The Border Fellows program, a ministry of St. Clement’s Church, Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach, and La Frontera Youth Ministry Education, is a 10-month work and service leadership development program on the U.S.–Mexico border. It is part of a larger community of fellows programs across the United States called The Fellows Initiative. A Gift for Creating Community For the last two years, incoming Border Fellows Director, Jennifer Shinn, and her husband have been hosting a weekly Sunday night dinner for a group of young adults they fondly refer to as “displaced twentysomethings.” The group is … [Read more...]
How Alma Martinez Helped Turn a Food Co-op Into a Community
When Alma Martinez first joined our food co-op a year and a half ago, she had no idea she’d be running it someday. “I was always there helping,” Alma says. “I got more involved and was going more often, then one day they offered me a job as the manager.” The staff recognized Alma’s unique abilities to organize and connect with people and knew they would benefit the co-op. “I’m fair,” Alma says. “I don’t let people just come in and take their food and leave. This is their co-op. They’re the ones running it. I’m just there to make sure everything runs smoothly.” A commitment to inclusion and … [Read more...]
Loving Leaders in the Community
Bethany’s title is Youth & Family Programs Director, but her job encompasses so much more than that. Bethany is an El Paso native and has been with Ciudad Nueva since she and her husband moved back to the area in 2013. You can read about her education and qualifications on our staff page. Bethany brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her job, but the most important quality she brings to Ciudad Nueva is her passion for seeing the community come together to solve problems and meet needs. “It is my great passion to help cultivate spaces where our neighbors can walk confidently … [Read more...]
Have You Met Joe?
You’ll see him doing all kinds of jobs around Ciudad Nueva. If you haven’t already, you will want to meet Joe. Joe Gavaldon had been working with Young Life for 25 years in south El Paso and had been collaborating with Ciudad Nueva youth programs. Then one day, it became clear that it was time for Joe to move on from Young Life. No one was expecting this — least of all Joe — and immediately Joe came to work at Ciudad Nueva. “I started the next day,” says Joe. “I felt like it was from the Lord because I was leaving one ministry and then coming to another the very next day. I enjoyed Young … [Read more...]
Mustard Seed Café Serves Up Love and Opportunity
...And a delicious meal! From a tiny seed a plant can grow to nourish and sustain many people. A tiny seed of an idea was born in the hearts of our friends Christi Brown, Patsy Burdick and Shelley Speicher to open up the Mustard Seed Café. For about a year before the café actually opened they prepared the meals for Ciudad Nueva youth programs and community dinners as well as volunteered in our after-school programs, building relationships with kids and families in our neighborhood. In addition, Christi and Patsy participated in the Border Fellows class. “God had worked in my heart for … [Read more...]
