A Priority on Place

The Presence Project is a comprehensive approach to ministering to a specific geography (parish). Most ministries target a specific group of people (low-income, homeless or single mothers, for example) and provide services for those in that target group who come seeking help. The Presence Project, in contrast, seeks to develop relationships with everyone in a specific geography. The first and most important “service” we provide is presence, kinship and community. As the relationships develop and we become aware of needs of individuals in the parish we connect them to resources available in the community (non-profit and government resources).

So how does this thing work? We partner with Englewood churches to place interns with host families in the city. The interns develop relationships within the mini-parish in which they live. The host families and other Christian residents ensure that there is long term relational continuity in each parish.

We are aiming to cover all of Englewood with Parish interns and pastors. As you can see on map, we have our work cut out for us. But that’s okay, “the Kingdom of God is like a farmer who went out to sow his seed.” We have a big task before us, but we’re not alone, we are joining a God who is already at work on every street. Let’s till some soil.

Current Englewood Parish Map