Category Archives: Housing Justice

Community Organizing, Economic justice, Housing Justice, Racial Justice, Social justice

Alternatives to Gentrification panel at Beloved August 2nd

Public opinion about Birmingham’s redevelopment has shifted from one of outright support to the acknowledgement that it is uneven.

A panel of experts will explore alternatives to gentrification; specifically, the cooperative economy and ongoing projects in the region and from around the world.

Panelists include Randall Woodfin, Board Member of Birmingham Board of Education; Myeisha Hutchinson, Oak Ridge Park Neighborhood President; Susan Diane Mitchell, President of Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust; Dr. Zac Henson, professor-owner at The Cooperative New School; and Samir Rohlin Hazboun, Highlander Research and Education Center. Moderated by Reverend Majadi Baruti of Udja Temple Ministries.

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Bible Study, Economic justice, Gender Justice, Get to know Beloved, Healthcare, Housing Justice, Immigration Justice, Lenten reflection, LGBTQI, Racial Justice, Social justice

Lenten Reflection from Rev. Lawton Higgs: Praxis

Luke 4: 5-8 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'”

Romans 10: 11-13 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Continue reading Lenten Reflection from Rev. Lawton Higgs: Praxis →

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Community Organizing, Housing Justice, News, Racial Justice, Social justice

99 Films Presents Gaining Ground: Tuesday, Feb. 16th, 7 PM

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On January 19, we screened “Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street.” This is the followup of that award-winning documentary about community vision, struggle, and change in the Roxbury Neighborhood of Boston. We will continue the discussion about the development of one of the most successful community land trusts in the nation, and how the City of Birmingham can learn from Dudley Street.
Led by Susan Diane Mitchell, founder of Birmingham’s first ever community land trust, the Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust.

Magnolia BBQ and Fish will have a hot dog stand out front.

$5 suggested donation.

RSVP and more info on Facebook.

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Community Organizing, Economic justice, Housing Justice, Music, News, Racial Justice, Social justice

99 Films Presents Holding Ground: Tuesday, Jan. 19, 7 pm

Holding Ground flier

We hope to see everyone after the New Year at Beloved for a screening of the documentary, “Holding Ground: The Rebirth of Dudley Street,” facilitated by Carol Judy from the Clearfork Valley in Tennessee. Carol is a Rural Development Leadership Network Fellow, and former resident and leader of the Woodland Land Trust in Tennessee, one of the oldest community land trusts in the country.

This award-winning documentary is about community vision, struggle, and change in the Roxbury Neighborhood of Boston, including the development of one of the most successful community land trusts in the nation.

RSVP on Facebook.

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Community Organizing, Healthcare, Housing Justice, Racial Justice

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” screening December 15th

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The next film in the 99 Films Series, presented by Birmingham Institute for Social Change (BISC), will be hosted at Beloved on Tuesday, December 15th.

“Beasts of the Southern Wild” is narrated from the point of view of a young girl in New Orleans. It shares her experiences living through Hurricane Katrina, with her family and community binding together to overcome the injustices that followed.

This is the third film in BISC’s five-film series which focuses on land, cultural identity and community. These five films (Daughters of the Dust, My Brooklyn, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Holding Ground, and Gaining Ground) all serve in BISC’s popular education platform to address common themes and issues of land as sacred space; cultural identity, migration, and community; and gentrification, resistance and just transition in Birmingham black and brown communities, and tying our lived experiences in with other marginalized peoples in global sites of resistance.

RSVP and more info on Facebook.

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Community Organizing, Housing Justice, Racial Justice, Social justice

“My Brooklyn” film screening Tuesday, October 20th, 7 pm

my brooklyn

RSVP and more info on Facebook.

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Housing Justice, Ministry, Music

Family Promise volunteers needed October 4th-6th

Sunday, October 4th through Tuesday, October 6th, we need volunteers to help us host homeless families at Baptist Church of the Covenant (2117 University Boulevard).

Volunteers are needed to stay overnight from 7 pm-7 am (a twin bed will be provided in a private room; you only need to bring bedding). You will be able to socialize with the guest families who are staying at the church and make sure they have what they need.

Volunteers are also needed to provide dinners, breakfast foods and sack lunch ingredients.

Beloved supports this ministry by partnering with Baptist Church of the Covenant four times a year. Family Promise is unique because it is a network of churches offering up their buildings for homeless families to stay together. It is one of very few programs that can accommodate entire families without splitting them up. Family Promise also provides a case manager to help families get back to stable housing.

Contact Linn Groft to volunteer!

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Community Organizing, Education, Healthcare, Housing Justice, Immigration Justice, Ministry, Music, News, Social justice

Arise annual meeting Saturday, September 12th in Montgomery

Alabama Arise is our featured ministry for the month of September. Arise is a coalition of groups across the state advocating for low-income people at the state legislature. Rev. Angie was a co-founder of Arise in the late 80’s, and since then, Arise has won victories on tax fairness and tenant-landlord rights.

Some issues that Arise has been working on this year include:

-protecting and expanding Medicaid to provide healthcare for all low-income Alabamians

-funding for affordable housing, education and public transit

-protecting borrowers from predatory payday and title loans

As a member group, Beloved can send up to 6 voting representatives to the Arise annual meeting in Montgomery to help decide on our issues and strategy for the coming year.

The meeting will be held Saturday, September 12th, from 10 am – 3 pm at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Montgomery.

Click here to RSVP and talk to Robyn about carpooling!

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Housing Justice, Lenten reflection, Social justice

Lenten Reflection from Jennifer Sanders: Change

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I spent part of my teenage years living in downtown Washington, DC. It was the height of both the crack epidemic and the Reagan administration’s gutting of social programs for homeless and low income people. My neighborhood, a diverse, high-traffic, mixed-use area, had some rough edges, but I loved exploring the streets and the subways. Along the way and with perpetual reminders from my understandably protective father, I learned habits of caution. I carry them with me to this day.

As a result, I am quite wary when anyone approaches me when I am in or around my car. So the other day when I pulled alongside a gas pump at a station on Crestwood Boulevard, I sent a glare in the direction of a young man who was ambling purposefully toward my van.

Continue reading Lenten Reflection from Jennifer Sanders: Change →

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Get to know Beloved, Housing Justice, News, Social justice

Feature on Beloved in Birmingham Magazine

“I believed there was a hunger for a church where people could come together across race and economic and religious backgrounds, a place where they all could be told they were precious in the eyes of God…There are not many churches where you’ll have a doctor sitting next to a homeless person sitting next to a college professor sitting next to a schizophrenic.”

Birmingham Magazine feature 10-2014Birmingham Magazine wrote a feature on Beloved Community Church. Check it out here!

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