church, that is not associated in any way with a local, congregational type of church.” According to DOVE International founder Larry Krieder, “thousands” of churches have sprung up in the US over the past 10 years alone, meeting in homes, coffee shops, offices, parks and other non-conventional locations. In fact, WNY may be one of the few remaining regions where the micro-church movement has yet to fully catch on. But it won’t stay that way for long. The surrounding cities of
Pittsburgh, Rochester and Toronto all have thriving networks of house churches that are growing rapidly.
BIG IS NOT BAD It’s true and unfortunate that some house churches are birthed out of a rejection of the traditional church model. Many people are simply fed up with what they see as inefficient bureaucracy, political systems and financial waste. Some complain that the church has stopped serving people and instead demand people to feed the institution. One house church leader told me the traditional church is outdated and its days are numbered. I am saddened by these remarks. The conventional models of church may not be perfect, but they have effectively ministered to the vast majority of Christians for the last 1900 years. They are able to harness greater resources for life changing programs and bring significant large scale impact to a community. I should know, I worked for a WNY mega-church for ten years and saw the profound good big can do.
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But there are things all ministries, including the large and mid-sized ones, can learn from thinking small too:
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Small is more adaptable to change. I’ve heard big thinkers say more than once “it takes a long time to turn a large ship.” Of course that kind of thinking sunk the Titanic. In 1588 Spain had the biggest, most powerful ships in the world – but they were defeated by the smaller, more maneuverable English ships that could adapt to the changing conditions. As many have said before, an eternal unchanging message requires it be preached in ever changing languages. Small is more responsive to urgent need. On one hand, no one can fill a big need like a big church. But small thinking can respond to little needs quicker. I’ve seen micro-churches respond to a need within minutes. No request forms to fill out while waiting for next month’s board meeting. When you think small you don’t think policy, you think action. Small has a face. No matter how you slice it, the bigger the organization becomes the more insignificant the individual appears in comparison. Big thinking values the power of numbers. Small thinking values the power of individual relationships. This is why every successful large organization has the ability to break itself down into very small entities – like small groups and home fellowships. Plunking a check in an offering plate is good. But it changes everything when you are forced to look need in the face, learn his name and allow him to learn yours. Small is more acute. It’s tough to “go where the people are” when you think big. You just sit there and hope the people come to you. But small lives at the edges, penetrates the cracks, and uses precision instruments to address unique needs. There are times when wielding a big sledge hammer is necessary, but not when you’re conducting open heart surgery. Here is an example.
THRiVE! | JULY / AUGUST 2010
Two years ago, our micro-church, Simple Way Community (SWC), was introduced to a beautiful family. Faced with death threats from the drug lords, the family fled Columbia to the US with no money and no place to go, eventually finding themselves on the streets of Buffalo in the dead of winter. Within weeks of arriving, the family of five wound up at Children’s Hospital with a severely premature newborn rushed into this world from the stress of their circumstances. SWC (a year old church of just a dozen adults at the time) gave 100% of themselves for this family – renting an apartment and furnishing it, paying all utility bills, and being friends as they worked through the legal process of receiving political asylum. Today this family enjoys a full time job, owns their own home and is thriving. But it was us, the members of our little WNY church family (along with the others who helped them), who received the far greater blessing. It taught us what being the church is all about. Big ministries help families like this every day, but not through big thinking. I know that micro-churches are not for everybody, primarily filling the gap to people who will never set foot in a religious building and for those looking for a more organic form of discipleship. In the end, it will be only one of many approaches to spread the Gospel. But my prayer is that the small thinking they represent can affect even the largest of our institutions!
Erik Ticen is a television producer, communications consultant and owner of Edifi Media.
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Summer Reading List Though Buffalo has gained notoriety for many things over the years (chicken wings, roast beef, the performance of our sports teams and the very cold precipitation that blankets the area every winter, to name a few) it seems that it also is the home to a number of resources that
MICK COCHRANE
MARK GOLDMAN
are sometimes unheard
In Mick Cochrane’s novel, The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, Molly, an eighth grader, turns to baseball as both an escape and a means of understanding the pain brought on by the death of her father just six months prior. As her mother retreats deeper and deeper into her grief, Molly struggles to find a way to hold onto her father’s memory and turns to baseball, a pastime the two shared together. She eventually finds acceptance on the boy’s baseball team with the knuckleball (a pitch that ‘flutters like a butterfly’) her father helped her to develop.
