We installed a computer lab to provide college prep classes in one of the poorest neighborhoods .... vocational areas. T
the perfect time is now
GO BEYOND CHARITY 2017 VISION
SEED TO OAKS
LEADING THE WAY IN NEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL
the perfect time is now
GO BEYOND CHARITY
Dear Friends, The perfect time to act is now. People need help and the need has never been greater. Relief efforts are good and necessary, yet, we believe that every local church can do more than give money and a handout. Together, we can go beyond charity. Over the last year, we catalyzed over 550 Christian professionals - doctors, dentists, nurses, businessmen, entrepreneurs, and teachers - to address the inner city health crisis, the need for Christian education, the need for economic empowerment among the poor, as well as the need for developing leaders in and for the inner city. We provided health services to over 400 residents including 40 free tooth extractions. We hosted Job Training courses with local universities that resulted in full-time jobs. We installed a computer lab to provide college prep classes in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. We did all of this plus more through the local church. Now, we are ready to grow. Seed to Oaks exists to mobilize the local church to the front lines of social change. We make Neighborhood Renewal Possible by sorting out the problems keeping the local church from being effective change agents in their neighborhoods. In the Neighborhood Pillars of healthcare, education, economic opportunity and leadership development, we: Create Innovative Programs that help the church disciple the poor out of poverty. Create Partnerships that accelerate neighborhood change. Catalyze Professionals to lead and serve within the local church. This means, through the local church, the sick see a doctor and a dentist, the unemployed gain access to jobs, the student gets a Christian education, the neighborhood raises up leaders, and the local church makes disciples and fulfills The Great Commission. With a strong track record and proven results with over 25 community partners, we are ready to expand. We are raising $495,000 above our annual budget to see more churches in more neighborhoods make a difference in more lives. We are thrilled to share this vision of good news and ask you to support us. If this ministry fits your philosophy and pocket book, the missing link is YOU! Sincerely, Nathan Ivey Founder & Executive Director of Seed to Oaks
WWW.SEEDTOOAKS.COM
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502.791.OAKS
HELP SEED TO OAKS GROW! The name Seed to Oaks comes from Isaiah 61, the great social justice chapter in the Bible. Scripture says when the local church loves mercy and does justice, they will be called Oaks of Righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his glory. Our Vision is to revitalize entire neighborhoods in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Mission is to mobilize the local church to the front lines of social change. Our Values are: local church social responsibility, Biblical mercy and justice, and innovation & creativity through partnerships. We are raising a visionary grand total of $495,000 to lead the way in neighborhood renewal.
1. HEALTH SERVICES
2. EDUCATION
$130,000
$190,000
800+ people see a doctor and dentist 60 Free Tooth Extractions Over $500,000 in health services to the poor Train 10 New Churches Hire staff for multiplication, coaching, faith community nurse training & Preventative Care Courses
Hire a FT school headmaster with a Fall 2017 start date Develop curriculum Develop education model Assist in After School Programming taking place in Shelby Park Community Center
3. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
4. LEADERSHIP TRAINING
$75,000
$100,000
Onsite job access & interviews at our clinics & events, College prep courses & afterschool education support at our community computer lab & job training scholarships for 60 people to participate in our Dale Carnegie classes.
Multiply our premiere Urban Ministry Residency with both full-time ministry & marketplace tracks, 14 graduates every year, 3,000 hours of training and face to face time with the poor & scholarships to diversify the program.
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01: HEALTH SERVICES Poverty and poor health are inseparable. Poor health is both a cause of poverty and an obstacle to escaping it. Illness can reduce household savings, lower learning ability, reduce productivity, and lead to a diminished quality of life, thereby creating or perpetuating poverty. Evidence shows that better health translates into greater wealth by building human and social capital and increasing productivity. A healthy worker not only produces more, but also saves more. Healthy children are also better able to learn. The challenge is to create health services that are both affordable and located where poor people live. This is where the local church comes in.
WholeHealth is Seed to Oaks' growing network of churches, medical providers, volunteers and community organizations that aim to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care through the local church.
- Free Health Clinics - We can mobilize and train any local church to transform their facility into a one day medical clinic to provide basic care through volunteer medical professionals and church members.
The vision of WholeHealth is to reclaim the Christian's role of promoting whole-person health among our churches and surrounding communities.
- Preventative Care Classes - Every church can benefit from our curriculum that is being developed and delivered by nurses, psychologists, social workers and members of the clergy.
The mission of WholeHealth is to enable medical professionals and churches to partner in ways that provide innovative and holistic medical services to the uninsured and under-insured. As a state-certified charitable medical service provider, our growing network of free health services and churches are a life boat for people with urgent needs who have not been able to receive care anywhere else. Our network provides:
- Faith Community Nursing - Professional Nursing + Spiritual care. We are training nurses to follow through with the hundreds of families attending our free clinics. - Urgent Care Facilities - We envision quality, inner-city sustainable clinics that help close the gap for those who do not have the care they need and deserve
02: EDUCATION One out of four American children attends school in an urban district; one out of every six American children lives in poverty; and, in urban schools where most of the students are poor, two-thirds of the children fail to reach the “basic” level of achievement on national tests. In most states, inner city schools face a scarcity of resources and high student achievement. Descriptions of urban poor schools continue to include conditions of overcrowding, high turnover of faculty, limited resources, economic differences in salaries and supplies, and a greater number of students at risk for academic failure. In addition, many schools lack the ability to minister and educate the heart with the one book speaking God’s Word, the Bible. The local church is uniquely equipped to birth inner city schools that can change the trajectory of inner city youth and neighborhoods.
