Addressing intersecting systemic barriers to thriving such as poverty, marginalization, oppression, and injustice/inequality, that cause disparities at the community level of the economy.
Overview—
The core of our engagements with congregations and communities will be conducted through a project design and implementation process. The goal of this process is to assist partners in identifying and building “Pathways Towards Impact” in their community around intersecting disparities. Engagements will vary depending on the size, scope, and stage of project.
Our Current Areas of Focus
Our Community Design Process
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Pre-Planning
Assessing communities through qualitative and quantitative data
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Planning
Aligning partnerships, local assets, and needed resources around strategic project design
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Implementing
Piloting solutions, testing fit, and sustaining engagement
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Monitoring and Evaluation
Tracking and measuring impact
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Communicating
Working to create public messaging about the project including documenting and storytelling around stories of hope and thriving. Learn more about our storytelling efforts.
Student Profile—
Rev. Cedrick L. Barrett
Founder of Healthy ME: Mental Health for Millennials
Rev. Barrett is the Senior Pastor of Purpose Church International in Wilmilton, NC; and the Chief Finance Director of YMCA of Southeastern, NC. Cedrick did not grow up going to church. After years of wrestling with God’s calling and pursuing a career in finance in Atlanta, Barrett returned to NC and founded Purpose Church as a bi-vocational minister.
When Covid hit, Cedrick felt drawn towards having more formal Biblical training, and he learned about Duke Divinity School's hybrid MACP program. Cedrick shares, “The MACP program was wonderful. I learned so much, my theology has evolved, I have been challenged, and I have been exposed to great people and great thought concepts and ideas.”
Rev. Barrett’s thriving communities and congregations project took shape in his Cultivating Thriving Communities (Parish 792) class. He shared that his “Healthy Me'' project was built on five pillars: faith, family, fitness, finance, and fun. In his congregation, Cedrick noticed that many millennials exhibited either high-highs or low-lows. He instantly knew that this was an unhealthy pattern for living. Healthy Me offers consistent wellness practices that center oneself in the midst of life’s challenges.
