CFA is a membership organization formed by a group of women and men
in the fall of 2006. These members had shared values, beliefs and
experiences like:
- They were Christian leaders, deeply involved in their own
congregations and community stories. They were often in the vortex of
positive changes in their own neighborhoods. They were passionate about
salvation that resulted in eternal blessings to individuals and
continuing redemption of neighborhoods and communities.
- They were vision driven, able to imagine scenarios better than they saw and experienced.
- They believed in the power and resourcefulness of communities to chart their own way into a better future (from the inside out).
- They understood that sustaining change in poor individuals and families requires living in healthy communities.
- They knew that healthy communities had a healthy mix of low, middle
and upper income families and a vibrant economy. Healthy communities
were places where all are blessed, all are recipients, and all are
givers.
- They believed and lived networking and collaboration for positive changes for everyone in a community.
- They were innovative and creative having birthed and coached leaders in other communities beyond their own.
The Communities First Association has as its focus the work of Community Transformation. We know a community is being transformed when: - We see signs of increasing ownership in the community
- We see evidence of a growing sense of community
- We see and hear about shared vision among residents in the community
- We see evidence of increased knowledge, skills, and resources working for shared benefit
- Leadership is emerging in the community from the community
- We see appreciation for evaluation and reflection and ongoing learning in a community
- We
see Christians living out Biblical values, sharing their faith in
natural ways, and contributing to a sense of peace and joy (Shalom)
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