GGBA PETITION DRIVE GARNERS OVER 1,000 SIGNATURES

John Elliott Churchville, Interim President of The Greater Germantown Business Association, Inc. (GGBA) announced today that the GGBA Petition drive in opposition to the placement of Save-A-Lot and Dollar Tree stores at Chelten and Pulaski Avenues has garnered over 1,000 signatures. “With the support of many neighbors and neighborhood block groups, the Petition drive has reached at least 1,000 people in just 8 days,” Churchville said. “I am particularly thankful for the support that our State Representative Rosita Youngblood has given to this community. She was the only public official whom we reached out to who took a stand on behalf of our community against the Pulaski Partners’ Save-A-Lot/Dollar Tree plan,” said Churchville. “When our elected representatives stand with us on issues about which we are very concerned, we need to recognize and applaud them for that stand. We don’t hesitate to laud Representative Youngblood for being a true representative of the will of the people in her legislative district.”

Churchville noted that many individuals, from block captains to whole blocks of people, joined with GGBA in its effort to halt the development of low-end stores in Germantown that actually inhibit mid- to high-end stores’ locating in the Germantown community. “Low-end stores breed more low-end stores. No mid-end or upper-end store will compete with a low-end,” said Churchville.

“GGBA is grateful to all the residents and community groups who have supported its Petition campaign. We look forward to building a continuing, inclusive relationship, so that business owners, residents and community groups can work together to upgrade our beloved Germantown community.”

The mission of GBBA is to build a strong, inclusive, culturally diverse business association that will positively influence the sustainable economic development of the Greater Germantown Business Corridor. Its vision is to create a vibrant, diverse and safe atmosphere that invites consumers and businesses from every ethnic and cultural background to locate, live, work, eat, shop, learn and play in the Greater Germantown community.

Liberation Fellowship Supports The Greater Germantown Business Association's Petition Drive to Stop Sav-A-Lot Placement at Chelten & Pulaski Avenues

Germantown residents, community activists and organizations have expressed outrage at the proposed Sav-A-Lot store that is planned for a mini-mall at Chelten and Pulaski Avenues. In response to our own and the community's concern about what is proposed and how it was proposed without any community or local business input, The Greater Germantown Business Association (GGBA) is initiating a petition drive to collect 1,000 signatures of community residents to duplicate and send to our elected officials.

We take the position that if, as a united community, we do not want this facility in our neighborhood we have the power to stop it. If you agree with our position, please visit GGBA's website at www.greatergermantownba.com download and print out the Petition in the EVENTS & NEWS page.

Feel free to have your friends, neighbors and colleagues who live in the Germantown area sign it. (Our student interns will also be circulating the petition in the neighborhood.) We believe that with the support of the many residents and community-based organizations in the Germantown area, together we can stop the plans that were made behind our back and without our input. Join us and watch as together our united action will change what was planned without our consent.

LFCDC Co-Sponsors Training for Front-Line HIV/AIDS Care Workers and Advocates

On Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 9:00, city wide HIV Testers, Care Providers, Case Managers and Social Workers gathered together at Christ Community Baptist Church. The church, located at 1224-30 N. 41st Street between Girard and Parkside Avenues where Reverend Arthur White ( a long time HIV/AIDS prevention and education advocate) presides, hosted our three hour training seminar, the first of 10 scheduled monthly this year. The training was jointly sponsored by the Health Federation of Philadelphia and Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation as an effort to empower, encourage and enhance the skills of HIV front-line advocates.

This month’s topic was: HIV medications: How they Work, Common Side Effects and Adherence Issues. Renetta Mosley, Patient and Community Affairs Manager of Brystol-Myers Squibb was the guest speaker. In addition to presenting information about various medications and their side effects, Renetta stressed why it is so necessary to advise clients to ask their physicians questions specific to their reactions to medications, as well as their knowing themselves what it is they are taking. She also emphasized the importance of medication information being understood by staff members in order for them to pass the knowledge along to their clients, with an ultimate goal of replacing the feeling of being overwhelmed to empowered.

Next Meeting
Topic:
HIV Science Review and Latest Developments
Time:
Thursday, March 10, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.
Place:
Christ Community Baptist Church - 1224-30 N. 41st St. Philadelphia, PA 19104
Guest Speaker:
Roberta Laguerre-Frederique, MD – Clinical Director Dorothy Mann Center for Pediatric and Adolescent HIV at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children

LFCDC Chairman Visits AIDS Laboratory in New York

Philadelphia BTAN IAVI Visit Report

On Thursday, December 16th, my Philadelphia BTAN Co-Chair Danielle M. Parks and I (John Elliott Churchville) visited and toured the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) laboratory in Brooklyn, New York. The visit had been arranged by the Black AIDS Institute (BAI). We were joined by Phill Wilson and A. Cornelius Baker, BAI’s President/CEO and Board President, respectively, as well as BAI national staff members and our BTAN counterpart Co-Chairs from Houston, TX and Jackson, MS.

Our day at IAVI began with a welcome breakfast followed by welcoming remarks and a program overview by IAVI’s President and CEO, Seth Berkley. He passionately described IAVI’s world-wide mission to ensure the development of safe, effective, accessible, preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. With offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, New Delhi, India and Parktown, South Africa, IAVI has not only been able to attract and support some of the world’s brightest and best HIV researchers and scientists, but also to strategically locate them where the results of their work will most directly benefit the people most severely affected by the HIV pandemic. Seth also shared with us his excitement about IAVI’s and partners’ follow-up on their 2009 finding of two new, potent broadly neutralizing antibodies to HIV and identifying their binding site on the virus. Even more potent, broadly neutralizing antibodies were found in 2010 and are currently being studied. (Because HIV mutates early and often, a successful HIV vaccine must contain broadly neutralizing antibodies—i.e., rare substances that recognize and attack multiple variants or mutations of HIV.)