The mission of Oaks Family Academy is to provide academic excellence, spiritual enrichment and character development to equip children with the skills, values and self-discipline necessary to become successful and productive members of society. Our vision for a school includes: Educating with Faith Based Curriculum - The Bible will return as the center of curriculum. National Academic Standards will be integrated into God’s Word and faith based stories of Gospel change will be included in teaching the curriculum. Educating the Whole Family - Today our families are faced with many physical, emotional, and social challenges. These challenges affect the education of their children. Oaks Family Academy will provide on site education to help families face these challenges.
Our key Partnerships are in development...coming soon!
Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders - Our goal will be to provide quality and relevant professional development for our staff and faculty. We will also provide learning opportunities for our students in the areas of technical and vocational areas. These goals will help us create future leaders for our inner city communities. Educating the Heart - Our inner city education and the students and families who learn from them need healing that only God can bring. Public schools are limited in their ability to address the heart of the matter because this involves issues needing a spiritual focus with prayer and growth. Our vision is for God to help us minister to the hurting hearts and to bring healing to our families, communities, and nation.
03: ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY Jobs provide the economic engine that can lift entire neighborhoods out of poverty. Yet, poor neighborhoods lack quality education or education completion plus what is known as “The Low Skills Trap” - a downward spiral where low demand for skill discourages individuals and employers from developing new and competitive skills. In addition, many new entry-level jobs are located in suburban areas, making it difficult to access these jobs from the city. In order to improve job accessibility, a necessary strategy involves training as well as partnering with suburban employers, community organizers, placement intermediaries, transportation providers, and human service providers. This is a perfect opportunity for any local church who wants to make a long-term difference in the economic lives of the poor.
Sullivan University, Dale Carnegie Training and Seed to Oaks have partnered up to provide the Skills for Success Class through our inner city church partners. Students we've enrolled include the homeless, recipients of the church’s mercy ministry, women escaping the sex industry, employees at inner city local businesses, church leaders, mercy deacons and small business owners. The results are outstanding. Half reported improved relationships with their bosses, many set new life goals, received pay raises, improved their communication skills, and improved their professional aptitude. Not only this, but by having onsite access to employers at our medical clinics, we've helped secure 11 full-time jobs.
ARISE CAREER NETWORK
We are growing our network of business professionals to provide: - Onsite Job Access - We are poised to expand the number of employers and temp agencies at our clinics and job training classes who are ready to help find jobs that the poor need. - Job Training Classes - Our partnership with Dale Carnegie Training allows students to earn accredited certificates for the work they do in our courses. Scholarships will enable more inner city residents to enroll and get training that will help them find jobs. - Business Incubation - We envision a team of professionals training, financing and advising the next generation of inner city and social entrepreneurs.
04: LEADERSHIP The key to lasting change is Leadership. A neighborhood rises and falls on the quality of leadership. Currently, there is a growing vacuum of leadership in the American Church as social tensions rise. Pastors in Urban environments are overwhelmed by high mercy demands in their communities. In addition, many of our churches have a scarcity of robust vision for inner city ministry due to a lack of know-how. This often paralyzes the church from action, rendering them ineffective as they helplessly watch our broken communities crying out in the streets. We want to mobilize the local church to the front lines of social change and are committed to raising up the leadership that will do so.
The Urban Institute exists for one purpose and one purpose only. That is to raise up an army of urban leaders that will serve churches all across the country in helping to shape, build and mobilize mercy ministries. Through the Urban Institute, Seed To Oaks invites churches from all over America to send us their people for a year long high-intensity residency program. We in turn return to them leaders that are high quality mercy ministers. Through necessary partnerships with the local church, our prayer and hope is to turn out and return leaders that are desperately needed in order to meet the growing mercy demands of a more fragmented and hurting country.
At the Urban Institute we concentrate on: ·
leadership & interpersonal development
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community involvement & development
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local church commitment
·
mercy ministry
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cross-cultural & contextualization training
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cultural analytics and engagement via the arts
·
vision & calling development
A FEW LIVES WE'VE CHANGED "No church has ever provided for my health before. My tooth was aching for weeks and I can't believe it was pulled today. I loved meeting my advocate, Adam. It was nice to get to know him. This church is really different and I like that." "I like hanging out with Mr. Darius [at tutoring] because he is a nice man. I want to come here because this place is fun and educational and it really helps me." "Before joining the Urban Institute, I was often broken and felt helpless by the desperate conditions in our cities. However, after going through Urban, now possess the leadership qualities and the practical know how to make a difference." “Thank you for providing this [job training] opportunity for me and it has helped in my daily way of life and communication tremendously.” "I love coming here [to educate at risk youth] because I enjoy the kids and enjoy them knowing they are loved. It is very rewarding to sacrifice and give to this neighborhood the grace that God has given me." "It [this job skills class] is going to be amazing to journey with our neighbors as they see and learn about the potential they have. Thank you so much again! The class is so fun and insightful. I’m learning a ton and Leah is great!” “This gift is something I could never have afforded, but what I have learned has been some of the most beneficial tools! “ "I may not be showing it, but because of this church, I'm crying inside. They have been very, very good to me."
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WE ARE LEADING THE WAY IN NEIGHBORHOOD RENEWAL
SEEDTOOAKS.COM 1303 S. SHELBY STREET, LOUISVILLE, KY 40203