Mark Goldman is one of Buffalo’s biggest fans. While he could tell you with precision and accuracy what has contributed to the cities economic and urban decline, he would also speak with a hope of what the city can be and what it was at its best. He is a city planner full of ideas and an entrepreneur. He is also the author of three books about the city’s history, High Hopes: The Rise and Decline of Buffalo, New York (1983), City on the Lake: The Challenge of Buffalo, New York (1990) and more recently, City on the Edge: Buffalo, New York, 1900-present.
While this is Cochrane’s first novel in the Young Adult category, it is his second book in which baseball becomes a method for dealing with difficulties. His first novel, Sport, (which is intended as adult fiction, but includes a 12-year old narrator named Harlan) tells the story of a young boy whose father becomes absent and whose mother was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Harlan also finds respite and acceptance on the baseball field.
City on the Edge spans Buffalo’s history from the Pan-American Exposition in 1901 to the 2006 October storm. Amazon.com says the book “unflinchingly documents and describes how Buffalo has been battered by the tides of history. It also describes the unique characteristics that have encouraged an innovative cultural climate, including Buffalo’s dynamic survival instinct that continues to lead to a surprisingly and inspiringly high quality of community of life…Finally it offers a roadmap, which—if followed—could point the way to a new and exciting future for this longtroubled city.”
of. If you are a reader and enjoy books you’ll be glad to know that one of Buffalo’s often hidden gems is a thriving literary landscape comprised of many talented writers, speakers, teachers and city advocates. We have pulled together a list of several of those authors in an attempt to offer some additions to your a summer reading list, Buffalo style. This list certainly could contain many more names but we do hope that you’ll find a book of interest, and make a purchase to help support some of our own local talent.
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When asked if there is a personal connection the theme of baseball as a method for figuring out life Cochrane admits to being an avid baseball player as a child. “When I was a kid that was my passion and preoccupation. Baseball was an imaginative world of sorts. There is all of this history and lore —it’s an alternative universe. As a writer you look for things you know a lot about.” Cochrane is a transplant to the Buffalo area from St. Paul, Minnesota. He lives here with his wife and their two teenage boys and has been teaching writing at Canisius College for 20 years.
Buffalo Style By Lisa Littlewood
CATHI BRESE DOEBLER
JERRY GILLIS
LAUREN BELFER
If you’ve ever wondered if your family could survive on less than two incomes, if you and your spouse have argued about needing to spend less money, or if, quite simply, you’re tired of trying to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ then check out the new book by Cathi Braes Doebler Ditch the Joneses and Discover Your Family. Doebler offer Biblical and practical perspectives on how to save money, live on less, and in the process gain valuable time with your family.
To a culture that tends to revere leaders, Jerry Gillis’ book Followship proposes some radical thinking. “Growing up in an age of technological advance and innovation, I assumed that the most notable thing one could aspire to was leadership,” says Gillis in his book. “Maybe that is why it is so troubling to me that Jesus wanted me to be a follower.”
Those who enjoyed Buffalo native Lauren Belfer’s novel City of Light (a story whose setting is Buffalo in 1901 as preparations are underway for the Pan-American exposition) will be glad to hear that Belfer’s second novel A Fierce Radiance has just been released.
Doebler based the book on workshops she has been teaching on the subject for several years— workshops comprised on techniques she and her husband had found to be successful in their own lives. Dobler says she and her family have found a sense of freedom in striving not to keep up with other families, but to make choices that are best for them. “We have made choices that we feel are best for our family. When you focus your life on God’s purpose for you and your family that helps you make decisions about everything,” she says. “I’m hoping that this book helps people who feel those demands and want a practical and faith based way to think through some of the most important decisions they’ll make for their families.” Doebler’s book is available at a number of local Christian bookstores, including the Buffalo Christian Center bookstore and Bender’s Parable Bookstore. You can find more information about her book on her web site at www.ditchthe.com. Doebler will be presenting material from her book at Darien Lake’s Kingdom Bound on August 4th at 12 p.m.
Gillis is one of the head pastors of The Chapel at Crosspoint in Getzville and the man you’ll find preaching (though not behind a podium!) on most Sundays. Followship, a book written in 2005, compels readers to consider their own Christian walk and to question how well they are in fact ‘following’ Christ, rather than attempting to carve their own paths. “Jesus calls for followers- not rock stars or supermen or even leaders. His great call, “Follow Me” implies that He is already the leader and we are to go where He goes and do what He does. This book talks about some of what that looks like,” he said. Gillis is a transplant to Buffalo with southern roots. He is originally from Atlanta, GA and says his favorite thing about Buffalo is the “heartiness of the people.” Followship can be found in the bookstore at the Chapel at Crosspoint, as well as on Amazon.
