What's Good In The Neighborhood

As leaders, we deal with conflict everyday. Whether its inter personal or personal, we each need to own our own piece of the contribution. Dave Obwald is a Pastor at The Well Community Church and a certified transformational coach who walks alongside individuals and organizations in their journey of recovery, growth, performance, and spiritual transformation. With a master’s degree in conflict and...

Welcome to a new series from What’s Good in the Neighborhood—Soul Care and Leadership. In this opening episode, we set the stage for a timely and necessary conversation about what it means to lead from a healthy soul. We’ll explore the rhythms that sustain emotionally healthy leadership, how to navigate conflict without burning out, and why recovery, spiritual practices, and deep friendships aren’...

Today Andrew and Grace get to chat with local advocate and activist, Ariana Martinez-Lott who spent over ten years in advocacy work and real time relationships with undocumented folks here in Fresno county. Arianna brings real world insight and authentic experience to the conversation. Arianna talks about staying positive, seeing the current situation as an opportunity, and staying curious. Servin...

Andrew hangs out today with Mark Bowers of World Relief on the podcast. Mark describes how his own personal journey led him to a life on the margins with refugees and immigrants. Mark and Andrew discuss the Church's role and responsibility to the immigrant, how World Relief is addressing and responding to the recent policy changes, and how you can learn and get involved with refugees in your own n...

Andrew sits down with Mariana Diaz, of Mennonite Central Committee West Coast, and they talk about not only her personal story of immigration, but local immigration policies, ways to navigate and learn the system, and how to be a better neighbor to our local undocumented community. West Coast MCC’s immigration program serves immigrant populations affiliated with our constituent churches and surrou...

Considering our current cultural moment, Andrew and Grace process the current administration's philosophy on immigration in light of ENP values and point of view. The two discuss how their personal faith is intersecting with the issue of immigration, and frame up for listeners why we're taking a pause to learn from experts who have dedicated their lives or careers to people who live in the shadows...

As we finish out our conversation about being a good neighbor, we finish our series with Christian Gonzalez and Samai Munoz. Both women work personally with women and residents in our urban communities here in Fresno, and have the lived experience of working with people at a slower and messier pace than we would like in order to see real change. Samai is Mexican born, Fresno raised, and transforme...

Today we get the privilege to sit down with and laugh with Pastor DJ Criner! DJ is a pastor, teacher, and visionary here in Fresno as he shepherds the people of Southwest Fresno at St Rest Baptist Church. DJ shares his thoughts about what it means for a church and a pastor to be a good neighbor in their space and place. The three chat theology, contexual ministry, community work, and city flourish...

Mike Oz is the guy who knows a thing or two about finding the best things about where he lives and making them a pretty big deal. Andrew, Grace and Mike talk about what it takes to care about your city so much that you begin to make places for people to hang out at. Mike is the pro at this in Fresno, we are grateful we got the chance to pick his brain about why Fresno refuses to love itself, and c...

It's December 19th and it felt fitting that we paused for a moment to recognize the season we are in. Grace and Andrew discuss Advent, the meaning and purpose of the season, and how the God we serve made deliberate choices to come as baby, born into poverty, already so needy. God is in the Manger, by Dietrick Bonhoeffer Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, by Ann Voskamp Every Neighborhood Partnership is...

Two of Fresno's conveners join us today on the podcast to talk about creating spaces and places so that every neighbor is welcome. The four talk about how hospitality is radically inclusive, invested, advocates for those whose voices aren't heard as loud, and extremely simple. This episode talks specifically about the different ways Fresno High and the Tower District neighborhoods have activated h...

Being a neighbor doesn't mean you just happen to live in a place! Ivan and Karl teach us today what it means to lift the head of our neighbor and empower them to change the culture and landscape of their place. The four talk disempowerment, how the ability to choose is the ultimate privilege, and that the dream that neighborhoods would be marked by equity. We learn more about Community Land Use Ac...

Who is my neighbor? Andrew and Grace introduce our new series, A Good Neighbor. This series will focus on what it means to advocate for your neighbor, what it means to be long term invested in people and place, and how to show up and in small and big ways. On this episode, Andrew and Grace share their personal experience and context with what they've learned about neighboring, they answer the ques...

