Executive Transition Announcement

Oct 12, 2020 | UA News

On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff at Urban Alliance (UA), we are writing to inform you that Russell Jarvis has announced that he will be stepping down as UA President in 2021 to pursue a pastoral ministry calling. Russell has served in leadership at Urban Alliance since the organization’s founding in 2008.

“I am grateful that God has allowed me to be part of shaping such an exciting and transformational movement, and for the incredible relationships with everyone who is part of the UA mission,” Russell shared.

“Urban Alliance is a unique collaboration of diverse Christian ministries, churches, community partners, volunteers, and donors who are passionate about helping people,” he continued. “Together, we have demonstrated the love of Christ to hundreds of thousands of people in our Greater Hartford region.”

Russell has been an outstanding and inspired leader at Urban Alliance for 12 years, and although his departure will represent a significant transition for Urban Alliance, we are confident about what God has in store for our future.

We have an involved Board of Directors that will begin the process of identifying UA’s next President soon and is working closely with staff to inform the process. We are grateful that Russell will remain with the organization so that we can ensure a seamless transition.

We have a highly skilled and caring staff team, dedicated donors, selfless volunteers, and an amazing network of churches and organizations. UA’s initiatives and services will remain strong as we work together to help people in our community meet their physical, spiritual, social and emotional needs.

We look forward to continuing our partnerships with you and creating opportunities for people to experience lasting change in their lives.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey Vanderploeg, PhD
Chair, Urban Alliance

The staff at Urban Alliance are familiar with Pastor Frank because he is a regular attendee to many of the trainings Urban Alliance provides on subjects like domestic violence, addressing childhood trauma, and better counseling techniques. โ€œThatโ€™s been so valuable to me to be able to bring that back, not only in my counseling but also in my teaching and preaching ministries, โ€œ shared Termine.

Pastor Frank was also one of the original members of the Micah group, a group of pastors that meets at Urban Alliance to discuss and strategize about challenging issues that face the church today. One of those earlier discussions on justice, incarceration, and returning citizens was particularly memorable. โ€œWe all lamented the fact that these men and women were coming out of prison into our churches and just kind of being thrown there,โ€ said Termine, โ€œWe could do better than this.โ€ That discussion planted the seeds that eventually led to the creation of Second Chance Churches – an opportunity for churches to provide support and mentoring to returning citizens that continues today.

When we asked Pastor Frank what he would say to another church that was unaware of Urban Alliance, he said, โ€œIf you are looking to get out in the community and make a difference in the community, Urban Alliance is a super way to do it. Weโ€™re a small church โ€ฆ we canโ€™t do everything. Urban Alliance is a pathway to get our people involved in ministries that are already doing it, doing it well, and just need extra volunteers.โ€

Pastor Frank Termineโ€™s story embodies many things we are trying to accomplish at Urban Alliance: supporting organizations in the communities they serve with training, resources, and opportunities to make a difference. Pastors and non-profit leaders face a wide range of challenges and, therefore, need a wide range of help and resources. Your support can help turn stories of struggle into stories like you find at Calvary Church.

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