What Belfer seems to do best is to take historical topics that might seem uninteresting on the surface, delve into them, and return them to us as compelling narratives full of suspense, excitement and emotion. A Fierce Radiance offers us another strong female protagonist, Claire Shipley. Shipley is a photojournalist for LIFE magazine who is assigned to cover scientists at the Rockefeller Institute in the process of developing penicillin. When we learn that Shipley’s own young daughter was killed by an infection that could have been cured by this ‘miracle’ medicine her assignment becomes even more personal. A Fierce Radiance has been described as “at once a thriller, love story, family saga and a window into American history, evoking the pure essence of war-time New York [City].” Belfer, who grew up in Buffalo and attended Buffalo Seminary, now lives in New York City but frequently visits family here. Native Buffalonians may be most interested to hear that Belfer still has an affinity for roast beef on weck, loves to visit Talking Leaves Bookstore and meander down Elmwood Avenue when she returns to town.
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Summer Reading List Buffalo Style
Jill Kelly
Christine Smycznski
Jill Kelly, like many women, embraces a number of roles in her life; wife (to Hall of Famer Jim Kelly), mother, speaker, Chairwoman and cofounder of the Hunter’s Hope Foundation (an organization striving to find a cure for Krabbe Disease—a disease that claimed their son in 2005) and more recently Kelly has found herself in the role of writer. Their family’s journey is one that has been marked with incredible highs and devastating lows and this year Jill has decided to share much of her journey and her heart in three books: Prayers for Those Who Grieve (available now), Prayers of Hope for the Brokenhearted (available this fall) and a her much anticipated memoir, Without a Word due out in September.
When Christine Smycznski, mother of three, began writing an article about kid friendly museums for WNY Family magazine several years ago she never dreamt that it would lead to a book idea.
Jill’s books are available at area bookstores, as well as online. More information about her story, her books and upcoming appearance can be found on her web site, www.jillk.org.
“I had written an article about kid friendly museums and felt like ‘this is interesting--I’d like to do some more travel writing.’ I went to the bookstore to look for a travel guide and realized there really wasn’t a guide for the area,” Smycznski said. Smycznski contacted the editors at the “Explorer’s Guide” series because she liked the way their travel books were laid out and her book, “An Explorer’s Guide to Western New York” was born. Now in it’s second edition the Explorer’s Guide to Western New York is a must have for visitors and natives alike. For native Western New Yorkers Smycznski describes the book as the perfect “staycation” guide. The book offers something for everyone; art, history, parks, day-trips, in addition to descriptions of many of Buffalo’s many festivals. “My family loves the Chicken Wing Festival,” she says, “My oldest son (a 19-year old Junior at Canisius College) said he looks forward to that as much as he looks forward to Christmas.” The Explorer’s Guide to Western New York can be found online and in local bookstores. Smycznski also offers descriptions of local places to visit online at her website (www.wnyexplorersguide. com) and at her regularly updated blog (www. explorewesternnewyork.blogspot.com).
Daemen offers more than 40 majors, including: Accounting
Mathematics
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Nursing
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Education
Psychology
English
Religious Studies
French
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and more!
History & Government
• 15:1 student/faculty ratio • 4380 Main Street, Amherst, New York
Visit Us ! That’s the best way to really get a “feel” for what Daemen is all about. daemen.edu
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COLLEGE TOWN Ryan S. Kozey, Phd.
? e r u t u F ’s o l a f f u B k Can Academia Unloc
Recently, the following question had been posed to me; “Could Buffalo become an academic town?” After a good bit of pondering, a short answer to such a question on my part is, “possibly?” Allow me to unpack a few things to provide more to the brevity, which will provide justification to my answer. Before doing so, I think it fair for the reader to know that I’m from the rust belt. In my 32 years, I’ve spend 31 on them in Cleveland, Buffalo, and Toledo. In all three towns, there are things that I absolutely love about each of them. Let me focus my attention on Buffalo and some of what I absolutely adore, especially as it relates to the question of if the city could become a veritable sort of academic town. Local food, festivals, a relatively strong local art scene, organic artists, and great architecture—although these factors seem random, they aren’t. As an academic, I’ve spent my time touring college towns, and staples within all of them lean toward good food, festivals, arts (formal and organic), and something ascetically pleasing (architecture). For skeptics to this line of thought, I beg of you, please spend some quality time in Ann Arbor, MI or Madison, WI.