On this final episode in our series, For the Long Haul, Andrew and Grace sit down with Julie and Jaeden from Central Valley Community Foundation to discuss the issue of Racism and how it has impacted our city long term. The four discuss our community's prejudices, assumptions, and biases and what we can all do to join the conversation around changing the course of the future. To learn more about F...

Today, Andrew and Grace picked the brains of Natalie Caples and Jennifer Rhoden, two people who tackle a very large question every day in their work - How do we get food into the hands of people who are food insecure? Natalie has served as Nutrition Education Coordinator, Programs Supervisor, Programs Manager, Director of Programs, and Chief Operations Officer since joining Central California Food...

Today, Grace and Andrew sit down with two local CEOs, AP Armour and Mark Ford. AP and Mark share learned insights around job readiness, job development, and the power of a job. The 4 chat about the different models and perspectives they implement in order to hire people who may be on their 2nd or 3rd chance in order to develop incredible employees. If you want to learn more about barriers to emplo...

On this episode of WGITN, Grace and Andrew sit down and talk with Nolen Burchett and Ahmad Bahrami. Nolen and Ahmad come from two different edges of the mental health and addiction solution spectrum, and yet were able to find common ground about the drugs, addictions, and hurdles that plague our county and country, as well as the long term solutions. Grace also shares a bit of her personal experie...

Richard and Tumani work with kids in urban environments in Fresno that have every odd stacked against them - the foster care system, homelessness, abuse, and trafficking to name a few. But these two have dedicated their lives to not only provide safe environments, but also to offer kids in crisis the opportunity to plan, dream, and execute the life they want. Join us today on What's Good to talk a...

On this episode, we talk with two people operating from 2 different ends of the homelessness crisis but have chosen to partner together; McKenna Gilman of KuppaCares, who provides a hot cup of coffee and a kind conversation to the homeless of Fresno, and Zack Darrah, CEO of Poverello House, a full service homelessness center providing temporary shelter, addiction and recovery services, a church, a...

In our new series, For the Long Run, we're tackling big issues that won't be fixed overnight. Today, we talk with Esther Carver and Dan Zack to discuss the obstacles facing affordable housing, the creativity needed to offer different options to people, and the exciting solutions that folks are working on to bring change to the space. This episode is Fresno heavy, and discusses in detail the specif...

Is the church the asset in the neighborhood or is it one of many? Jason Spencer tackles this question head-on as local pastor who has committed to not just being a church in a neighborhood, but a church with the neighborhood, there to empower people in their God-given dignity and the work they've been called to do! The trio talk about the difference between outreach and place based focus, leadersh...

If you went on our Drive Tour, you heard Chris De Leon talking about the Yo-ville Community Garden in Southwest Fresno. Chris joins the pod to chat more in depth about the current state of food insecurity in the agricultural capital of America, what kind of dignity we instill in each other and ourselves when we grow our own food, and why the existence of community gardens mean we all thrive. To le...

Andrew and Grace are joined today on the podcast by Carlos Huerta. Carlos is the Executive Director of the Center for Community Transformation at Fresno Pacific University. The three talk about the economic realities of the Central Valley, the roadblocks that exist for people to get jobs that meet their needs, and the creative options that exist for our community, our churches, and our organizatio...

On this episode in our Drive Tour Series, Andrew and Grace sit down with Marcel Woodruff. On Marcel's part of the Drive Tour, he gives us amazing stories of community members that are dreaming for healthier thriving in Southwest Fresno. Marcel talks on this episode about the why behind that, what drives him as a community organizer and mentor, and how everyone can start thinking about the neighbor...

In our second series on What's Good In the Neighborhood, we are slowing down and interviewing some of the amazing people who are featured on our new and improved Drive Tour! If you don't what the Drive Tour is, how you can take it, or what you'll be learning about this episode with our very own Gabrielle Piceno will answer all your questions! To download the app and take the tour, visit VoiceMap h...