Following Seth’s remarks, Phill Wilson gave a brief history of the 10-year birthing process that brought forth the Black AIDS Institute and the strides that BAI has made since its inception. Then he introduced Jeffrey Crowley, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

Jeffrey Crowley shared President Obama’s conviction that despite fiscal limitations, there was bipartisan support for the work of his office, and that he did not anticipate any change in direction stemming from the recent mid-term election results. He encouraged all of us to be familiar with the National HIV Strategy and the National Implementation Plan as starting places for our advocacy work.

A panel discussion followed which was moderated by Lisa Beyer, IAVI’s Senior Vice President for Public Affairs. The panelists featured all the above-named speakers with the addition of Tokes Osubu, CEO of Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD). Immediately after the related Q & A session, we were led on a tour of the facility by Rick King, IAVI’s Laboratory Vice President.

After putting on our laboratory coats, gloves and goggles, we were led into the lab of IAVI’s Principal Scientist, Sanjay Phogat, who, with his world-wide team of colleagues, had discovered the two powerful broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV, and had identified a target on the virus to which these antibodies bind. I cannot adequately describe the personal impact that meeting this very brilliant, humble, committed and passionate HIV superhero had on me. It is one thing to understand the passion of those of us who are fighting the HIV/AIDS battle in the trenches of counseling, testing and linking persons to care, but it is quite another to experience first-hand the passion exhibited by scientists committed to finding an HIV vaccine that will work anywhere and everywhere in the world to halt all future HIV infections. And Dr. Phogat was not the only passionate and committed scientist that we met at IAVI: every single lab that we visited was headed and staffed by people who were fixated on either: 1) designing and developing vaccine candidates to prevent HIV infection; 2) designing and developing vaccine candidates to control HIV infection; or 3) accelerating vaccine candidates to clinical trials and advancing the most promising to efficacy trials.

The day at IAVI so impacted me that I felt obligated to share its highlights with all of my known co-workers in the HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment arena of struggle. Although our struggle must continue in earnest, there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel…and it is not a freight train headed in our direction. Rather, it is a light of hope and encouragement that everything we do matters. We must believe that our unswerving persistence in this work will eventuate in the successful eradication of HIV as a debilitating disease within our very own lifetime. A luta continua!

BTAN Philadelphia To Offer Focused State-of-the-Art Trainings for HIV Medical Case Managers, Activists and Care Providers in 2011

Co-chairs of BTAN Philadelphia, Danielle M. Parks, Program Director of the Women’s Anonymous Test Site and John Elliott Churchville, Chairman and CEO of Liberation Fellowship CDC, announced today the launching of BTAN Philadelphia’s Information and Advocacy Project set to begin operation in February, 2011.

“Over the past year, Philadelphia’s HIV/AIDS service organizations, spurred on by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), have transitioned from a social service type case management model to a medical case management model,” said Danielle Parks. “So there’s an increasing need to ensure that medical case managers, care outreach specialists and prevention counseling and testing specialists are well versed in the science behind HIV medical care, treatment and adherence, so that they can be more proactive in assisting their patients to get into treatment earlier and stay in treatment.” Parks went on to explain that Philadelphia BTAN proposes to convene a ten-month medical treatment and care training program for case managers, care outreach specialists, prevention counseling and testing specialists, AIDS Service Providers and community stakeholders. The sessions will be three hours long and are scheduled once-per-month over a 10-month period from February through November, 2011, on the second Thursday of each month.

John Churchville added that the trainings will culminate in an HIV/AIDS symposium to be held in December, 2011, where participants will share with the HIV treatment and advocacy community what they have learned from the training. “This Project contributes to the overarching vision of BTAN by improving the quality of HIV/AIDS treatment and care for Black Americans by providing medical case managers and care outreach specialists with the tools they need to empower patients to begin treatment earlier, better manage and monitor their own care, and adhere to their treatment regimen,” Churchville said. He indicated that the Project goal is to train, motivate and support medical case managers and care outreach specialists in deepening their knowledge of the science of HIV and AIDS. This includes the various medications that are effective in their treatment, and the ways to communicate that knowledge to patients that build the patients’ health literacy and confidence in communicating with health professionals involved in their treatment.

The first training scheduled for Thursday, February 10th will cover HIV Medications: How they work, Common Side Effects, and Adherence Issues. Early registration for the series of 10 free trainings will open on Wednesday, December 15th. To pre-register, contact Danielle M. Parks at dparks@healthfederation.org, or John Elliott Churchville at jchurchville8@gmail.com.

BTAN Philadelphia, is the local affiliate of The Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN), a dynamic national network laying the foundation for a new era in Black American HIV/AIDS advocacy. BTAN addresses the disproportionate impact HIV/AIDS has on the Black community by focusing on training, mobilizing and networking to improve HIV/AIDS treatment and care for Black Americans. BTAN, the only collaboration of its kind, links Black Americans with HIV into care and treatment, strengthens local and national leadership, connects influential peers, raises HIV science and treatment literacy in Black communities, and advocates for policy change and research priorities.

LFCDC To Host HIV Awareness Open House

On Wednesday, OCTOBER 27, 2010, Liberation Fellowship CDC will host an HIV Awareness Open House at the VERNON HOUSE (5800 Germantown Avenue) in Vernon Park. The event will run from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and will include a continental breakfast for all who attend.

