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Center for Renewal focuses on faith-based
organizations Barbara Elliot has seen a lot in her travels as a former reporter. But it was her visits to Eastern Europe and Russia that inspired her the most. So much that she founded the Center for Renewal, 9525 Katy Freeway, based on those experiences.
"I left reporting behind to do an outreach program for refugees when the Berlin Wall was falling," Elliott said. "When I came back to the United States eight years ago, I saw that people here were also dealing with seemingly unsolvable problems but were getting help from grass roots organizations, organizations motivated by faith." In 1997, she opened the Center for Renewal, which assists faith-based nonprofit organizations by doing three essential things, said Cathy Lawdanski, program director. First, they help the organizations build their capacity by holding workshops and providing consulting for management. Some of the areas they focus on are fund-raising, recruiting volunteers, budgeting and grant writing. "Many people that work in these grass roots groups know their neighborhood and know the services their people need," Lawdanski said. "But often times, they don't have the skill set to run a business, which is what a nonprofit is." The second thing is speaking and writing about the value of faith-based groups and what is unique about them. Elliott spends a lot of time traveling across the United States doing just that, and she has published seven books and essays on what she's learned. One of her latest books, called Street Saints: Renewing America's Soul will be out in the spring. The book profiles the work and best practices of faith-based social entrepreneurs from around the country. "In the process of getting to know these people across the country, it became clear that these front-line unsung heroes dedicated to helping others, needed some assistance in leadership, training, accessing funds and developing contacts beyond their own neighborhood," Elliott said. Locally, the Center for Renewal, which is a nonprofit, aims to connect resources to need. "Sometimes there's someone wanting to invest time and talent, but want to be connected to a ministry doing a good job," Lawdanski said. "We can specifically identify those that are making a measurable difference in people's lives." Sometimes, Lawdanski said, it's simply a matter of matching people who have something to give with people who need it, but don't know who to ask. During 2003, the Center for Renewal provided workshops and one-on-one assistance for 25 nonprofit organizations in the Houston area. Lawdanski said those organizations amount to serving more than 75,000 people a year. Elliott estimates they have provided training to close to 500 organizations since they opened, many of them Houston-based. Those organizations cover a wide range of outreach programs, including the homeless, at-risk children and youth, prisoners, drug addicts, former gang members, people caring for critically ill family members and seniors needing assistance. The one thing they all have in common is their service to God. "I focus mainly on faith-based organizations, because
that's where I saw the most vibrant changes taking place," Elliott
said. "These unsung heroes are providing such vital, beautiful
work in taking broken human beings and rebuilding them." From the Jan. 13, 2004 Houston Chronicle |
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