The IAF team is a new team forming as part of Cross Creek’s Justice and Witness Ministry and is being led by the Rev. Bill Youngkin (iaf@crosscreekchurch.org). We do not meet on a regular schedule, instead meeting as needed. Our focus is working with the Industrial Areas Foundation’s new Greater Dayton group.

The Industrial Areas Foundation, founded by Saul Alinsky in 1940, is the oldest and largest community organizing network in the United States, with affiliates in 56 cities. IAF builds broad-based, non-partisan organizations of dues-paying member congregations, schools, unions, business associations and non-profits committed to building power for sustainable social and economic change. IAF organizing develops a constituency of leaders to become citizens in the fullest sense—participating in democratic decision making and creating a more just society.

In 2008, the Ohio IAF organized Vote Dayton, one of three IAF chapters in Ohio (the others are Faith Vote Columbus and Reclaim Lorain), to get people in Dayton registered to vote. Vote Dayton was quite a success, the largest non-partisan voter drive in Ohio. People from 12 congregations (including Cross Creek’s own Bill Youngkin and other Cross Creekers) talked with over 8,000 neighbors, registered 887 voters, and protected votes at 20 polling places (by, for example, making sure people voted in the correct precincts).

In 2009, the people involved in Vote Dayton have been developing the group into a larger, lasting IAF chapter which will work on social justice issues in Dayton. A September 2009 kickoff meeting was attended by representatives from more than 40 faith institutions and community organizations, growth from 2008’s 12 congregations that was achieved by developing one-on-one relationships.

These relationships help not only the Dayton IAF group to grow and gain influence in our community but also Cross Creek to let people in Dayton know that LGBT people and our allies care about and want to be full members of our community. For example, one person whom Pastor Mike had a one-on-one meeting was the Rev. Dr. Daryl Ward of Omega Baptist Church. Pastor Mike did not go to his meeting with Pastor Ward intending to talk about LGBT issues—IAF organizations do not address single-issue causes—but Pastor Ward wanted to learn about Mike’s personal and theological experiences as a gay man and asked Mike questions.

From January to April 2010, the congregations and organizations involved in the Greater Dayton IAF group will work to understand the needs and interests of their members through a Listening Campaign. The results of thousands of one-on-one conversations will be used to determine the justice issues that matter in Dayton and on which the Greater Dayton IAF group will work.

Cross Creek Listening Sessions

As part of this campaign, Cross Creek’s IAF team held Listening Sessions in February at which Cross Creekers talked about our concerns about the quality of life in our region and what issues we’d like to work on. What we learned in the Cross Creek Listening Sessions will be shared with the Greater Dayton IAF as it works to become the people’s voice in public decision-making.