Strategic planning is a lot like planning a big meal. First you need to decide who is coming, and then you need to purchase all the ingredients and supplies you will need to make the meal. Once that is all in place, it is imperative that you have a plan to complete your meal by the time your guests are ready to eat. Things might not always go as you plan, but without a plan, things are almost guaranteed to go wrong. Hopefully, if you have planned well, the results will be more obvious than all the effort. Everyone will focus on the great meal and the fellowship Strategic planning in the … [Read more...]

Strengthening the local community is the ultimate goal of everything that Ciudad Nueva does. We want our programs and efforts as much as possible to be owned by the community and to be sourced from within the community. We are constantly working toward this goal, learning from past experiences and from other non-profits who are doing work similar to ours. Sometimes we learn from our mistakes, but other times things seem to come together just like they are supposed to. These are a few examples of community-building efforts that have made a difference. Community Development Block Grant … [Read more...]

In my last post, I explained some of the ways that Ciudad Nueva is involved in the broader Christian community development movement through the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and through Micah Global. This investment in regional, national, and global movements that we wholeheartedly believe in is beneficial to our organization in many tangible ways. Many of our programs have been modeled after excellent examples demonstrated elsewhere. The sharing of information through various conferences is invaluable to solving challenges and keeping us aware of changes and innovation … [Read more...]

Ciudad Nueva takes its place in the big picture of Christian community development. At Ciudad Nueva, we sometimes take time to talk about leadership development and what it means. However, over the years, leadership development has most often come in the form of modeling and sharing. We learn from those who have gone before us and mentor those who are coming up behind us. From the beginning, when I started at Ciudad Nueva, I tried to visit and learn from anyone I could. If I drove through a city or was heading somewhere out of town, I would often try to track down and visit similar … [Read more...]

One time I planted some thyme in my garden. I didn’t really think much of it, but I had an extra space so I just stuck it there. Long after all the tomatoes and zucchini had become unruly and spent, that thyme plant looked great. So I left it there. For years that plant survived and was a very useful herb in our kitchen. The Downtown Church Connection had its beginnings like my humble thyme plant. I never envisioned what it would really become. Humble beginnings A few years ago I started meeting with a couple of other leaders who were investing in our downtown El Paso community. We would … [Read more...]