A presentation including updated information and statistics about HIV in Philadelphia will be provided as well as an open discussion forum about what can be done within the Germantown community to help educate and assist in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

Come Join us!

LFCDC's Call To Link HIV/AIDS Work To The Environmental Justice Movement

Environmental Justice is that state of affairs in which the last, least and lost of us are able to 1) live in safe, eco-friendly living spaces that promote health and a sense of well-being while having access to the same quality of health care that affluent people enjoy; 2) work in life-affirming pursuits that contribute to the building of social networks that behave like caring extended families while promoting a sustainable green economy; and 3) produce products and services that preserve out planet and add value, meaning and purpose to their own as well as their community’s life. There is no country on the face of the earth that has not been plagued by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. However, in each country the demographic that is hardest hit is the last, least and lost of us—the marginalized poor and oppressed. In the United States of America, that demographic includes African Americans at an alarming rate, as well as Hispanic and Latino populations.

Since the U.S. epidemic began in 1981, more than 560,000 people have died of AIDS. More than one million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, with roughly one quarter of these persons unaware that they are infected. According to epidemiological data gathered for 2006, approximately 56,300 people became infected with HIV. Across America, African Americans made up the highest proportion of new HIV infections with an estimated 24,900 new infections in 2006. For the same year, more infections occurred among young people 13-29 than any other age group, with 19,200 new infections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone in the United States is infected with HIV every 9½ minutes. Although African Americans make up approximately 12% of the U.S. population, we account for nearly 50% of all new HIV diagnoses. In Philadelphia, epidemiological data for 2007 indicate that African Americans made up 61.3% of all new HIV cases reported.

Since it has been shown that race and poverty are predictors of HIV incidence (the number of new HIV/AIDS cases reported during a given time period) and HIV prevalence (the total number of people living with HIV and AIDS) confirms these findings, it seems clear to me that a successful frontal assault on HIV/AIDS in the African American and Latino communities must of necessity be also a frontal assault on poverty and oppression in these communities.

The same demographic that suffers the most from HIV/AIDS is also the demographic that has the highest rates of crime, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases. My concern to link the HIV/AIDS struggle with the larger Environmental Justice Movement is motivated by two facts. First, our work in the HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and linkage to care arena has been placed in a box that virtually limits our conversations to HIV/AIDS activists alone. Second, environmental groups are rather white and insular and lack the vision to see the connection between greening the planet and ending poverty and the diseases and social degradation that accompany it. By enlarging the HIV/AIDS struggle and linking it to the Environmental Justice Movement, we succeed in creating a much larger and expanded network of activists that is inclusive of the last, least and lost of us.

Therefore, the National Brownfields Conference that is coming to Philadelphia from April 3–5, 2011 is the perfect strategic opportunity for us to think outside the box and link our HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment movement with the Environmental Justice Movement. The Conference will bring approximately 8,000 people from all over the country to Philadelphia. We have an unprecedented opportunity to frame the HIV/AIDS work that we do in Environmental Justice terms, and to share that work with environmental activists from across the country. For more information on how your organization can participate in the Conference, please contact me, John Elliott Churchville, ASAP at jchurchville8@gmail.com or (215) 848-8511.

Summer Release of LFCDC Chairman's Latest Book

John Elliott Churchville announced the release of his latest book, Leadership Lessons from Jesus. The book focuses on the teachings of Jesus in the four Gospels, and relates them to the current community struggles around issues of fairness and justice. The purpose of Leadership Lessons from Jesus is to showcase the revolutionary nature and content of Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God and to present him and his claims outside the traditional framework of religious dogma. The book is published by Infinity Publishing and is available directly online at www.buybooksontheweb.com/product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-6038-6. It is also available from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

Liberation Fellowship CDC Named Official AmeriCorps ACTS HIV Site

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation (LFCDC) has been named an official AmeriCorps Access to Care Through Service (ACTS) HIV education, outreach, counseling and testing site by The Philadelphia AIDS Consortium (TPAC), creator of the AmeriCorps ACTS national program that serves Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and California.
Beginning on September 1st, AmeriCorps volunteers will be stationed at LFCDC’s HIV/AIDS counseling and testing site located in historic Vernon House in Germantown’s Vernon Park. They will be engaged in HIV/AIDS awareness through community outreach and education activities.
Created by The Philadelphia AIDS Consortium (TPAC) in 2000, the ACTS program is the first AmeriCorps National Direct volunteer program geared to self-empower individuals who are living with, affected by or wanting to serve as community educators about HIV/AIDS in our communities. Following the format of self-empowering groups facilitated by other organizations across the country, the ACTS program develops an atmosphere of service learning opportunities and various educational programs that enhance volunteers’ lives while having a deep impact on the communities AmeriCorps members serve.
Educational programs offered to volunteers include basic Case Management Skills, Living with HIV/AIDS, Medical Treatments and Oral Health, Cultural Diversity, Managed Care, HIV and Immigration, Sex Education, Self-Esteem, Decision Making, Values Clarification and Developing Job Skills.
LFCDC was founded in 2006 by members of Liberation Fellowship Church of Jesus as a separate stand-alone outreach and community development expression of the church’s commitment to positive and progressive personal and social change. Liberation Fellowship CDC is a federally tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Its purpose is to engage in charitable projects and educational activities that develop community leadership skills, encourage low income housing and economic development, provide free HIV counseling and testing services and support green job creation in the Germantown area of Philadelphia. The ultimate goal of the organization is to develop positive, value-laden, replicable program models that are readily adaptable to other urban areas of the country.