Within the context of a college town, the college is the local hub of commerce. For Buffalo, we have one mammoth university and a series of others that contribute to an incredibly cool academic scene. The University at Buffalo is a beast of an economic engine in the Northeast. Personally, I’m proud to have done both my PhD and post-doctoral appointment at the University at Buffalo, serving alongside a faculty that was nothing short of excellent. Further, I was the benefactor of some incredible national research grants. This is where my hope for Buffalo as an academic hub begins. Dr. John Simpson (president of the University at Buffalo) is getting the job done. I have had the opportunity to watch him work at the University for over five years now (my time at the University). Recently, in an interview with Thrive, Simpson noted: I think the community in Buffalo has been marvelous in supporting the University and being engaged with what we are doing and in participating. And I mean participating not just in obvious ways like telling their elected officials that this is an idea that benefits the whole community, which I sure hope they keep doing.1
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there is a history which resonates in the city, and it’s one that I’m not so sure that we should ever The UB 2020 initiative is something that provides a good deal of hope for the city. Not only are we fortunate to have the North and South campus, an aggressive initiative is underway for an urban center medical corridor as well. When you consider the movement and development of UB in addition to Buffalo State, Daemon, Canisius, ECC metro and suburban, D’Youville, and Medaille, you have a city that not only possesses some very strong universities, you have them in a context in which neither of them is incredibly far from one another. Consider the previous variables mentioned earlier. What city possesses such local fare as Buffalo when it comes to fine eating in the city? I’ve gained close to 30 pounds since moving to Buffalo
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and when eating food here, it’s hard to apologize because it’s so unbelievably good. Contextualize such eateries in neighborhoods like Elmwood, and you not only have good food, but you have creative and architectural pull as well. Next is the question of festivals (which are hard to discuss without food). Polish, Greek, and Italian festivals, along with a variety of flavors for art, culture, and music from the urban center all the way down the Allen, Hertel, and Elmwood lines are profoundly apparent. In terms of arts, it’s hard for me to ignore the Allentown and Elmwood district of the city, from Elmwood and the 198 all the way into downtown. The Albright Knox and the Burchfield-Penney are fantastic formal places of artistic expression, but there are also great organic pockets as well
(feel free to check out 464 or Amherst Street along with other folks in the Amherst/Grant Street area that I am becoming more familiar with). Finally, in terms of architecture, stroll the homes of Buffalo and the architectural imprint of the city. Cities like Cleveland (Treemont and Slavic Village), Toledo (The Old West End), and Buffalo (pick a neighborhood— Elmwood, Allentown, Canisius area, etc.) keep me in a continued state of awe when I stroll the neighborhoods and pay close attention to the details of architectural feats gone by. Not to mention, the artwork of buildings downtown is absolutely gorgeous. With all of the strengths associated with such an argument, here is where the response of possibly comes into play.
forget. I think that one must consider the history of Buffalo along with the current state of government in the city. Buffalo, historically, is blue collar. I say that with a sense of pride as it reminds me of my upbringing in southeast Cleveland in the Garfield Heights district. Within that, there is a history which resonates in the city, and it’s one that I’m not so sure that we should ever forget. In the embrace of identity comes the sacrifice of other identities for something new. I’m not sure that the DNA of the people is willing to relinquish such ties to the rust belt of years gone by. When you reference “old Buffalo” and all that comes with it, there is a pride and identity that I don’t yet see easily abandoned for
the ambiance of academic culture (at least exclusively). At the end of the day, history and the infrastructure of years gone by communicate a story that I personally find troubling to do away with. Marrying the two (the old and the new)? That’s a task difficult for any city to navigate. Above and beyond that is the question of government. In my 20 year affiliation with the city, I’ve not heard of a town threaten to develop more than Buffalo. We’ve talked about the waterfront forever. In that time, Cleveland did it and continues (although with very real struggles) to stumble forward.2 Cleveland followed the Baltimore Harbor front development.
In Buffalo, I remain unconvinced of if something ultimately could happen. The Ann Arbor’s and Madison’s of the world really haven’t had such struggles with identity transformation history. I’m not saying that it couldn’t be done; rather, I’m posturing that I think that it’s a significant uphill battle! SOURCES: 1 Personal Communication, Dr. John Simpson with Kyle Patterson of Thrive Magazine, 2010
For more information on the continued proposal of waterfront development above and beyond the Cleveland flats and Project Gateway, see: http://www.portofcleveland.com/assets/attachments/ file/091006_ClevelandFinalSummaryReport_Final_ reduced%20file%20size.pdf
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DRUMMING TO A DIFFERENT BEAT RYAN S. KOZEY, PHD.
