A Front Porch for All People
Foreword by Kelly Kelleher
Imprint: Cascade Books
This book offers inspirational guidance for any reader who yearns to live in a sustainable mixed-income community--and cares enough to do something about it. Rev. John Edgar, the founder of the United Methodist Church for All People and Community Development for All People, tells the story of laboring alongside low-income residents across two decades to transform the South Side of Columbus into an opportunity-rich community where everyone may thrive. Starting with an outreach ministry called the Free Store, people came together and launched the Church for All People, the most diverse United Methodist congregation in the nation in terms of the intersection of race and social class. Each year, direct service ministries provide over 35,000 individuals opportunities to touch grace and experience positive transformation in their lives. Having developed over 100 million dollars of affordable housing, Church and Community Development for All People is forging a radically inclusive neighborhood, where everyone can dwell in unity on a front porch for all people. The chapters in this book set forth key principles which shaped this journey, beginning with the affirmation that scarcity is a myth and all of us dwell inside a divine economy of abundance.
John W. Edgar is the founding pastor emeritus of the United Methodist Church for All People, as well as the founding executive director of Community Development for All People. He serves as adjunct faculty at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
“In A Front Porch for All People, John Edgar has issued a clarion call for every church to fall in love with its neighborhood. I believe that call originates in the heart of God who came and settled in with us in Jesus of Nazareth. Casting our lot with communities may transform them but most assuredly will transform the church.”
—Gregory V. Palmer, resident bishop, The United Methodist Church, Ohio West Episcopal Area
“John Edgar is one of the most effective and foremost thinkers on how to connect with the people in your community. In A Front Porch for All People, he details from firsthand experience why and how to connect with the people in your community. This book is invaluable to congregational leaders and nonprofit organizations that seek to connect with, engage, and involve the people in your community. His practical illustrations and clear strategies make this a must-read.”
—John Schol, bishop, The United Methodists of Greater New Jersey Eastern Pennsylvania
“An amazing and moving book! Should be required reading for those engaged in urban ministries as well as social workers, neighborhood organizers, and community development professionals. Regardless of one’s own faith, John Edgar’s positive, asset-based community development approach will resonate and inspire. The book describes a dozen or more impactful initiatives, each worthy of its own case study, that meet vital community needs through creative engagement and collaboration.”
—Hal Keller, president emeritus, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing
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