New!! "Leadership Lessons From Genesis"

John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D., J.D., Chairman/CEO of Liberation Fellowship CDC announced today the release of his new book, Leadership Lessons from Genesis, a Leadership Development Bible Commentary on the first book of the Bible. “The purpose of the book is to extract kingdom leadership lessons and principles that will encourage, support, and sustain kingdom social activists as they engage in God’s struggle for liberation of the oppressed and social justice for the poor,” Churchville said.

Leadership Lessons from Genesis is the third book that Churchville has published with Infinity Publishing. The other books are Sermons for Subversives and Leadership Lessons from Exodus. Visit our website to learn more.

Liberation Fellowship Church of Jesus' "STRAIGHT UP WORD!" Has A New Home!

Straight Up Word! is a thought provoking Bible study presented by Pastor John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D, J.D.

Each week, Pastor Churchville examines the Bible to gain biblical and spiritual understanding of the leadership lessons that believers can apply in their everyday living.

The program was launched in 2008, and Liberation Fellowship Church of Jesus,has been broadcasting Sunday's at 9:30 a.m. on WNWR 1540 AM. Since then, we gained loyal listeners who have expressed their desire to access the relevant teachings that this program has to offer at any given time as opposed to a certain time frame.

We are pleased to announce that you can now listen to the weekly lessons on our website at www.lfcjnow.com.

To our faithful listeners, this is our way of thanking you!

LFCDC's "New HIV Intitiative" for the New Year!

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation (LFCDC) will be adding free HIV counseling and testing services to its ongoing HIV training and community outreach activities in 2010. Thanks to technical and training assistance from the Philadelphia AIDS Consortium and the generosity of the Central Germantown Council, testing supplies and space have been provided to LFCDC for its HIV counseling and testing activities in the Northwest section of Philadelphia.

Beginning Wednesday, January 20,2010, LFCDC will be providing HIV counseling and testing services on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Saturday mornings from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and Monday evenings from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00p.m., at Vernon House, located at 5800 Germantown Avenue in Vernon Park, Germantown and Chelten Avenues.

State certified HIV counselors will provide confidential counseling and testing, as well as health related resource referrals on a walk-in or appointment basis. LFCDC's weekly outreach to schools and community organizations in the Germantown/Mt.Airy area, as well as its special HIV education programs will continue throughout 2010.

Mt. Airy's Local Art Exhibit to Feature Paintings and Sculptures by Nancy-Ellen

"A juried art exhibition in the many shops, cafe and public spaces of Mt. Airy" is the invitation to all by the Mount Airy Business Association who is hosting their MT AIRY'S FOCUS ON LOCAL ART EXHIBIT November 6th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and November 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Featured will be local artists who will have their work displayed on and along the Mt. Airy Business corridor which runs from the 6300 to the 7000 block of Germantown Avenue. Shops and businesses that run into the avenue within that designated area are participating as well.

Two of the artists featured will be our very own Nancy-Ellen, who recently published her first novel "Nana's Wicker Back". Her sculptures and paintings will be at North by Northwest and Blackbone Gallery, both located in the 7000 and 7100 blocks of Germantown Avenue. In addition, Nancy's son Lamont Wilson will be showcasing his portraits and landscape photographs.

This is a wonderful opportunity to get out, enjoy the autumn season with a casual stroll through scenic Mt. Airy and check out the great works of art created by Philadelphia's artists See you there!

Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge Hosts local author Nancy-Ellen's Book Signing!

On Saturday September 26th at 6:00pm Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge (located at 6143 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia, PA) opened it's doors to host their first book signing.

Local community activist and artist Nancy-Ellen Churchville, President and COO of Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation featured, read an excerpt and signed purchased copies of her first novel "Nana's Wicker Back", a story of a lost woman who was commissioned by her ancestors to settle a matter that had been haunting their family for generations.

The atmosphere was charged with energy and excitement as friends, family, customers and business affiliates poured through the doors of Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge seeking to purchase or receive a signature of Nancy-Ellen's novel, as Ms. Bridget-Word Cunningham, proprietor of the facility graciously received guests and facilitated the event with the utmost of grace and ease.

Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge is a state-of-the-arts, and cutting edge beauty lounge. It is ahead of it's time, as the owner and staff members rejuvenate and educate their clients to incorporate beauty and health into a life-long regimen amidst a backdrop and atmosphere of total serenity. Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge was inspired to elevate the consciousness of well-being by embracing the art of grooming while combining it with total relaxation.

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation wants to thank all who came out to support Nancy-Ellen at that most memorable event and especially thank Bridget-Word Cunningham and her excellent staff for hosting the affair!

GGBA Explores Creation of "Green Business District" in Germantown

John Elliott Churchville, Chairman/CEO of Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation and Interim President of The Greater Germantown Business Association, Inc. (GGBA) announced today that the GGBA has engaged in a process to join with other small historic communities (The Germantown Avenue Business Corridor is a National Historic Landmark) around the state to form the Network of Urban Ecology Communities (NUEC). “Our strategic partners in this endeavor are the School of Architecture of Philadelphia University, along with Lafayette College, and Easton University in Easton, PA,” Churchville said

Churchville noted that “These academic institutions are in the early stages of developing an Institute for the Network that will coordinate the in-depth studies of Network communities to provide the baseline data necessary for planning and carrying out forward-looking ecological projects that will serve as national models of urban ecological community development.”

