My dearest family and friends,
When
I first moved to Denver I thought that when the Fellowship ended we'd
be in the first moving truck back to Indianapolis. I was anxious to get
back to the city that my heart loves and to reunite with our family and
friends. For a while we also considered moving to NYC for a year and
then settling in Indianapolis. James has never been in a rush to leave,
really liking Denver. I was resistant to putting down emotional and
physical roots here in Colorado.
Last
fall we made a joint decision that it was best for our families to move
back to Indianapolis shortly after the Fellowship. Excited about our
decision we announced over Christmas to our family and friends that we'd
be moving back to Indy at Christmas 2014. We went and toured
apartments, trying to identify our new home.
As
we looked at apartments I started to doubt our decision. It is our
desire to live in the city in an ethnically and economically diverse
neighborhood however, apartments in those neighborhoods are few and far
between, and a safe apartment is even less probable. The apartments we
looked at on the outskirts on the city near the suburbs were beautiful
and safe, but to live there would be a huge compromise of my conviction
to live in the same neighborhood of those I serve, the poor. I've always
felt like God will eventually use me to bridge the gap between the
urban and suburban church by putting me in a position in a suburban
church; however, I did not feel like the time was now.
Apartment
location triggered a lot of other thoughts and conversations. Where
would we work? Where would we attend church? Is there a church that
lives by the same convictions that we do in Indianapolis: a moderate
Baptistic church comprised of people of various ethnicities, and rich
and poor that are committed to doing life in a concentrated geographical
area?
Near
the end of our Christmas visit I drove down my favorite part of
Washington Street on the eastside of Indianapolis, a street that I drove
every day for four years. Tears filled my eyes as I saw a gentrified
street that barely resembled the once eclectic Washington Street I knew.
I felt like a foreigner in a strange land and for the first time ever I
missed Denver and couldn't wait to get back.
Soon
after our return to Denver I accepted the job as the Program Director
at Upstream Impact that is ¾'s time until August and then full-time in
August. We started to consider Denver as an option for our future. The
consideration itself was very difficult for me, especially in terms of
hurting my family. They had rejoiced when I announced we were moving
back and I was afraid of letting them down. Thankfully when we talked to
our parents they were gracious and supportive.
As
time has unfolded God has blessed our life here. James and I are
excited to announce that we will be staying in Denver for the
foreseeable future as long as the Lord wills. He has provided a church
and community for us to flourish in. We live among the rich and the poor
14 blocks from downtown. He has provided us both with jobs that we love
and that will financially provide for our needs. I finally feel like
Denver is home.
Someday,
if the Lord wills, we will probably return to Indianapolis as it is
still dear to our hearts; however, we feel settled here for now and my
heart is finally resting from the question "When will we leave?"
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Thank
you for the part you have played in our journey. I count myself blessed
for faithful givers, intercessors and loved ones that have supported
me. I could not have thrived without each of you behind me. I pray that
God will bless you richly for richly loving me.
July will be the last month for you to send financial support. I pray that God will use your generosity to encourage others.
Grace and Peace,
Alysa McManus
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Earlier
this spring each cohort of fellows was charged with picking a name for
their cohort to help specify who is in which cohort. After throwing
around various ideas, my cohort had a brilliant idea. We decided to call
ourselves Alpha Team
 because
we were the pioneers, the first fellows to ever land in Denver. The
other cohort came up with some silly name. We started calling them
"Beta" the next letter in the Greek alphabet and eventually it stuck.
Being
an Alpha fellow has become a part of my identity. It is a great
indicator of the role our cohort played. We were the first group of
fellows to drop our nets and move to Denver. We are the forerunners, the
pioneers that in many ways h ave paved the way for many fellows to
come. When you are the guinea pigs you experience the good, bad and the
ugly. After the ugly passes you have the opportunity to speak and
advocate for change; for a better program, a better experience for
others. We also got to help Beta team find their place here and we are
passing on the baton to them as they welcome Gamma in September.
It
is my honor to be an Alpha fellow. Despite the challenges that we faced
due to the Fellowship being a brand new program, I am proud of the
influence Alpha has had on the present and future of the program. I pray
that this is only the beginning of the Fellowship and that God will
continue to bless the program, the Fellows and the neighbors of Denver.
I am excited to be an alum and can't wait to come back in 2037 to
celebrate the graduation of Omega team!
The
PCULD staff will be hosting a graduation ceremony for the Alpha fellows
on Saturday July 26. We will celebrate with family, friends, neighbors
and the people we have served in ministry. I am blessed that my mom,
Grandma Shirley and Aunt Lori will be traveling to Denver for the
occasion.
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Upstream Update
It
is my honor to be the Program Director for Upstream Impact. I have the
privilege of directing our current programs and shaping the future of
our programs. I also have the joy of being in transformational
relationships with our participants and volunteers.
We
are thrilled at the results we are seeing. In 2012 we started with 26
families and our currently still working with 19. By October 13 of the
19 will graduate from the initial phase from the program. By God's grace
people are getting out of poverty!
Here are some exciting stats:
Here are three main things the Upstream staff has learned over the past two years:
1.
Relational Trust is the Secret Sauce of Personal Transformation. The
most mentioned and praised aspect of Upstream Impact is the family
component. Without the family feel there would be less buy-in to the
program. Both the rich and the poor are often isolated. Upstream breaks
the barrier of isolation, and offers a loving and accepting family for
all of us. This atmosphere of trust creates the environment for hard
conversations and for overcoming obstacles. We have adopted the phrase
"There is no significant change without a significant
relationship."
2. It's A Jobs Game. Full-time employment is the key to getting out of financial poverty.
3.
Enact Parkinson's Law. Parkinson's Law is defined as: "The amount of
time that one has to perform a task is the amount of time it will take
to complete the task." Due to the climate in the poverty alleviation
world we were too cautious to move at a fast pace. We have learned that
just because someone is in poverty does not mean that they are
incapable of rapid change. The program can deliver results faster. We
can get unemployed and severely underemployed team leaders to financial
stability in one year instead of two years. We can get the working poor
to financial self-sufficiency in one year. This cuts our program time in
half.
In
January 2015 we will begin the process with 20 people under the poverty
line and 20 people in the working poor. We are excited to implement
what we have learned and see even greater transformation occur!
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Thank
you to those of you that donated to Night in a Box! God abundantly
provided! We raised $31k, a thousand more than our goal!
I encourage you to watch the videos at the links below created by my friend Caleb!
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