Texas Methodist Foundation Launches Neighbor2Neighbor Initiative

Texas Methodist Foundation (TMF) announces the launch of Neighbor2Neighbor, a three-year initiative that helps churches be the heart of flourishing for their local neighborhood and community. The essential practice of a Neighbor2Neighbor church will be to strengthen bonds across the entire neighborhood, expanding and deepening relationships with neighbors – whether they are church members or not. 

Neighbor2Neighbor will walk alongside churches as they rediscover those who live around them and identify the gifts in the neighborhood, build relationships, and most importantly, use those gifts to build a thriving congregation and a flourishing community grounded in love, generosity and belonging.

“Neighbor2Neighbor is an opportunity for participating churches to deepen relationships with their neighbors in a way that makes that church a community hub, and where residents in the parish neighborhood see the church as an active, engaging place contributing to their lives,” said Wendy Abel, TMF Vice President for Grants. 

Based on the work of DeAmon Harges, founder of The Learning Tree and a Locke Innovative Leader Award
recipient, Neighbor2Neighbor will use the well-established Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) process.

During the first year of the initiative, participating churches will engage in creating relationships with neighbors who reside within a mile of the church. This will be a time of identifying the spiritual, social, economic, and political capital and currency that already exists in the community. In years two and three, churches and neighborhoods will put their relationships and capital to work to realize the full potential of the neighborhood for all who live there. Learnings from the initiative will be documented and shared widely with churches and places of worship in any faith tradition setting.

The inaugural cohort of churches is comprised of four churches in Texas and four churches in Indianapolis, Indiana, all of which are being trained in the ABCD process, with the support of a learning community comprised of leaders from the participating churches and their neighborhoods. Texas Methodist Foundation is investing $80,000 in this initiative in its commitment to engage neighbors and community as part of a Spirit-led movement building thriving congregations and flourishing communities. 

Participating Churches and Pastors

In Texas
Church of the Disciple United Methodist Church, Desoto, Texas – Rev. Bryant X. Phelps
Journey of Faith Church, Humble, Texas – Rev. Stephen Goldsmith
Grant African Methodist Episcopal Worship Center, Austin, Texas – Rev. Sylvester Patton
Greater Garth Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas – Rev. Challis Bradford

In Indianapolis, Indiana
Meridian Street United Methodist Church – Rev. Rachel Metheny
Oasis of Hope Missionary Baptist Church – Rev. Myron Duff Jr.
Providence African Methodist Episcopal Church – Rev. Deborah Lightfoot Oates
Crossroads African Methodist Episcopal Church – Rev. Jerry Davis

About Texas Methodist Foundation

Texas Methodist Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the church to achieve its God-appointed mission, and living our values of servanthood, integrity, and competence. Texas Methodist Foundation is one of the largest Methodist foundations in the country offering assistance across the Wesleyan ecosystem through investments, loans, grants, leadership platforms, gift planning, and endowment services. Texas Methodist Foundation serves organizations throughout Texas and New Mexico. Texas Methodist Foundation is based in Austin, Texas. To learn more, please visit tmf-fdn.org.