7OV[VI`1VL`4H`ÄLSK Marquette Park Beach, Gary, IN Salt & Light: A Guide to Loving Northwest Indiana First Edition, 2011., All Rights Reserved Editors: Photographers: Jason Topp Jacque Miller, 1HJX\L4PSSLY7OV[VNYHWO`, Gary, IN 1VL`4H`ÄLSK Jen Topp, 1LU;VWW7OV[VNYHWO`, Cedar Lake, IN Jessica Isensee, >OP[L/HY]LZ[7OV[VNYHWO`, Portage, IN Book Designer: Stacy Layman, Shortyred Designs, Hobart, IN 1VL`4H`ÄLSK*YV^U7VPU[05 Kevin Smith, +V\SVZ7OV[VNYHWO`, Crown Point, IN Kirsten Dixon, 2PYZ[LU+P_VU7OV[VNYHWO`, Crown Point, IN Wendy Bunch, >LUK`)\UJO7OV[VNYHWO`, Crown Point, IN Copyright © 2011 by Bethel Church, 10202 Broadway, Crown Point, IN 46307 All Rights Reserved Printed and bound locally by Vision Integrated Graphics. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This guidebook would never have been envisioned if it wasn’t for the exceptional work of trailblazers like Heidi Unruh and Andy Rittenhouse. Their team started a movement of collaboration and volunteerism in Knoxville, TN through a simi- SHYZL[VMN\PKLIVVRZ;OL`OH]LZLLUV]LYJO\YJOLZWHY[ULY[VNL[OLY[VZLY]L[OLJVTTVUNVVK[OYV\NOHUVUWYVÄ[ organization called Compassion Coalition. Heidi and Andy also consulted with us for Salt & Light: A Guide to Loving 5VY[O^LZ[0UKPHUH;OLPYL_WLYPLUJLZ^LYLPU]HS\HISL[VZOHWPUN[OLÄUHSN\PKLIVVRMVY5VY[O^LZ[0UKPHUH>LHYL thankful for their visionary spirit and willingness to help. >LHYLMVYL]LYNYH[LM\S[V;YH]PZ=H\NOU^OVÄYZ[IYV\NO[[OL]PZPVUMYVT2UV_]PSSL[V5VY[O^LZ[0UKPHUH/LW\[ together the initial team of volunteers, cast the vision of what could be in Northwest Indiana, and provided much wis- dom on researching a community. He challenged our paradigms and encouraged us to dream. God used Travis to ignite a spark that we trust will become a blaze of community transformation in our region. We also acknowledge the work of the Salt & Light Core Team over the last 2 years. Thank you for never giving up. Brandon Funtall provided hours of tireless research for the Ways to Connect sections. He also conducted a survey of local churches. Derric Isensee oversaw and conducted many interviews over the last two years. His dedication to the project has been invaluable. Darryl Ford excelled in interviewing key stakeholders in our community. Jena Bellezza brought a large network of friends and associates. Her contacts proved useful to guiding us forward. She also conducted interviews of key stakeholders. Kim Hall provided much encouragement and prayer, and also assisted with our focus groups. 4PJOLSSL3LLIYV\NO[`LHYZVMUVUWYVÄ[L_WLYPLUJL[V[OL[HISLHUKWYV]PKLKOLSW^P[OYLZLHYJOMVJ\ZNYV\WZ and interviews. Mike and Sarah Pavlik contributed their expertise in research for our chapter on children and youth. They also WYV]PKLKPUZPNO[PU[V[OLW\ISPZOPUNHUKUVUWYVÄ[^VYSKZ Nancy Robinson stepped out of her comfort zone and conducted focus groups for all three chapters. Nicole Schmied shined as she conducted focus groups on families and education. Stacy Knox was an incredible cheerleader and prayer warrior for the entire project. A special thanks goes to Pastor Chris Carr, of Bethel Church, for understanding the vision of Salt & Light, his con- stant support, and his tremendous patience. We are so thankful to Bethel for underwriting much of the cost for Salt & Light 1st Edition. 0RZ]^f[TSVT\T]cb}X ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS CONTINUED We express our gratitude to Kevin Smith, Kirsten Dixon, Jacqueline Miller, Jen Topp, Jessica Isensee, and Wendy Bunch, our wonderful photographers who helped splash this guidebook with color and character. We are thankful for their willingness to use their talents and equipment to further God’s work. We thank Jeremy Taylor for his fantastic editing ^VYRHUK^LHJRUV^SLKNLV\YWYVVMYLHKLYZ)HYI4H`ÄLSK*OLYY`/VMMULYHUK:OLYY`(RL`MVY[OLPYOLSW>LHYLHSZV thankful for the many hours logged by our graphic designer, Stacy Layman. She did a fabulous job bringing her creativity into the design of this guidebook and making it come alive. We are indebted to the 19 local authors who contributed essays to this guidebook. You can read their bios in the Final Thoughts section at the back of the book. We are thankful for the many stakeholders and local leaders who gave up their time for interviews, focus groups, and emails back and forth. They were so gracious with their time and support, and al- ways made themselves available. We are especially thankful for the organizations and individuals featured in our Stories of Hope sections – not only for their time, but more importantly for their service to our community. Cedar Lake, IN 7OV[VI`1VL`4H`ÄLSK XX}0RZ]^f[TSVT\T]cb A WORD FROM THE EDITORS 1VL`4H`ÄLSK*V,KP[VY7YVQLJ[+PYLJ[VYMVY! I am eternally grateful that God called me to this project. It has been an honor to work alongside Andy Rittenhouse, Travis Vaughn, and Heidi Unruh. What a privilege to continue their legacy of seeking unity of the body in loving our neighbors. I cannot even begin to thank my wife, Julie, for her patience and understanding through many nights of re- search, studying statistics, and meetings. She is always a constant source of encouragement and strength, and I love her dearly. I am thankful for Chris Carr catching the vision of Salt & Light and allowing me to pursue my dream of seeing it to completion. Lastly, I want to thank Jason Topp for his unwavering leadership and guidance for the whole team as we took this journey together. 