Initial participants in the Network will include Germantown (through the GGBA), East Falls, the West Ward Urban Ecology Project of Easton, PA, the five Upper Schuylkill Historic Main Street towns, Ridgeway, and the Uptown section of Harrisburg, PA. “The objectives of the Network are to join efforts in creating ‘green collar jobs,’ unique Green Businesses as models for economic development, and the development of urban housing rehabilitation and weatherization projects that integrate Green building and historic rehabilitation standards that are both practical and affordable to low and moderate income homeowners within the ambit of the Network,” Churchville noted.

Indicating a strategic shift in the GGBA’s focus, Churchville added: “The GGBA’s specific focus for the immediate future will be on investigating the feasibility and creation of a ‘Green Business District’ along Germantown Avenue near the Town Hall Project. This will involve visiting selected national Green business chains and encouraging them to locate stores in Germantown, recruiting Philadelphia area Green businesses to relocate to Germantown, and helping existing Germantown businesses to take the necessary steps to ‘Go Green’ in incremental, affordable steps in order to benefit from the growing national economic trend that is shifting to Green products and services.”

Book Release and Signing!

Philadelphia native painter and sculptor Nancy-Ellen has now ventured into a new form of self-expression!

On July 24, 2009 she released her first novel "Nana's Wicker Back" and is enjoying the positive feedback and results of her endeavor. "Nana's Wicker Back" is a provocative tale about a lost woman who is commissioned by her ancestors to settle a matter that has haunted their family for generations.

On September 26,2009 at 6:00pm, Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge (6143 Germantown Avenue, Phila., PA) will host and showcase Nancy-Ellen for her 1st book signing. All are invited to come out and celebrate her latest accomplishment.

Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge was inspired to elevate the consciousness of well-being by embracing the art of grooming combined with relaxation. Their desires have always been to educate and interact with their guests through teaching some of the very basic and the not so basic skills of beauty. Their beauty lounge houses their very own cosmetic line along with retail and educational platforms to train and assist guests in their desires to learn more.

Canvas Soup Beauty Lounge is located close to the corners of Germantown Avenue and Tulpehocken Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia.

For more details about the book signing event, contact Nancy-Ellen at (215) 848-8511 or Bridget-Word Cunningham at (215) 991-6009

LIBERATION FELLOWSHIP CDC OFFERS TWO LEADERSHIP TRAINING SEMINARS AT 440 N. BROAD STREET - FREE!!

Leading in Difficult Times

A series of Two Leadership Training Seminars Designed for Re-Thinking and Re-Tooling for Today’s Issues, Problems and Opportunities

Facilitated by: John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D., J.D.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation
www.lfcdc.com

Each 1 ½-hour interactive leadership training seminar provides specific insights for developing enhanced leadership skills that are required for successful navigation of movements, institutions, organizations, families, and one’s self through hard times.

Session 1: Leading from the Bottom: Making My Change in Changing Times Wednesday, September 9, 2009
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
440 North Broad Street, Room 1169

Session 2: Leading from the Margin: Changing My Behavior
Thursday, September 10, 2009
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
440 North Broad Street, Room 1169

Leading from the Bottom: Making My Change in Changing Times

In this first leadership training seminar, participants will focus on personal identity and purpose issues (Who am I? What is my mission in life?) These issues will be presented in the context of the present global economic crisis. Participants will explore fundamental leadership concepts and learn the basic steps necessary to recreate, reposition and redeploy themselves for optimum service to family, community and society.

Leading from the Margin: Changing My Behavior

In this second leadership training seminar, participants will focus on developing positive behaviors that will move them from where they are to where they wish to be in order to maximize their full human potential. Participants will also learn the basic steps to forming positive leadership habits and will explore their contagious nature. In addition, they will learn how to use their own growth and development as the catalyst for encouraging people around them to do the same.

New Book Releases by Liberation Fellowship CDC Principals

Nana’s Wicker Back by Nancy-Ellen
ISBN: 0-7414-5517-X

NANCY-ELLEN is President and COO of Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation and co-producer/co-host of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, a weekly radio journal that focuses on sustainable economic development, HIV/AIDS education, environmental justice issues and the arts and culture. She is a writer, painter, sculptor, teacher and entrepreneur who is a native of Philadelphia, PA. Her new novel has just been released by Infinity Publishing. Entitled Nana’s Wicker Back, the book is a provocative tale of one lost woman who is commissioned by her ancestors to settle a serious matter that has haunted their family for generations.

The book is immediately available by accessing the following link:

It will also be available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Leadership Lessons from Exodus by John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D.
ISBN: 0-7414-5490-4

JOHN ELLIOTT CHURCHVILLE, Ph.D. is Chairman and CEO of Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation and co-producer/co-host of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, a weekly radio journal that focuses on sustainable economic development, HIV/AIDS education, environmental justice issues and the arts and culture. He maintains a law practice and a leadership training and organizational development consulting firm in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Churchville’s new book, entitled Leadership Lessons from Exodus has just been released by Infinity Publishing. Leadership Lessons from Exodus is a Leadership Development Bible Commentary that discovers practical leadership lessons from the first 14 chapters of Exodus that can be applied to the everyday work of community outreach organizers and social activists.

The book is immediately available by accessing the following link:

It will also be available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

So Successful WE'RE DOING IT AGAIN!

In regcognition of HIV/AIDS Awareness Month and because of the successful turnout of our HIV/AIDS screening in April, LIBERATION FELLOWSHIP COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION is conducting another seminar and screening event TUESDAY evening, JUNE 3o, 2009 at the First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, 35 W. Chelten Avenue from 6:00 to 7:00pm.

