In 1998, the Knoxville Christian
Community Foundation hired Andy Rittenhouse to examine the urgency and
scope of the social needs in Knoxville, Tennessee. By May of
1999, the research was compiled in a document entitled the
Salt &
Light Guidebook, 1st Edition. This document revealed many social needs
but also highlighted the sacrificial labors of numerous faith-based
community service organizations active in the city. Soon after, the
Salt & Light Guidebook,
1st Edition sparked the interest of several West
Knoxville churches who began a dialogue about how to combine their passion
and resources to more effectively demonstrate the love of Christ to
residents of Knoxville.
Calling themselves the Compassion
Coalition, this small band of churches held their first formal meeting
on April 13, 2000. It was then that a "Call
To Action" was issued to representatives from twenty-six
congregations who attended the meeting. A vision was presented to form a
network of compassion leaders who could accomplish far more together than
apart.
The Coalition began to
establish an official presence in
Knoxville,
and moved to Dowell Springs Business Park in the spring of 2001. In
April, 2002, the Compassion Coalition became a 501(c)3 nonprofit agency.
Board members determined that the Compassion Coalition would not be
involved in direct ministry but would serve as a catalyst to help
local churches build capacity and vision for community transformation.
The Coalition would achieve its mission through three primary objectives: to research community needs and resources, to build capacity for
community outreach, and to bridge the churches and the community.
The Salt & Light
Guidebook, 2nd Edition was published in 2002.
Click here
to access the latest version of this valuable resource. |