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THRiVE! | JULY / AUGUST 2010
GET A GROUP OF CREATIVE PEOPLE IN A ROOM AND SPARKS FLY. In Northwest Buffalo, just off Elmwood Avenue on Amherst Street, sits a rather unassuming studio. No lights. No signage. Yet, inside Starfields Productions, a different story is being told. One in which the passion of an individual is being birthed with the hope of rallying artists for the sake of networking, collaboration, and awareness of local talent in a city rich with expressions of the performing, fine, and musical arts. As I step inside the facility and make my way up to the second floor studio, I can’t help but feel as if I’m in another city, as the studio is organic, yet capable of producing top quality recordings. I step into Studio A and I’m drawn to the enormous sound board and am immediately ushered into the history of its origin from New York City’s The Record Plant Studio D in midtown Manhattan, a place where John Lennon, Aerosmith, and Elton John have recorded, among others. Stories abound on who has recorded on this sound board and the legend continues to grow with each passing discussion. The RPM (Recording, Production, Music) Network (http://rpmnetworkwny.com) is an idea created by Alan Dusel, a local musician and influencer in the Buffalo music scene for over twenty years. When I first learned of the idea of RPM a few months ago, Alan and I gathered for an early morning breakfast at Nick’s Place, a great local dive on Amherst Street. After some great food and coffee, Alan, somewhat disheveled and still trying to wake up after a long night of studio recording the night prior, pulls out a few crumpled up dollars to pay for the meal, wishes the crew at Nick’s well and ducks out to head over to the studio with me
to let me into his thought process. He’s had the studio on 463 Amherst Street for over 18 years now, and he’s helped to record and produce a number of projects for a plethora of local musical talent, ranging from hip hop to acoustic folk. The intent of the Network- creating awareness for local artists, helping them to utilize a network of communication with one another about various projects and happenings that they could collaborate on and contribute to. A recent meeting at the facility paints a picture of the variety of people who have heard about the Network and are interested, curious, and intrigued by the possibility of something like this actually happening in Buffalo. Within that meeting, musicians, engineers and technicians, painters, sculptors, poets, and theatre buffs all sat together. “My heart leaps and I get on fire for someone who has no idea of seeing what could happen through this network.” As Alan tells me this, you can sense the passion that he has to bring artists together to create a community that fosters encouragement, employment opportunity, and awareness of a number of projects that are going on. Alan continues, “When you can get a group of creative people in a room together sparks can fly.” And it is there where Alan feels projects and partnerships could be kindled, helping local artists. While the RPM Network is more than just a facility, Alan is leading out in a big way with open hands. That gesture itself communicates something profound. Within the facility two studios face toward a polished, yet unpretentious recording area. Off of that, a rather large room with high ceilings presents potential to anyone who walks in. As Alan sees the room, he’s open to having a variety of things happen there- slam poetry, art exhibitions, CD release parties, organic plays, seminars, recording and production- essentially, whatever he can do to serve the arts and use the facility as a place of catalytic activity for aspiring local artists. I’ve personally watched Alan envision the local artists about what could be. To a
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person, the idea resonates. The vision is borne out of the desire to maximize resources for artists, create awareness of what we have going on here locally, and to break away from the isolationism that exists within the community. Above and beyond the proposal of the Network itself, I can’t help but push Alan on what the DNA of RPM ultimately needs to be about. He offers that members of RPM need to be advocates for the arts, they can’t be all about themselves, and they need to see the value of partnership. It is in and through that philosophy of thinking that Alan senses the potential for a re-birth in the local scene. “Traditionally, when the arts flourish, there is a financial rebirth and a re-birth of pride in a community.” As I spent time with Alan, it’s clear that this is not someone who wants the limelight. He’s perfectly comfortable with serving in whatever capacity could move an artist forward in their belief in them and their hope in what could be. The dialogue of the interview itself communicated his unease about too much emphasis on him and not enough on the idea of the network. “It’s not about me, the place, or the studio. It’s about what’s best for the artist.” As he continued to deflect the light away from him and more to the idea, I couldn’t help but think that such a disposition
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could be the key to seeing something like this work. Further, he’s a Buffalo guy, having earned his BFA in Music Performance from UB, and has been in and around the local scene for more than twenty years. He’s proud of what he sees here, and that’s ironic in a time where national media and census reports tell a hard truth about the population and intellectual capital (brain drain) that continue to depart from this proud city. With ideas like this, it’s easy to assume some sort of capitalistic angle. But as you spend time with him, you can tell that his passion is connecting people and creating awareness of what could be. As we came to close up our interview, I asked Alan if the idea of RPM had re-awakened him in some sense. He talked briefly about the excitement he gets of casting the vision of the potential for the network and getting people together, but he offered a frank assessment of the challenge. “Most who are successful in the Buffalo arts scene, leave.” Within that, Alan also notes that the artists themselves need to be a part of making this work. “The arts community needs to live with open hands and that’s yet to be proven.” Ultimately, Alan acknowledges that success for each individual artist looks different, but his hope for the network is not necessarily directed toward if someone is successful or not. Rather, his desire is for local artists to have a chance at it!