We are offering a $20.00 GIFT CARD from the FRESH GROCER to the first 30 people who show up for testing! In addition to the test, participants will learn more about this dreaded disease through a presentation called "HIV...The Thief". Certified testers will be available to answer questions and provide guidance and literature to all who attend.

For more information, contact Nancy at (215) 848-8511 (please leave a message).

Leadership Training Seminars Designed for Re-Thinking and Re-Tooling for Today's Challenges as well as Opportunities

"Leading from the Bottom": Making My Change in Changing Times

is the first seminar of a five part series being held at Episcopal Church of the Advocate 18th and Fr. Paul Washington Avenew (formally Diamond Street) beginning Monday, June 22, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:30 PM.

In this first seminar facilitated by John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D., participants will focus on personal identity and purpose issues (Who am I, and what is my purpose?). These issues will be presented in the context of the present global economic crisis. Participants will learn the basic steps necessary to recreate, reposition and redeploy themselves for optimum service to family, community and society.

Each 2-hour interactive leadership training seminar will provide specific insights for developing enhanced leadership skills that are required for successful navigation of movements, institutions, organizations and families through hard times.

Future topics (dates to be announced) will be:

Leading from the Margin: Changing My Behavior

Leading from the Center: Changing the Way I Think

Leading from the Outside: Creating Strategic Partnerships

Leading from the Top: Leveraging the Present to Create the Future

MALE STUDENT MENTORING INITIATIVE for Qualified Youth

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009

MALE STUDENT MENTORING INITIATIVE for Qualified Youth

Liberation Fellowship CDC is offering its Male Student Mentoring Initiative pilot mentoring program to 8th and 11th grade male youths who qualify for its 6 week course. The program will provide stipends to the students and their school as well as a stipend to their parent or guardian.

The project seeks to provide leadership training and mentoring infused with HIV/AIDS and STI awareness training to separate groups of 10 middle and 10 senior high school males.

Personal responsibility and accountability for being progressive leaders and positive role models in the schools and larger community will be stressed.

STD and HIV/AIDS education strategies will be explored as a part of the students work product which will require them to produce an education event for their parents and peers at the end of the course. The Pilot runs from May 1, 2009 to June 18, 2009.

Read more about this fabulous opportunity by visiting our website at: www.lfcdc.com (you'll find our MSMI Pilot Program brochure under "Packages").

To apply or recieve more information, please contact: John or Nancy before April 30th at (215) 848-8511 (please leave a message).

FREE HIV/AIDS TESTING CAN PUT FOOD ON YOUR TABLE!

Were doing it again! Liberation Fellowship is conducting a free HIV screening and education service for our Germantown residents. The last time we did it (in February) it was a real success.

The screening will be held Thursday evening, April 30, 2009 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GERMANTOWN 35 W. Chelten Avenue (corner of Germantown & Chelten Aves.)

The first 17 people to test will receive a free $20.00 gift card to the Fresh Grocer.

Come as one, come as a family * and receive 2 gift cards! If youcome early, you'll leave informed, tested and paid!

*(proof of same address is enough)

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

Liberation Fellowship Is On The AIR!

Liberation Fellowship CDC is proud to announce its broadcast of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, a radio journal that focuses on our community's health, environment, sustainable economic development, and the arts and culture.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is sponsored by Circle of Care, the primary publicly funded HIV care system for families in Philadelphia.

Listen to our broadcast on Wednesdays, at 2:00 pm on WNWR 1540 AM. You can access the program through streaming aduio at www.wnwr.com. You can also go there to listen to our latest archived broadcast.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is a production of Liberation Felowship CDC where we are targeting community development one block at a time!

Liberation Fellowship CDC Supports Asian Americans United in Opposing Foxwoods Casino

I wanted to share the op-ed piece that I submitted to the Germantown Courier. Our CDC is very supportive of the efforts of Asian Americans United and the residents of Chinatown who have fought hard to keep Foxwoods casino from being placed at the Gallery in center city. From our perspective, a casino in anybody's neighborhood is a casino in our very own neighborhood--and we're opposed to it.

This is also an opportunity for all of us to think about how things that happen in one location affect us. The current worldwide economic recession (we all know that for many of our communities it's a depression) is a perfect example of this. I am urging that we all look around and determine that we are indeed our brothers' keepers, and they are ours.

This is the perfect set of circumstances that allows us to begin to think about how we can forge multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, cross-neighborhood alliances and be more inclusive in our thinking, more responsive in our action, and more determined to make democracy real in our overall planning for sustainable economic development in Philadelphia. I know I'm preaching to the choir, but somebody has to remind us of our civic responsibilities to each other.


Germantown Should Join Chinatown in Opposing Foxwoods Casino

Governor Rendell, Mayor Nutter and City Council have decided that Foxwoods casino will be housed at the Gallery in Chinatown. South Philadelphians are happy that a deal has been cut so that the Foxwoods will abandon its Delaware River site and move on to the Gallery shopping mall. Chinatown residents and Asian Americans United continue to fight the good fight, while we here in Germantown--and others in neighborhoods all over this city==stand aloof, as if what is happening in Chinatown is not really happening to all of us.

There is something desperately wrong with the short-sighted selfishness of the neighborhood tribalism that we Philadelphians encourage and support. So long as something terrible is not in our neighborhood, we shrug our shoulders and say, "That's their problem, not ours." Meanwhile, government ignores the will of the people, and does the bidding of the powerful. Pir fragmentation and narrow, unprincipled self-interest keep us from making democracy real in Philadelphia. It also keeps our politicians unresponsive and unaccountable for their non-feasance in office when it comes to working for the best interests of our city's people as a whole.

