More than 100 people gathered last night at Files Chapel Baptist Church to learn more about Citizens for Change, a new community involvement group for the citizens of Davidson County.
The new group is a sister organization to Winston-Salem-based CHANGE (Communities Helping All Neighbors Gain Employment), an ecumenical nonprofit association of churches, charities and neighborhood organizations. The Revs. Ryan Eller and Kelly Carpenter from CHANGE were among the speakers, pledging their support to the new group. Representatives from six Davidson County churches attended the meeting.
Connie Russell, an organizer for Citizens for Change, said that the group will be nonpartisan, multi-racial and multi-ethnic, and will provide a place for residents to be actively involved in political and economic issues in the community.
"We want the people we voted for to be accountable," said the Rev. Dennis Clodfelter of New Life Worship Center.
The Rev. Tom E. King of Grace Episcopal Church said that the meeting was a great opportunity for congregations to get better acquainted and assess the needs of the community.
Eller said that house meetings will be held by each church in January to discuss specific concerns, and members will reconvene after that to compare notes and decide how to move forward.
The Rev. Derek Boggs of First Lutheran Church compared the work the group plans to do with the hype surrounding Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which was filming in Lexington.
"When the TV trucks are gone, when the stars are gone, we are all that's left," he said. "How are we going to make over Davidson County?"
tclodfelter@wsjournal.com
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