A couple of weeks ago I gathered with over 30 local clergy from throughout Wake County at Macedonia Methodist Church to discuss the crisis in affordable housing in Wake County. The group had broad representation with clergy from the Islamic and Jewish communities, African American and Hispanic clergy as well as pastors from Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Presbyterian congregations.
It was refreshing and empowering to be in a room with so many faith leaders focusing on a common goal. The meeting was hosted by ONE Wake, a community-based organization that has been building momentum in Wake County for several years now. Members of the Mission, Peace & Justice Committee and I have been following their work, attending meetings and training, and learning more about community organizing, the practice that ONE Wake describes this way, “ONE Wake is about people: developing their innate skills and ability to work with each other to identify common problems, to find or create solutions, and to work together to implement systemic changes within society to achieve the common good.” ONE Wake is gathering a powerful collective of people committed to improving access to affordable housing in Wake County, and we are very interested in being among them.
Over the next couple of months, we will be exploring community organizing and ONE Wake’s work in Wake County. We have invited a friend of West Raleigh, Rev. Dr. Roger Gench to teach and preach on October 23rd. Roger has been involved in community organizing throughout his ministry. Members of the Mission, Peace & Justice Committee are also available to talk with you more about ONE Wake as am I. Please reach out to any of us if you would like to know more or get involved in this work. Finally, you are invited to two candidate forums hosted by ONE Wake:
Raleigh City Council Candidate Assembly, Thursday, October 6th from 7:30-9:30 pm at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church. All 24 candidates running for seats on Raleigh City Council will be there! You can register here for this event here. Make sure to register as a member of West Raleigh! Talk with Mark Zaineddin, Dawn Comfort, Kathy Huffstetler, or Amy Simes if you would like to carpool.
United States Senate Assembly, Sunday, October 16th from 3-4:30 pm at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham. Both Cherie Beasley and Ted Budd are confirmed! You can register here for this event here. Make sure to register as a member of West Raleigh! Talk with me if you would like to carpool.
Jesus told the disciples, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” I hope you will explore this opportunity to gather with disciples from all over Wake County as, together, we work for the common good.
See you in church,
Katherine
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