Lakewood Connects: Mobilizing churches for effective service in the community

Monday
• Met with the new church relations director at Lutheran Family Services and helped her make plans for networking with city, school, and church leaders in Lakewood.
• Mentoring time with a local pastor. This is one of the core goals for Lakewood Connects as we work to strengthen faith leaders.
• Facilitated community connections so that 40 teen counselors from a local camp for inner city kids could have food and a nice place to meet for their celebration dinner.

Pictured: Teen counselors from Zocalo camp enjoying a great meal provided by Lakewood leader Bill Marino/Olive Garden/Bill Marino, Lakewood leader from the Lakewood – West Colfax Business Improvement District. The dinner was held at Bethlehem Lutheran church who offered their serving hall for free. Lakewood Connects works to link business, church, neighborhood, nonprofits, government and schools together so everyone benefits from partnership. When we pull together nothing is impossible!

Tuesday
• Linked a new church plant with Green Mountain High School’s principal so the church can meet there this fall. Relationships make all the difference for helping link churches to schools!
• Gathered and led pastors from the Lakewood Church Network for prayer at the Cove Bar. Sometimes church leaders return to the places Jesus used to minister in!
• Participated in the nonprofit roundtable with West Chamber of Commerce. It’s important that Lakewood Connects participates in community wide vision and helps build networks for excellence and leadership across the aisle separating us.

Wednesday
• Prepared the Jeffco Human Services “Power of Partnership” program for database support. Power of Partnership links government, churches, and nonprofits for collaborative service networking in Jeffco.
• Met with city Affordable Housing Leaders to better communicate what the most vulnerable populations in the city need now and in the future. This will be one of our most important problems to solve!
• Consulted with leaders of an apartment ministry as they seek to help more families in needy neighborhoods.

Thursday
• Consulted with leaders of local Lakewood Service Clubs as they form a new network aimed at serving the city together. Their first priority is helping Title 1 elementary schools. Pictured here, leaders from the group look at art tables in Rose Stein Elementary that were constructed by prisoners. Rose Stein will start their first reopened school year with a team of local churches, service clubs, businesses and neighborhood association partners helping the school in the years to come.
• Chaired the Lakewood Faith Coalition Team’s regular meeting. The Faith Coalition is a network of over 50 faith communities in the city serving together!

Friday
• Met with the Lakewood Connects Action Team to plan next steps. A top priority is fund raising plans for this fall.
• Linked Thrivent Financial with Rose Stein Elementary. Pictured here are Principal Esther Valdez and Thrivent’s Tim Tier. Thrivent provided books for the school and is also researching ways to participate in a landscaping project at and for the school in the next 3 weeks! When Tim left the school that morning, principal Valdez literally jumped up in the air with excitement! Lakewood Connects is bringing joy to Lakewood!