UA Launches New Podcast

Jun 28, 2019 | UA News

One of our favorite things at Urban Alliance is to hear from people we work with in various capacities to learn how our partnerships are giving tens of thousands of people help and hope for a positive future.
 
But, we don’t like keeping these stories to ourselves—we want you to be encouraged by them, too.
 
So, we’re launching The Fulcrum podcast!
 
In our first episode, we sat down with Mat Samuelson from Glastonbury Community Church to learn more about a series of Urban Alliance-supported workshops his church is holding to help young people deal with the anxiety that comes with living in the 21st century and the Technology Age.
 
On April 28, 40 people participated in the church’s first workshop—affectionately dubbed a “community conversation” by Pastor Samuelson—titled “Healthy Boundaries With Technology.” The workshop was sponsored in part by Urban Alliance, and included a overview and discussion with both parents and teens about today’s mental health crisis and how technology, while useful, contributes to higher incidences of depression and suicide.
 
Glastonbury Community Church also partnered with Building Healthy Familiesfor the workshop, to include an overview of psychological research about Attachment Theory and how overuse of smartphones, tablets and gaming devices can damage supportive relationships and interfere with a child’s social and intellectual development.
 
Click the button below to hear first-hand from Pastor Samuelson about their workshop series, Glastonbury Community Church’s partnership with Urban Alliance and the positive impact its having in our local community.

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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. “That’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, “ 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. “We all lamented the fact that these men and women were coming out of prison into our churches and just kind of being thrown there,” said Termine, “We could do better than this.” 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, “If 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. We’re a small church … we can’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.”

Pastor Frank Termine’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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