1HZVU;VWW*V,KP[VY7YVQLJ[+PYLJ[VYMVY! This process has taught me to view our region through the eyes of Jesus, and to love it with my life. I am forever grate- ful for Travis Vaughn, who challenged me to escape my comfort zone and to come along on a captivating journey. I’m honored to not only have met the editors of Salt & Light Knoxville, Andy Rittenhouse and Heidi Unruh, but to now call them my friends. Their passion for seeking the welfare of cities for Jesus’ sake is inspiring. I am thankful for Chris Carr, who challenged me to pursue a new endeavor. I’m incredibly grateful for my wife, Jen, whose tremendous love and sup- WVY[JHYYPLKTL[OYV\NO[OPZLU[PYL\UKLY[HRPUN3HZ[S`0»TKLLWS`PUKLI[LK[VT`MYPLUK1VL`4H`ÄLSKMVYOPZWHZZPVU drive, and care in seeing this project to completion – you are a great example of what it means to love God and love neighbors. Our Dream We pray that God uses this simple book to spark a dynamic movement of collaborative service across Northwest Indiana – one that seeks the welfare of our communities and saturates our region with the Gospel. We long to see every church member displaying radical generosity and actively engaged in spreading the glory of Christ by loving their neigh- bors as themselves. We trust that as you read the chapters of this book, you will begin to see the concerns of our community through God’s eyes and discover that each issue is deeply spiritual. As such, if we only make Northwest Indiana great by loving our neighbors, and share not Christ, then we have merely bandaged the wounds of humanity. We believe God’s church has the amazing potential to be the means of community and individual transformation through the redemptive work of Christ. It is our hope and prayer that gospel-centered churches throughout our region can join together - under the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3) - to proclaim the greatness of our Lord. May the incredible hard work by the many partners who served so well on this project signify just the beginning of an exciting salt and light journey. FWPczb8]bXST}XXX PREFACE A GUIDE TO THE GUIDEBOOK This book is the culmination of nearly two years of research, interviews, and focus groups of stakeholders in Northwest Indiana. It outlines what we found to be not only key issues affecting our region, but also great building blocks for com- munity transformation. These community assets are conveyed throughout the book, but particularly noted in our Ways to Connect and Stories of Hope sections. In our research, three areas that affect Northwest Indiana regardless of social status, education level, or race surfaced repeatedly. These three areas fall under the broad category of family restoration. :WLJPÄJHSS`[OL`HYL:PUNSL7HYLU[PUN*OPSKYLU @V\[OHUK4HYYPHNL -HTPS` CWXbVdXSTQ^^ZUTPcdaTbcW^bTXbbdTbPbcWaTTRWP_cTabTPRWfXcWcWTU^[[^fX]VbcadRcdaT) Glimpse in the Life: A short biographical sketch allowing you to step into the life of someone dealing with a spe- JPÄJPZZ\L A Focus Essay: A detailed, experience and statistic-driven essay on the issue as it pertains to Northwest Indiana, as well as suggestions on how you can be a part of the solution. Fast Facts: Sidebars with more in-depth statistical analysis and information. A Story of Hope: A story highlighting an organization or individual who has made great strides to serve the com- munity in a particular area. A Biblical View: An essay describing God’s heart for each area and what the Bible teaches us in regards to it. Ways to Connect: A listing of organizations, agencies, and churches doing work in each area, and how you can volunteer alongside them to help serve Northwest Indiana. A Few General Notes We realize there are more issues and assets than what is outlined in this book. It is our hope that as the commu- nity’s heart is drawn together over these topics, a larger team will be assembled to complete further, more compre- hensive editions of the Salt & Light Guidebook. -VY[OLÄYZ[LKP[PVU^LOH]LJOVZLU[VMVJ\ZV\YZ[H[PZ[PJHSYLZLHYJOVU3HRL*V\U[`05K\L[V[OLV]LY^OLSTPUN amount of information available. It is our hope that in future editions, a larger area will be represented more fully.