EARTHKEEPING NEWS A NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN COALITION FOR CHRISTIANITY AND ECOLOGY Volume Seven, Number Three March/April 1998 Gifts of Community Revitalize the Neighborhood The Broadway Shalom Community was formed in July 1996 as a local component of the Shalom Zone Ministry of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries. The Broadway Community encompasses a compact geographic area (pop. 500) on the near north side of Indianapolis, Indiana. The sponsoring church, Broadway United Methodist, has called it home for seventy years. The Shalom Community project is designed to take advantage of the assets within the neighborhood and congregation. Its mission: "To unite the residents, businesses, schools, government, health providers, Broadway Church and others in cooperative action, guided by the Spirit of God, to develop an empowered neighborhood." In 1997, the Shalom Team (a dozen committed persons from the church and neighborhood) has begun to turn around "one of the worst neighborhoods" in the city. Their accomplishments include, among others: door to door calling to determine needs and skills of residents, renovation of a community center, training of residents in leadership skills, community celebrations, prayer cells, a newsletter, neighborhood cleanups, community vegetable and flower gardens, and a lighted Christmas tree in a vacant lot that remained unvandalized throughout the season. Enthusiasm is building to reclaim several vacant lots for community gardens, to teach children and their parents how to garden organically, and how to preserve food, using the city's portable canning equipment. Two outdoor Gospel Sings featured choirs and preachers from other churches. Twelve Shalom Community residents found jobs and several are in job training. Two families have enrolled in a home buying program. Neighborhood residents have been elected to committees of the Broadway United Methodist Church and to the Board of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood Association. The following story is from the 1997 year-end report by Barbara Griffith, Chair of the Broadway Shalom Community Planning Committee "Broadway Church has a Christmas Store every year for families that need help to provide Christmas for their children. Families must apply in writing by early December. But the committee knew from experience that not all the families in need registered. The committee expanded to include five other Shalom zone residents and set out to secure food and gifts for 25 additional families. "The Marion County Prosecutor's Office asked the Shalom Community if clothing would be of help. A case had just been concluded that involved unauthorized designer sportswear and the Police Department and Prosecutor's Office thought the Shalom Zone could make use of the clothing. Teddy bears were included in the haul. "Because of our close working relationship with them, on the Friday before Christmas, the Chief of Police and the Prosecutor came to Broadway Church to hand out a teddy bear or a track suit to children in New Life Preparatory School at Broadway and neighborhood children who were bused out to school. Decatur Township Schools helped by busing students back to the church for the presentation during their lunch hour." For a copy of the comprehensive Broadway Shalom Community Plan, write Barbara L. Griffith, 609 E. 29th St., Indianapolis IN 46205; 317/924-4207. Home     Table of Contents