We hope all of you are having a wonderful summer and ready to move into another new school year.
           It's time for us to begin our Community Leaders Breakfasts. Therefore, we would like to invite you to our first breakfast that will be taking place at Christ Temple Church (2300 Jamestown Rd. Huntington WV 25701) on Friday, Sept. 6th at 8:30 AM, in their Cafe (To the immediate right when entering the building). Please let us know if you’ll be attending so that we can make sure there will be adequate food for all that attend.
           Also, it's time for Mission Tri-State‘s Fall Retreat. We do invite you to pray with us as we continue our process of seeking God‘s face for his plan and strategy for the transformation of our community. This retreat will be taking place on Monday, September 23. These retreats are vital and ask discerning God strategies to bless and transform our community.
           We continue to see amazing answers to prayers as God continues to increase the atmosphere of cooperation and collaboration. A good example is a report given to us from Jedd Flowers, the new Executive Director of United Way of the River Cities: “United Way will begin its 2024 Workplace Campaign with a news conference Monday, Sept. 9th at 2:00 PM at the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation. The theme for this year's campaign is "Creating Opportunities Together," which expresses the idea that when you give to United Way you are providing individuals with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive, and, in turn, helping to build stronger, more resilient communities for all. 
At the kickoff both funded and strategic partners will share stories of individual impact and opportunities created thanks to contributions made to United Way. These testimonials will be followed by the formal introduction of the United Way Community Opportunity Plan. With the launch of this ambitious economic development initiative, United Way is renewing its commitment to its vision of a community where everyone has the tools and opportunities they need to thrive. 
           To inform this effort, United Way is currently gathering and analyzing existing studies conducted across our six-county service area (Cabell, Wayne, Lincoln, Mason, Lawrence, Gallia). This research, when aligned with United Way's own data, is helping to identify common barriers to success faced by those struggling to emerge from poverty as well as those who are working, but still finding it difficult to survive. We refer to this large segment of our region's population as ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed). Barriers identified might include items such as housing, utilities, transportation, food insecurity, childcare, etc. 
           After the first of the year, United Way will invite leaders from all sectors of the community to come together for a special United Way Leaders Congress. At this gathering attendees from across United Way's six-county service area will analyze our research findings, learn about existing efforts to address barriers, prioritize the region's most pressing needs, and identify opportunities for new or expanded collaboration. From there, the leaders will break into Opportunity Work Teams, with each team responsible for the development of a plan of action to address a specific barrier or area of need. Once these individual plans are complete, they will be combined into one overarching regional economic development plan, the United Way Community Opportunity Plan. This document will then be utilized by United Way to apply for funding on behalf of the six-county region. Once funding is secured it can be used to enact each Opportunity Work Team's section of the plan. This can be achieved using United Way's existing grantmaking process through awards to non-profit funded partners, through the support of strategic partnerships or internal initiatives, or through the development of corporate, government, education, or other strategic partnerships that support the successful execution of the United Way Community Opportunity Plan.”
            Again, we would like to thank all of those who support this ministry with their prayers and financial donations.
                                                          
Yours in Christ Service,
 
Mike Greider
Director of Mission Tri-State