Your church starts praying and feeling profound love and compassion for NYCHA/Public Housing, the struggling schools around it and the lost children in that community.
A pastor or outreach coordinator with a burning heart for the marginalized mobilizes 20-40 volunteers for the Joy to the City Party and 20-40 NYCHA or Neighborhood Ambassadors to prayer walk and visit every home on a monthly basis.
The Ambassadors get to know the community and encourage “anyone who wants to make the community a better place” to participate in the “City of Joy Prayer Breakfast” that your church hosts once a month.
The Ambassadors get the word out that we are starting a neighborhood – City of Joy Youth Choir and that their first performance will be at the Joy to the City Christmas Party. The children come to the church for choir rehearsal, pizza and a children’s story so they understand the meaning of the Christ they are singing about for Christmas.
The parents from the children’s choir and the families from the “City of Joy Prayer Breakfast” all come together to help make the Joy to the City Christmas Party glorious!
The Pastor and Outreach Leader reach out to local Pastors, Principals, Tenant Association Leadership, Political Leaders and Police to let them know that a whole bunch of community peeps are working together to see our NYCHA communities transformed into cities of joy.
As the Church is more proximate to the community, you meet wonderful neighbors and some nonprofits who are doing good work in the neighborhood (ie. food/medical popups). You meet the community police officers and tell them lots of people in the neighborhood are coming together to make it a better and safer place and that you would love to work together with them as well. You invite them to the City of Joy Prayer Breakfast.
All of this kicks off a fantastic relationship between churches, leaders and neighbors who are willing to work towards change and The Church is positioned to gently lead the way to restoring the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
The Churches see a clear path forward to collaborate and launch transformational programming such as literacy for families and children and mentorship initiatives for youth so that healing and flourishing can be sustained and “the wilderness blossoms like the rose!” Isa. 35:1