2017 National Conference Go & See: Friday

Registration

• Angel House Interfaith/Ministry Tour – $10.00
  Focus: Interfaith partnership, refugees and immigration, education, neighboring
  
  Over 40% of Dearborn’s population is of Arabic ancestry, creating an environment that is rarely found in the United States. This environment requires a unique approach to Christian ministry, an understanding and respect of the cultures of neighbors, and an interfaith approach to community development challenges. Angel House is demonstrating this balance, providing education and immigration assistance services while educating others on the Islamic religion and Arabic culture that is distinctly present in Dearborn. This tour will explore Angel House’s programs while being exposed to Islam in America. Attendees will be provided an introduction to Islam, along with a visit to a local mosque and a time of sharing from a (sheikh/imam) in the community. This tour will also provide opportunities for discussion and interfaith conversation. Participants will explore Angel House’s ministry and community development practices, acquiring a better understanding of Dearborn, Michigan and Arab culture in America.
• Central Detroit Christian CDC Tour – $10.00
  Focus: Education, Economic Development, Housing
  
  Through education, employment and economic development, Central Detroit Christian has sought to instill hope, faith and values in individuals throughout the community. Located near Midtown in Detroit, they have been rebuilding the next generation of workers and entrepreneurs in Detroit through economic development and business creation initiatives. This tour will visit several of the organization’s projects, including the Peaches & Greens Produce Market and the Fit & Fold Laundromat, which aim to to meet neighborhood needs while breaking down barriers of systemic racism and economic inequality. Tour attendees will also witness several parks, exercise pods and community institutions constructed by Central Detroit Christian. Participants will see housing developments taking shape near the CDC headquarters, get a glimpse at ways the neighborhood is conducting beautification in a post-industrial landscape, and learn about racial reconciliation strategies being put forth by the agency.
• Hope Ministry Tour – $10.00
  Focus: Housing, food access, neighboring, racial justice, education, economic development
  
  Hope vision is that by 2031, every person in their “HOPE Village Area” will be “educationally prepared, economically self-sufficient, and living in a safe and supportive environment.” Operating near Highland Park, Michigan since 1967, the organization has been fighting racism, poverty, and injustice in a neighborhood that has been tested by immense industrial decline. Tour attendees will learn about the origins and history of the HOPE Village Area, and will then explore the character of the neighborhood and the projects taking place in the community. Projects that will be visited on this tour include housing developments tailored to those formerly homeless, urban gardening and farming initiatives, the Commodity Supplemental Food Centers, and roadway renovation projects meant to make the neighborhood safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• MACC Development Ministry Tour – $10.00
  Focus: Economic development, neighborhood diversity, arts and culture, housing
  
  Founded in 2010, MACC Development has quickly risen as an advocate for positive change in Detroit’s blighted neighborhoods, focusing on “block-by-block” and “neighbor-by-neighbor” transformation of the community. This tour will explore the east side of Detroit, and the work that MACC Development is accomplishing in this historic portion of the city. While many communities in this area of Detroit have suffered from urban blight and disinvestment, distinctive neighborhoods still survive and demonstrate the resilience of the residents of Detroit. This tour will visit The Commons, a laundromat and coffee shop built to bind fragmented communities together. Attendees will be able to explore the Mack Avenue corridor, and the neighbor-designed plans for green infrastructure and development along the thoroughfare, a new community performance space, and allow participants to meet local neighborhood and ministry leaders.