Book clubs and Readers from RECI
RECI Liaisons will be hosting a book discussion featuring “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at Sacred Heart Church. Join with others to share dinner and talk about the book as well as our experience of relationships and history on the Eastside
Contact: Deb Williamson
ABOUT RECI
For the past year, the Riverfront East Congregational Initiative (RECI) has been talking about Detroit's Eastside. We're all full of love for this place where many of us live and all of us worship. Some of us joined RECI because we were frustrated by the way the news talked about our neighborhoods, others were excited by the opportunity to share their faith with different congregations, and still more were looking to make sure that our communities' stories are heard. No matter our different beginnings, we have all come to the same conclusion: it's time to show the Eastside some LUV, and our congregations are the ones who can do it best! We've learned that we share a wide range of values, such as encouragement among peers, community empowerment, and the preservation of our neighborhoods. Our goals are to provide knowledge of and access to necessary and valued resources, and to inform and educate about what’s happening in our city. Knowledge is power, and RECI's aim is to help build a more participatory and empowered Eastside.
Riverfront East Congregational Initiative Congregations
Christ Church Detroit
Church of the Messiah
Church of Jesus Christ of LDS
Genesis Lutheran Church
Greater Christ Baptist Church
Iroquois Christ Lutheran Church
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue
Jefferson Ave. Presbyterian Church
Judah Temple Church of God in Christ
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
New Calvary Baptist Church
New Liberty Baptist Church
Sacred Heart Catholic Church
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church
St. Paul AME, Downtown
St. Augustine & St. Monica Catholic Church
Second Timothy Missionary Baptist Church
The Riverfront East Congregational Initiative, RECI, is a diverse group of communities of faith with a strong sense that we have much to say and do in shaping the future of our neighborhoods. This year, we've collaborated with fifteen other organizations to host the annual People's Festival, we've grown our coalition to include twenty congregations, and we will continue to support community through innovative efforts like asset-based community development.
Our congregations are assets because not only are we communities of faith, we are congregations that have faith in our communities. This faith is what brings many of us to our congregations, and it is what drives our communities to do this work in this place. Quite simply, we Luv D Eastside, and together we are a powerful asset!
We are devoted to our neighborhoods and the assets that make them unique. We've created this map as part of our "Luv D Eastside" campaign to help connect people to places we love, the places that help us grow and thrive. The community assets listed on this map all echo the RECI ethos; they believe in and invest in the community in which they reside. Assets can be community gardens, socially responsible businesses, and organizations that provide resources. Their very existence helps us be reminded of the vitality of our community, as they impel us to embrace them, to support them, and to make sure that they continue to grow. As you use this map, be thinking of ways you can support our assets. It could be as delicious as dining out at The Sunday Dinner Company, and as rigorous as volunteering at Feedum Freedom Growers community garden. We'll continue to enhance this map as we continue to discover assets. We welcome your input if there are additional places in this neighborhood you want to LUV.