“We hosted the first one in September 2021 with the goal to bring community and church leaders together to address our most grievous concerns” said Nehemiah Executive Director Amy Willmann. “We wrapped that around Nehemiah’s God-given mission and strategy and announced our four pillars for how we are going to serve our community.”
Those four Pillars are: pray, unify, equip and mobilize. They are lived out through four Pathways/initiatives: Flourishing Neighborhoods (Christian community development), Faith Community Crisis Response (collaboration in the midst of crisis), Streamline (blessing kids through church-school partnerships), and Rise and Build (Christian leadership development).
Friday’s schedule will be built around informative lectures and practical breakout sessions led by local service organizations and change agents.
“We gathered information and stories around one year of work and will give a report on how things are going while simultaneously moving forward,” said Willmann. “We are nowhere near done. We’re here to serve our community. We don’t have all the solutions. We just want to bring city leaders and faith leaders together to continue to collaborate. We are very excited that our four initiatives are gaining excitement and traction and volunteers.”
Who would be interested in attending?
“This event is actually for anyone and everyone who lives in Springfield and Clark County who cares about the community.” Willmann said. “There will be people from every sector, but we want all community members who have something to offer. They need to know they are a valuable voice. I believe everyone has influence, so if they live here and love Springfield, we want to hear from them.”
The overarching goal of the Summit is summed up in a new song by contemporary Christian superstar Toby Mac called “Show Up, Choose Love.”
“If everyone shows up, chooses love and does the next right thing, we will move forward together,” Willmann said. “If we do this, that will immediately change the atmosphere. That will be different for one than it will be for another. Maybe it’s that one thing that jumps out at you during the Summit. Then take that next right step.”
To register, go to nehemiahfoundation.org. For questions, call (937) 325-6626. There is a $35 registration donation, but Willmann said Nehemiah will waive it if it is a barrier for someone to attend.
“Our hope at The Nehemiah Foundation has been bringing healing and restoration to our city by uniting the church around strategic ministry initiatives for over 25 years,” Willmann said. “We envision Springfield and Clark County as a community where all people would know God’s love for them. We are compelled by a vision in which everyone in our community would flourish and benefit from deep collaboration between faith leaders, civic leaders and community members who are co-creating and innovating strategies that cultivate wellness, wholeness and oneness.”
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