Gambling anywhere in Philadelphia is a problem for all Philadelphians, no matter where we live. I will spare you the moral and spiritual arguments that clergy of all faiths, ethicists and principled atheists should be standing up and making on a daily basis in Germantown and every other part of this city. But I must make the brief social and sustainable economic development arguments that require all of us to oppos casino gambling in Philadelphia--especially the Foxwoods casino gambling that will specialize in slot machines at the Gallery.

From a social standpoint, slot machines rob the poor, wreak havoc on families by creating gambling addiction, and strain social services. Study after study has shown that people who can afford it the least gamble at slots the most. The lies and lure of the slot-pusher casinos entice desperate people to believe thatthey are one lever-pull away from the solution to their financial problems. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

From a sustainable economic development position, the few low-end jobs that a casino will bring to town--and they will bring their own people to town--will not begin to pay for the huge economic and social mess caused by the Foxwoods casino presence in Philadelphia. Just check out the real Atlantic City away from the lights of the boardwalk, if you doubt the negative growth that gambling brings to a city.

The location of Foxwoods casino anywhere in Philadelphia will bring out our most vulnerable populations from everywhere in Philadelphia and will negatively affect the health, welfare and sustainable economic development of all of our neighborhoods. Germantown must see that its best interests lie in supporting Chinatown in the struggle against Foxwoods casino at the Gallery.

Finally, we have an opportunity to do something about this situation. We can join with Asian Americans United, Chinatown residents and people of good will from all across the city, at Arch Street Methodist Church, Broad and Arch Streets, Monday evening, December 8th, at 7:00 p.m. Let's learn together how we can make our voices heard and the will of the people respected.

John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D., J.D., Chairman/CEO
Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation

Liberation Fellowship Launches Greater Germantown Business Association

Liberation Fellowship CDC launched the Greater Germantown Business Association in August 2008. We recognized the need to create sustainable economic development in the Germantown business corridor, and as a result met and partnered with Central Germantown Council and the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians to discuss plans for the GGBA launch.

Since then we have held monthly meetings, and business membership is growing. For more information, visit our website at greatergermantownba.com

Free 3 Hour Drawing Class!!!

Have you always wanted to know how to draw but didn't know how to start? Learn the simple skill sets needed to launch you into the creative world of art.

On Saturday, October 25,2008 at 12:00 pm, at HEBRON TABERNACLE 6630 Germantown Avenue Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation will host a 3 Hour Basic Drawing Class.

Learn how to "see" instead of "look" at an art object. Discover the power of shadowing and light. Most of all, ejoy 3 hours of fun with neighbors and friends as you unearth your hidden artistic talents. All you have to bring is your desire to draw!

Computer Training - Using Blogs

Promoting an organization's agenda in the 21st century takes an internet presence. But, how does an organization on a shoestring budget get its information on the internet? With the ongoing Internet evolution, organizations have more tools at their fingertips than ever before to accomplish this required self-promotion.

On Saturday, November 15, 2008, Liberation Fellowship CDC will host a class called, "Using Blogs" to teach organizations how to use the internet as an excellent resource for hunting, gathering of resources and promoting their agendas.

This workshop is an excellent opportunity for grass roots organization to learn more about a wide range of e-topics, including some fantastic how-to content for social networks and other tools.

During this 4 hour hands-on workshop, participants will learn: What is a blog? Why do I/my organization need one? How can I build and maintain a blog for free? How can I promote my blog? How can I use a blog to generate revenue?

You will also have the ability to participate from the comfort of your own home via the live webcast for this event. See the Taking Tech to the Streets page for more information.

Pre-requisites: Proficiency in using Microsoft Word and internet navigation savvy.

JC Lamkin will also sign her book, "Fabulous & Tech-filled, Volume 1"

Event details
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2008
Time: 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Northwest Regional Library, 68 West Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144-2795
(Greene St. & Chelten Ave.)
Meter parking available in the rear

Cost: Free
Participants must RSVP before November 1, 2008. Space is limited.

Audio PSA

Press Release

Flyer

Straight Up Word! Time Change

September 24, 2008

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Beginning on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5th, Straight Up Word! will be broadcast on WNWR, 1540 AM, at a new time: 9:30 a.m.

This coming Sunday, September 28th, will be the LAST time the program is aired at 7:00 a.m.

John Elliott Churchville, Ph.D., J.D.,

Chairman/CEO

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation

5555 Wissahickon Avenue, Suite 719

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144-4540

Tel: (215) 848-8511

jchurchville8@gmail.com

http://www.liberationfellowship.org

View Pictures From Our Family, Community Health & Fun Day Event

LIBERATION FELLOWSHIP IS ON THE AIR!

On Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Liberation Fellowship CDC launched its radio journal "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". This weekly broadcast that airs Wednesdays at 1:00 pm on WNWR 1540 AM will feature information about the Arts & Culture, Urban Greening, Sustainable Economic Development and HIV/AIDS education and awareness.

A New Business Association In Town!

Liberation Fellowship CDC has formed The Greater Germantown Business Association. The group will hold its first public meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 7:00p.m. at Vernon House, 5800 Germantown Avenue.

Our strategic partners in this endeavor are Central Germantown Council and the Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. The focus of the Association is to revitalize the Germantown business corridor, strengthen existing businesses and welcome new enterprises into the community.

For more information please contact Dr. John Churchville at (215) 435-4627.

ROCK THE VOTE WITH CONFIDENCE!

