Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Brooks.
Jonathan is the Pastor of Canaan Community church and has a uniques perspective as a resident, community activist, and pastor in the West Englewood community, the same community in which he was raised. Jonathan has had the unique opportunity to engage with local churches from all three perspectives (resident, activist, pastor) and became increasingly frustrated by how disconnected churches seemed to be with what was going on in the community and what residents were most passionate about.
However, he truly believes there is more the church has to offer than just services twice a week and occasional outreaches. As he began to travel and connect with churches in communities, some far different from his own, he began to see a similar thread running through many of them. Although located in a geographic location they were not engaged with the joys, pains, and triumphs of that community in a real, or tangible manner. It did not matter if the area was considered to be economically stable or underprivileged almost all of the churches seemed to have their own agendas, which often did not consider the desires of the community and sometimes ran in opposition to them. Jonathan and Canaan Community Church challenge local churches to recognize that the God-given directive to love their neighbors includes loving their neighborhoods. They also challenge community stakeholders to see that churches are viable partners in community transformation, possibly in ways they may not have ever considered.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road and continues to be difficult to this day. As we strive to love our neighbors and neighborhood well we not only run into opposition from those who don’t understand our philosophy. We also suffer from neglecting our own values at times. It is much easier to do for our neighbors in the form of outreach or benevolence. However, it takes far more energy, insight, discipline, and patience to listen to our neighbors and come alongside them as we collectively work for the betterment of our community. Not only is this process slower, as far as typical success markers are concerned, but it is often more complicated because of the various thoughts, needs, and desires of the community.
One of the major struggles has been for our congregation to stay consistent in working with the community to address issues we face. While we believe in the philosophy of Asset Based Community Development which means our community has the assets necessary to address its own needs, we also recognize that everyone will not agree on what the most pressing needs may be. This can cause us to jump from one initiative to the next without having completed or fulfilled the goals of the previous initiative. Even with these types of struggles we find ourselves pressing on towards creating the community we would like to see and we believe God always intended.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Canaan Community Church – what should we know?
As a church, we specialize in the principles of Christian Community Development. We assist faith institutions and individuals in investing in the communities in which they reside. As the pastor, I have a deep desire to impress this virtue on students and young people in our congregation, in the neighborhood classrooms and the broader community. Through various partnerships, such as a new church plant in the Woodlawn community (Woodlawn Community Church) and Canaan Community Redevelopment Corporation (CCRC), our not for a profit community development company. Canaan provides youth development programs, holistic health options, college scholarships, music lessons, affordable housing, training and coaching in community development and continual support to the incarcerated and their families living in Englewood and other Chicago communities.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Dr. John Perkins of the Perkins Foundation in Jackson, MS and Dr. Wayne Gordon, Pastor of Lawndale Community Church on the west side of Chicago has played a huge role in helping us frame our thinking around community development. We are thankful for them and many others in the Christian Community Development family who have moved us along on our journey. Also, there are a number of community organizations that we learn from daily especially in the Greater Englewood community on the south side of Chicago. We would like to give special thanks to the Resident Association of Greater Englewood and Teamwork Englewood two organizations that have been in mutually beneficial partnerships with us for many years.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1701 W. Garfield Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60636 - Website: www.canaancommunitychurch.org
- Phone: 7739250185
- Email: info@canaancommunitychurch.org
- Instagram: @CanaanLoveGP
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Canaan-Community-Church-157145384339082/
- Twitter: @CanaanLoveGP
Image Credit:
Curtis Davis
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