About Us > Our Story
Reconciliation, Compassion & Justice
Our story is not one of having arrived, but of being on a journey. A journey that has called us to serve the poor in the inner-city, and to call believers to a deeper walk with God across the country.
We began in 1974 with a sincere desire to bring needed social services to a community in need. Having come from an era of the evangelical church that focused on saving souls while overlooking physical/social needs, our initial focus was to serve the poor with needed services as our priority. Pastor Raleigh Washington planted Rock of Our Salvation Church in 1983 and the partnership between Circle Urban with the spiritually focused church outreach helped to bring a new dimension of reaching the “whole man”, with physical and spiritual needs being addressed. (See History page)
We have also been called to reach out beyond the borders of our Chicago neighborhood. The first significant milestone was the publication of the book Breaking Down Walls co-authored by Glen Kehrein, Circle’s executive director, and Pastor Raleigh Washington. The book deals with the Biblical call for racial reconciliation and outlines very practical steps to be enlisted in working through issues of racial division. (See Philosophy of Ministry page.)
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