Trinity Lutheran 1-4 page THRIVE.pdf
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Trinity Lutheran 1-4 page THRIVE.pdf
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Preparing Young Minds to Soar Christ-centered education serving families in the southtowns area. C
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PK3 - 8 th GRADE • Pre-K Programs for 3 & 4 year olds • Full Day Kindergarten • Grade 1-8: Full NYS Curriculum • BEFORE & AFTER School Child Care Programs
• Athletic Programs and Musicals • Daily Devotion, Religion Classes and Weekly Chapel Worship • Participation in D.A.R.E. Drug & Violence Free Atmosphere
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Leaders Finish Strong
I was impressed years ago with a story from men’s leader and author Steve Farrar. Paraphrasing his words, his story went like this: You’ve heard of the preacher Billy Graham. But what about Chuck Templeton or Bron Clifford? Have you ever heard of them? Billy Graham wasn’t the only young preacher packing auditoriums in 1945. Chuck Templeton and Bron Clifford were accomplishing the same thing – and more. All three young men were in their mid-twenties. One seminary president after hearing Chuck Templeton preach one evening to an audience of thousands, called him, “the most gifted and talented young man in America today for preaching.” Templeton and Graham were friends. Both were extraordinary preachers. Yet in those early years, most observers would probably have put their money on Templeton. As a matter of fact, in 1946, the National Association of Evangelicals published a article on men who were “best used of God” in that organization’s five-year existence. The article highlighted the ministry of Chuck Templeton. Billy Graham was never mentioned. Templeton, many felt, would be the next ‘Babe Ruth’ of evangelism. Bron Clifford was yet another gifted, twentyfive-year-old fireball. In 1945, many believed Clifford was the most gifted and powerful preacher the church had seen in centuries. In that same year, Clifford preached to an auditorium of thousands in Miami , Florida . People lined up ten and twelve deep outside the auditorium trying to get in.
Graham, Templeton, and Clifford. In 1945, all three came shooting out of the starting blocks like rockets. You’ve heard of Billy Graham. So how come you’ve never heard of Chuck Templeton or Bron Clifford? Especially when they came out of the chutes so strong in ‘45. Just five years later, Templeton left the ministry to pursue a career as a radio and television commentator and newspaper columnist. Templeton had decided he was no longer a believer in Christ in the widely-known sense of the term. By 1950, this future Babe Ruth wasn’t even in the game and no longer believed in the validity of the claims of Jesus Christ. What about Clifford? By 1954, Clifford had lost his family, his ministry, his health, and then . . . his life. Alcohol and financial irresponsibility had done him in. He wound up leaving his wife and their two Down’s syndrome children. At just thirty-five years of age, this once great preacher died from cirrhosis of the liver in a rundown motel on the edge of Amarillo. His last job was selling used cars in the panhandle of Texas. He died, as John Haggai put it, “unwept, unhonored, and unsung.” Some pastors in Amarillo took up a collection among themselves in order to purchase a casket so that his body could be shipped back east for decent burial in a cemetery for the poor. In 1945, three men with extraordinary gifts were preaching the gospel to multiplied thousands across this nation. Within ten years, only one of them was still on track with their initial purpose. In life, it’s not how you start that matters. It’s how you finish.
Robert Stearns
Key Qualities for Finishing Strong The qualities needed for a strong finish begin with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. With him in the pilot’s seat of your life, then walk out the qualities needed by a strong leader in order to finish strong: 1. Cares deeply for God and for what God desires. 2. Has the ability to handle conflict constructively. 3. Has sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others. 4. Approaches decision-making with a positive and “visionary” outlook. 5. Accepts and affirms others. 6. Has a heart for the downtrodden of society. 7. Maintains spiritual and personal disciplines. 8. Accepts responsibility in the life of the community and follows through. 9. Is an example to others of moral truth and honest living. 10. Can handle success and leadership without a proud spirit or condescending manner. 11. Gives financial resources generously and wisely looks after personal finances. These qualities can help you as a leader to finish strong. Yes, it’s important to start right and to focus on the overall vision and purpose for your life. But we must focus, fight, and finish strong in that purpose. Don’t quit. Let your overall purpose from God shape and form you into the type of leader that will make a lasting, enduring difference in the world around you... the type of leader that this world very desperately needs!
