Our Vision
When you look behind the programs and people of Circle, you find a vision that has seen us through the changing landscape of ministry. Our vision has three components:
MISSION + PHILOSOPHY + STRATEGY = VISION
Our Mission
Circle exists to transform lives and community through the applied power of the whole gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our Philosophy
We stand firmly on the following three bases for ministry:
- Biblically based: The Bible serves as our foundation and is an absolute, inerrant guide for all matters of faith, practice and lifestyle.
- Community based: Circle Urban Ministries is a community based ministry whose primary call is to touch the lives of the poor in the Austin Community and to effect, as God's agents of "salt and light," positive Christian community development.
- Church based: Our mission must be accomplished with the local church as a base and must maintain a committed and intimate ministry partnership with a local church with which we together serve the wholistic needs of the poor.
Our Strategy
Wholistic Approach: People are complex, with body, soul and spirit all influencing each other, for good or ill. Poverty is complex as well, and the way into a better quality of life is neither simple nor instant. That's why our strategy includes a wholistic approach. Our programs work in concert, offering each family or individual help for a wide range of concerns and needs.
Three Rs: Also central to our strategy are the 3Rs of community development*:
- Reconciliation: between God and man, and between people of different backgrounds and races
- Relocation: into the community
- Redistribution: of resources for the empowerment of the community
*The 3Rs, first articulated by John Perkins, can be found on the web site of Christian Community Development Association, www.ccda.org.
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Directions and Tour Information
We give tours. E-mail Melinda Carter at melindac@circleurban.org to indicate your interest.
We're located at 118 North Central Avenue in Chicago. That's the northwest corner of Central and Washington Aves. Link here to MapQuest for a map that will lead you to our door. Or, follow these directions:
From the west: Take the Eisenhower Expwy. (I-290) heading east toward downtown Chicago. Take the Central Ave. exit (one exit past Austin) and turn left (heading north) onto Central. Take Central to Washington (about .5 miles, one street past Madison). Park in the lot on the northeast corner of Washington. Walk across the street to our building. Our entrance is on Central, up a flight of stairs under an archway.
From the east: Take the Eisenhower Expwy. (I-290) heading west toward Chicago suburbs. Take the Central Ave. exit (one exit past Cicero) and turn right (heading north) onto Central. Take Central to Washington (about .5 miles, one street past Madison). Park in the lot on the northeast corner of Washington. Walk across the street to our building. Our entrance is on Central, up a flight of stairs under an archway.
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Where does the money come from?
Our fiscal year runs from July to June. For FY 2005, our projected income is $2,960,700, from the following sources:
| Sources of Income |
| Donations |
848,350 |
| Program Fees and Income Generation |
1,192,170 |
| Public Grants and Contracts (City and State) |
692,085 |
| Private Grants (Foundations and Corporations) |
206,770 |
| Miscellaneous |
21,325 |
| Total |
$2,960,700 |
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Our Community
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Down the street from this beautiful mural, prostitutes walk along a strip of parkway as autos slow down to pick them up. Around the corner, a liquor store attracts a regular crowd of customers who hang out in the parking lot. A block down from the liquor store stands the local elementary school. Two blocks south of the school is Circle Urban Ministries. Our community holds a mix of hope and hazard. |
We're located in the Austin community on Chicago's west side. Though the skyline famous for the Gold Coast and the Magnificent Mile can be seen on a clear day, the "trickle-down" of downtown money is rarely seen in Austin. The largest community in Chicago (pop. over 100,000), Austin is also one of the poorest. Statistics from Chicago Public Schools' lunch program indicate that 90% of the children who attend Austin public schools are from poor families, 6% are working poor and 4% are lower-middle income.
Austin's history reflects that of a typical urban area: Irish and Italian American population gave way to a large influx of African-Americans when a period of "white flight" in the latter '70s resulted in a dramatic shift in population and economics.
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Associations (this area still under development)
Christian Community Development Association: An international network of community development organizations like Circle. CCDA is especially helpful for start-up ministries.
Circle Family Care: In addition to providing medical services, CFC also links with us in the areas of foster care and counseling.
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability: As a member of of the ECFA, we are required to comply with the ECFA's "Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship." Every year the ECFA requires documentation to prove our compliance with those standards. We have been a member in good standing with the ECFA since 1989.
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