Dear Church Property Visionaries, As the snow falls and the days begin to lengthen, I find myself...
When I was 16 my father told me he would kick me out of our home, if I came out as gay.
Knowing the number of young people who are homeless because of conflicts with religious parents, lit a fire under me. I crammed 4 years of high school into two. Graduated early. Eschewed the architectural degree I really wanted, for a practical 2 year community college degree that would keep the lights on and a roof over my head while working. Got a job. Bought my own house at 18, and once I had moved the last of my possessions our of my family's home, finally came out to my family.
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Not everyone is so lucky. And not everyone should have to be a hero in their own story. |
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This threat of homelessness kickstarted my passion for affordable housing and how faith communities, particularly Christian churches can use their land to repair some of the harm religious institutions have done in Jesus name.
Redeveloping church property is a way of making repair; it is a tangible, physical, embodied, concrete way of using church-owned assets which have caused harm to many vulnerable parts of society, for the good and flourishing of the community.
20+ years later, having lived through one of the hardest embodied transitions while in active ministry, and after leading the three congregations I've served through major property developments to transform their real estate for community flourishing, plus a stint in a middle-judicatory advising congregations on stewardship and church property, Realize exists to have greater impact; to change the hearts and minds of more congregations to view their real estate as an asset to be used for community flourishing, rather than an idol to be worshiped on Sunday. |
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"Seek the well-being of the city, for when it thrives, you will thrive." Jeremiah 29:7 |
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We believe the passage from Jeremiah 29:7, where God tells the ancient Israelites to, "Pursue the well-being of the place where I have sent you, for when it thrives, you will thrive...."(Jeremiah 29:7) applies to us as church leaders today. We have a responsibility to combat bigotry, homophobia, Christian Nationalism, and all the ways organized religion has been used as a tool of empire, rather than a tool of liberation, to share the Good News of a God who calls us to embody God’s mercy and the Holy Spirit’s life for the good of the community.
In solidarity and wishing you a resilient Pride. Peter |