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Revitalizing Our Cities
MATTHEW L. BROWN
Desolation and desperation are partners in cities that have felt the effect of disinvestment and distracted priorities. As America continues to reel and rock from our current economic crisis, job recovery is slow and unsure, we find it difficult to rebound from this economic shock. Cities are facing daunting challenges. School districts are closing or consolidating schools, private sector job and business creation is moving at a snail’s
elected officials. Our cities did not die overnight, they will not be revitalized overnight; yet, the conversation around strategy is eerily missing from the public discourse. In addition to the voiceless discussion around revitalizing cities is the conversation around what’s happening inside of homes, neighborhoods and communities. from themselves, their neighbors and elected officials. Our cities did not die overnight, they will not
Until we can revitalize people with purpose, vision and passion to pursue and perfect life, our investment in brick and mortar will be futile. pace and the local government is overwhelmed with a shrinking tax base, unfunded state mandates and is grappling with union contracts and health care payments that are too costly to maintain any fund balance to make investment in neighborhoods.
be revitalized overnight; yet, the conversation around strategy is eerily missing from the public discourse. In addition to the voiceless discussion around revitalizing cities is the conversation around what’s happening inside of homes, neighborhoods and communities.
The global economy has ripple effects in American cities and has forced many governments into survival mode. New York State Legislature had not passed its budget due April 1, 2010 for a number of political reasons; nonetheless, they continue their dysfunction at the peril of the constituents who elected them. Our state is facing a daunting multibillion dollar deficit and it’s not clear as to the strategy to overcome this present danger. Making cuts on the backs of the working poor and the trapped unemployed are not decisions that leverage our highest and best use of our collective intellect.
Until we can revitalize people with purpose, vision and passion to pursue and perfect life, our investment in brick and mortar will be futile.
Absent from the conversation of politricking is a credible strategy on revitalizing cities one neighborhood at a time and focusing on building those neighborhoods from the inside out. Our challenge to espousing a strategy is the fundamental breakdown of what we refer to as a neighborhood. In certain sections of America’s cities, you will find more “hoods” than “neighbors” and that unfortunately is the bedrock of how you build communities…you must build people. Urban decay and suburban sprawl have collided on the road to nowhere and have produced collateral damage of gross inefficiency of resources, increase government, increase taxes and a dilution of middle class, creative class and working class citizens who deserve more from themselves, their neighbors and
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A serious focus needs to be placed on revitalizing individuals around values, principles and integrity. Neighborhoods can be developed with manicure lawns and picket fences; yet without a internal heart transformation of the neighbors it will be increasingly difficult to sustain pristine communities. Families are at the core of neighborhood viability. Maybe, just maybe, if we redirect comprehensive planning dollars for subdivisions into parent training, literacy programs, violence prevention and community organizing we will be able to boast about great communities to live in. Until we address the people problem, we will always have neighborhood challenges. The book of Nehemiah offers to our generation proven strategies to revitalize cities and rally a nation toward their “shall be” by navigating them from their “situation” to their “manifestation”. The Nehemiah strategy for revitalizing cities included: a commitment to the city, a partnership with the king, an honest assessment of the work, revitalizing the people, mourning the devastation, developing a strategy to repair the walls, obtaining buy- in from the people, ignoring the detractors, be willing to fight for the wall, celebrate incremental steps, demonstrate
audacious faith, stay focused and complete the task. Cities across America are turning vacant industrial land and abandoned urban sites into parkland using it as a method for economic development. Other examples like;
A river runs through it Chattanooga, Tenn., began the process of revitalizing parts of its downtown and environs in the 1980s. The turnaround for Chattanooga took a long time, but the city had a long way to go. In fact, Chattanooga in the late 1960s was known as one of the dirtiest cities in the United States. The Tennessee River running through the city was anything but scenic and was bordered by buildings abandoned by industries that had left town. Through a process called Vision 2000, a 20-week series of community meetings that sought citizens’ input on the city’s future, Chattanooga began its comprehensive revitalization plan. The ambitious strategic effort involved more than 800 Chattanooga citizens. Over time the group considered hundreds of potential revitalization programs, but they eventually narrowed their emphasis to projects centered on the Tennessee River.