Liberation Fellowship CDC invites you to its VOTER EDUCATION SEMINAR Saturday, September 27, 2008 from 12:00 - 3:00p.m. at Hebron Tabernacle (6630 Germantown Avenue in Philadelphia).

Learn what the terms "electoral college", "popular vote" and "superdelegates" means. Take advantage of an opportunity to really look closely at a voter's ballot and take note of some of the recent changes.

Instructors will be on hand to answer questions and advise you of some facts you may need to know before you partake in one of the most memorable elections in the history of the United States!

Voter regestration applications will be available for all procrastinators!


For more information, leave a message for Nancy at (215) 848-8511

LIBERATION FELLOWSHIP CDC is hosting a "FAMILY/COMMUNITY/HEALTH FUN DAY"

LIBERATION FELLOWSHIP CDC is hosting a FAMILY/COMMUNITY/HEALTH FUN DAY at Hebron Tabernacle - 6630 Germantown Ave. (corner of Gtn. Ave. & Phil-Ellena St.) on Saturday, August 2, 2008 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

This fun-filled event is for children of ALL AGES! There will be face painting, free food, rides for the kids, on-site health screening and job applications, and more! You are invited to reserve table space to sell your wares at our "Corner Flea-market".

Come meet the folks in your neighborhood, have a bite to eat, learn more about your health and at the end of the day fellowship with us.

For more information about reserving tables, please contact Jerome Rogers at (267) 265-3006

LIBERATION FELLOWSHIP CDC - "Targeting Community Development...One Block At A Time!"

R U Important? R U Aware??? - HIV/AIDS AWARENESS MONTH ACTIVITIES AT HEBRON TABERNACLE

Liberation Fellowship CDC will host an HIV/AIDS information seminar on Thursday, June 26th at 6630 Germantown Avenue (corner of Germantown and Phil-Ellena Street). Our presenter will be Adonis Baregas, manager of the Men's HIV Initiative at the Circle of Care. A flyer and press release are attached for your information. Please spread the word.

HIV/AIDS AWARENESS MONTH ACTIVITIES AT HEBRON TABERNACLE

Liberation Fellowship CDC will be offering an interactive HIV/AIDS information and education seminar at Hebron Tabernacle, 6630 Germantown Avenue (the corner at Phil-Ellena Street), on Thursday, June 26th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is the second in a series of programs and activities that Hebron Tabernacle and Liberation Fellowship CDC will co-sponsor.
This seminar, free to the public, will focus on providing accurate information about how HIV is transmitted, what can be done to prevent the spread of HIV, and how and where to access rapid testing. The presenter will be Adonis Banegas, Manager of the Men’s HIV Initiative for the Circle of Care.
The Circle of Care is the Ryan White provider for HIV services and education for women, children, youth and families.
Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation (LFCDC) is a federally tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It was created in March, 2006, by members of Liberation Fellowship Church of Jesus, Inc. in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a separate, stand-alone outreach and community development expression of the church’s commitment to positive and progressive personal and societal change.

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View Pictures from our Martin Luther King Day Event

Upcoming Events

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation
5555 Wissahickon Avenue, Suite 719
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19144-4540
www.liberationfellowshipcdc.com


Liberation Fellowship CDC Calendar of Scheduled Events


1. Job Readiness Training Course (Four 1 ½ hour sessions)

Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2008: 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

2. HIV-AIDS Education and Awareness Day

Saturday, June 21, 2008: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

3. Family Day and Community Flee Market

Saturday, August 2, 2008: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

4. Voter Education Event

Saturday, September 27, 2008: 12 noon – 3:00 p.m.

5. Art Workshop for Children and Adults

Saturday, October 18, 2008: 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

6. Computer Technology Workshop

Saturday, November 15, 2008: 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

7. Leadership Training Workshop

Saturday, December 13, 2008: 9:00 a.m. – 12 noon

8. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Monday, January 19, 2009: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Interactive Leadership Training course at Hebron Tabernacle

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation
5555 Wissahickon Avenue, Suite 719
Philadelphia, PA 19144-4540
(215) 848-8511

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Elliott Churchville,(215) 435-4627, churchatty@msn.com

HEBRON TABERNACLE HOSTS LEADERSHIP COURSE MAY 6TH

Liberation Fellowship CDC will begin offering a four-part, interactive Leadership Training course at Hebron Tabernacle, 6630 Germantown Avenue (the corner at Phil-Elena Street), on Tuesday, May 6th and the three following Tuesdays in May, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This is the first of a series of programs and activities that Hebron Tabernacle and Liberation Fellowship CDC will co-sponsor.
This course, free to the public, will focus on three core leadership values that promote positive social change: self-mastery (independence and personal responsibility), interdependence (working effectively within and among groups), and reflective leadership (team-building and shared group thinking that focuses on new, cooperative approaches to community problem-solving, and creation of new and needed programs, products and services).

Based on a building-block approach, the first session on May 6th will cover leadership introductory material and self-awareness issues that are essential in understanding personal and group leadership development. Session two, building upon the first session, will focus on time management. Session three will explore the interpersonal skills necessary to work with and among other groups. The final session will examine win/win strategies, listening to understand, and speaking to be understood skills that promote effective communication and team-building.
Rev. Paul L. Randleman is pastor of Hebron Tabernacle, a community-minded church located at 6630 Germantown Avenue.

Liberation Fellowship Community Development Corporation (LFCDC) is a federally tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It was created in March, 2006, by members of Liberation Fellowship Church of Jesus, Inc. in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a separate, stand-alone outreach and community development expression of the church’s commitment to positive and progressive personal and societal change.

2008 Martin Luther King Day of Service