If your church is in or close to Richmond, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Baltimore or Birmingham and you are (or should be) involved in urban ministry, you might find this conference of interest.

Through a partnership with nonprofit church growth consulting group Urban Awareness USA, NCPG and its corporate sponsors are funding a unique two part Ministry Resource Development Program. The first part of NCPG’s two step Program is to provide live training and education to churches in 9 cities. These live educational events are designed to teach ministries:

· how to secure more funding from nongovernment funding sources for ministry
· how to improve administrative operations of ministry
· how to improve the overall effectiveness of ministry.

The second component is long term technical assistance. As a part of the program, ministries will receive continuing educational and infrastructure development assistance to ensure they successfully implement what they learned during the education component of the program.

Mark Towell, President of NCPG developed this program as a way to give back to the ministries that do so much for their communities. In a recent interview Mark said; “I’m always inspired when I meet pastors and church leaders that genuinely care about the people they serve. These folks work very hard to make a difference and they deserve the help this program provides. And I can’t say enough good things about the generous sponsors who have partnered with us to make all this possible…. It’s truly a blessing to work with good people who believe in the importance of giving back”

The live educational events are open to the public and will take place in 9 cities around the United States. Each event will feature up to 30 leading experts in church growth & development including; Church Attendance & Membership Growth, Ministry Development, Pastoral Succession Planning, Asset Protection, IRS Audit Prevention for Churches, Church Leadership, Church Conflict Resolution, Church Fund Development, Grant Writing, Capital Campaign, Church Construction, Real Estate Development, Tax Credits, The Use Of Drama & Arts In Ministry, The Use Of Technology In Ministry and dozens more.

The long term technical assistance portion of the program is free to those who attend the live events but has limited availability. The focus of the long term program is ministry growth, grant writing, ministry fund development and ministry administration.

In a recent interview, Tracy J. Brown, CEO of Urban Awareness USA said; “I was raised in severe poverty and I remember the important role the church played in helping me overcome my circumstances. This Ministry Resource Development Program is going to help churches reach more children who are experiencing the same hardships that I once did….So, yes, I’m very excited about this program and deeply honored that Mark asked us to participate.”

To help churches conveniently access the Ministry Resource Development Program, organizers have developed a special website. To receive tickets to a live educational event, obtain additional information or to apply for a scholarship please visit www.ministryresourceconference.org.

NCPG was organized in 1987 to help relieve churches of the administrative duties associated with purchasing. It started with five ministries in northern Virginia. NCPG became the administrative deacon for each facility, locating and securing the most professional goods and services at the lowest price. Today, NCPG is the nation’s largest ministry group purchasing organization (GPO), working nation-wide with over 19,000 ministries.

Urban Awareness USA, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit church growth and development consulting group that was established in 2003 to help churches and community nonprofits enhance the lives of the people in their communities. Urban Awareness USA has served as the White House representative for CAAP and founder Tracy J. Brown, has been invited to the White House by three United States Presidents. In 2007 Mr. Brown received the Congregational Medal of Distinction.

If your organization would like to participate in the Ministry Resource Development Program, visit ministryresourceconference.org or to receive more information about this program, please call (800) 795-6274

Website Address: www.urbanawarenessusa.org