Revitalization efforts In the Southeast, a number of cities have undertaken revitalization efforts. Some have turned to entertainment complexes and attractions. Others, more recently, have worked to include housing in their downtown districts, believing that it is difficult for a city to have a successful downtown area without full-time residents. But revitalization projects are complex, with no easy answers or guaranteed results for cities. In the Southeast, revitalization efforts have achieved mixed success.
One size doesn’t fit all Many people argue that the economic health of an entire region depends on the economic performance of the central city’s downtown area. Others, however, argue that a downtown area is not in the least important to the overall economic health of a metropolitan area. Whichever view one supports, there is no argument that cities continue to place importance on their downtowns, striving to find ways, either through refined processes or shotgun approaches, to improve those areas!
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Stuart Harper
Success / Addiction / Redemption My story starts with success. I had a beautiful family (wife of 10+ years and three beautiful healthy children), newly built custom home on 5 acres of wooded land, new cars in the driveway and owned my own specialty sporting goods store. I lived a very lavish lifestyle. My life was perfect in the eyes of society, however inside I knew something was wrong. I was never satisfied, I always wanted more. I didn’t know what I wanted more of; I just knew I wanted more. This craving for more manifested its place in my life through high-risk decisions - decisions that affected my family but were made thinking of only myself. I can’t tell you where my downward spiral started but I can tell you it ended with me sitting in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center after having lost everything – my family, my business, my self-respect, everything. I wasn’t in rehab for me; I was there to help save my marriage. For the next 14 days I listened to people testifying to me about the power of God - yada, yada, yada. During that entire two weeks all I was doing was trying to figure out how I was going to work my way
I can’t tell you where my downward spiral started but I can tell you it ended with me sitting in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center after having lost everything – my family, my business, my self-respect, everything.
through this. I can remember thinking - the problem isn’t mine, it’s the circumstances and all I have to do is change the circumstances. Then the night came that changed my life. Lying on my bed in the rehab center, looking up at the ceiling in a cold sweat realizing that I had a problem that I couldn’t fix, I yelled out to God and said, “If you aren’t there I’m f****ed!” Immediately my door opened and the largest black man I had ever seen was standing in the doorway saying, “God sent me.” The man’s name was Charlie and he had just been released from prison after promising to go to rehab- he said he had been clean and sober for 6 years. Charlie had found Jesus Christ in prison and for the next two weeks led me into a relationship with Christ. Charlie taught me to trust the Lord and give my life to Him. I wasn’t quite sure about this whole thing but I went along. Charlie was very persuasive.
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After leaving rehab I joined an AA group and continued on my journey toward wholeness, I went to church periodically, got a job and stayed sober. Unfortunately I was not able to convince my wife to remain with me, so I moved into a long time friend’s house and did what I was told by my AA sponsor – don’t use, work hard, don’t miss AA and spend as much time with your kids as possible. For the next three years I did just that – didn’t drink, went to AA meetings, worked hard and saw my kids every chance I had. During this time of recovery I didn’t have any relationship with Jesus. I spoke to Him often and knew He was watching over me, but didn’t have a real relationship with Him. As time passed my career opportunities kept improving. Through a series of events I found myself working for a division of McGraw-Hill in Buffalo. Here, I met my wife Laura and today we are in our 14th year of marriage with two beautiful boys. Looking back I know it was God’s plan to bring Laura into my life. She had a relationship with Christ and she slowly moved me onto the path of developing my own relationship with Jesus. After our marriage Laura and I realized that God had been working in our lives, we knew He was preparing us to serve Him in some way and we remained open to his direction. The opportunity to serve came to me through another series of God directed events culminating in me joining the City Mission first as a Board Member and now today as its Executive Director. Laura went through nursing school and today is the Hospice Liaison for area hospitals. I feel truly blessed by Jesus Christ every day. I start each day on my knees thanking Jesus for all the blessing he has given me and also use that time to talk with Him as my best friend. I try to repent for my mistakes and request assistance for my challenges, but most days I just thank him and smile for all the joy He has brought to my life. I know I am not worthy of His grace but there is a reason and expectation He has for me and I try to live it out each day. Bring people to the Lord and testify His salvation, hope and eternal life to all who give themselves to Him. This note goes out to those who are struggling to know Jesus Christ and the only thing I can tell you is if you open your heart and get on your knees and honestly ask Jesus Christ for help; He will help you. He is there just waiting for you to come to Him. He has always been there and will never leave you no matter what you have done. My only warning is hold on tight and be prepared for the ride of your life. It is glorious. You can’t even imagine what He has in store for you and it will come during the most unexpected time and from the most unexpected places you can imagine. Be blessed!
deeply rooted. faithfully reSPoNSIVe.
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